Let me start off by saying that I am learning and reading more about eczema than I care to or imagine I would. Until around January, when the occasional redness became chronic and severe outbreaks, I didn't even think much about it. Thinking it was simply induced by dry skin, I bought organic baby soap to replace the Johnson and Johnson body wash and shampoo. I bought expensive organic baby lotion. I applied Aquaphor, as our pediatrician recommended, when the various emollients didn't seem to improve her skin condition. We considered getting a humidifier. Not until around mid February, when Zoe's entire face was covered with angry red bumps and the weekend where she had a bad case of "wet" eczema (where the skin broke and bled), did I begin to research in earnest the causes - and importantly the solutions - to it.
What I found, after consulting with various websites (Kellymom, babycenter, and what have you) and books, is that eczema is a common manifestation of allergy and the common triggers are dairy (specifically cow's milk protein), tree nuts (esp peanuts), shellfish, soy products, eggs and wheat. Voila! I thought. I had started taking dairy again after a hiatus of two months. Previously, I had stopped my dairy intake because baby was throwing up a lot (after around 6 weeks, after I started taking more and more dairy). We read that some babies are sensitive to cow's milk protein when young. I stopped the dairy and so did the throwing up. But I started sneaking dairy again and in greater and greater quantities (in the form of a splash or two of half and half in my coffee in the morning, ice cream, croissant...). As she seemed fine at first, I thought her digestive tract has matured and celebrated by having ice cream in the evenings.
So out went the dairy again. This time I am really strict about it too, which means I read product labels carefully. It's amazing how many food products contain some form of dairy or dairy derivative. I also started applying hydrocortizone cream (1%) to her face, as per the doctor's instructions. But the eczema, albeit in milder form and less frequently, continued to plague her. So I started avoiding the other main categories of allergenic food too. And, for good measure, I now add flaxseed oil to Zoe's solids and rub evening primrose oil onto her belly. I read it in "Boost Your Child's Immune System" that this can be very helpful.
All in all, the measures have helped, but she is still terribly sensitive to a lot of things and there are days where she would have eczema that is seemingly random and unexplainable. The latter, along with the red rashes that would make a showing a couple of times a week, bothers me a lot. For example, her face is a bit splotchy today. She woke up with rather decent skin. By this afternoon, there are spots of red all over.
So, coming back to where I begin, I discovered this website called SolveEczema (http://www.solveeczema.org) two days ago while doing further research on eczema. The main thesis of the authors of website, whose own child suffered from horrendous eczema, is that eczema, or a majority of eczema , is detergent induced. It has a lengthy explanation of how they figured out it was detergent that was causing their son's eczema, the difference between soap and detergent, and a very useful and informative section on all the known causes of eczema as well as a solutions page on eradicating detergent-induced eczema. I have to say this website is probably the best I have seen with regards to eczema (even if one's eczema is not detergent induced).
I'm thinking I would like to explore this possibility further. Zoe's face breaks out even on days where I have not done anything differently (i.e no new food). It seems random and it seems like everything and anything can set it off, which is an indication of detergent induced eczema. That said, since reading the website, and after plenty of reading about detergent and checking the labels on the products I used, I realized that most of the products we use on Zoe contains detergent (even Cetaphil). If detergent is really the cause, you would think her eczema would be worse and more spread out over her body (touchwood!).
Anyhow, I'm probably, with Dennis's agreement and help, going to do the detergent test recommended on the solveeczema website. I don't know which I prefer yet, be this a detergent induced eczema or something else (say the food induced eczema). The former means we have a solution, albeit a difficult to implement solution. Detergent, as it turns out, is pervasive and getting rid of it requires nothing short of a revolution. We would have to replace almost all the products we currently use.
The fact of the matter is that I feel an increasing urgency to find the cause of her eczema. On some days, I wish to be lazy and like to think she will just outgrow it at some point. But I have the sense that if I don't try to eliminate the cause, this can continue to plague her for the rest of her life. As the renowned pediatrician Dr. Brazelton said in "Touchpoints," early detection of the cause is important for prevention of lifelong affliction. (Which is why I feel so guilty about not being strict about my diet early on). I also came across research linking eczema to asthma. Most recently, I read on babycenter.com that, whereas babies and children used to outgrow their allergies, increasingly this is no longer the case. They are outgrowing them later in life and in few numbers.
Well, we'll see. If only, if only we can resolve this before long.
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