Mild Eczema….Gone!
My youngest has very mild eczema and she first showed signs around 8 months of age – she’s 18 months now. She developed small, rough bumps on the outside of her lower legs. It then spread to the outsides of her thighs and then up the backs of her arms.
Her eczema is almost completely gone now. Some days her skin is smooth as silk and other days she has a barely noticeable, slightly rougher skin, but nothing at all like before.
How did I improve the condition of her skin? There were several things that could have contributed. Here is what I did:
- I started applying Monkey Balm on the areas with eczema twice a day. (3/14/2012 UPDATE – I no longer can support the use of Monkey Balm. They reformulated their balm without notifying customers and I do not agree with the ingredient changes.)
- I removed all dairy and gluten from her diet. She now drinks either almond or hemp milk.
- She takes 1/2 tsp of ground flax each morning.
- She takes 400 iu of vitamin D oil each morning.
The change did not happen overnight, but after about 3 months I noticed that her skin had vastly improved. I guess it was happening so slowly that it was impossible for me to notice. Because her older brother has severe issues with eczema we had already made the following changes for the whole family.
- Washing the laundry with soap nuts.
- Using natural dish washing detergents and soaps without sodium lauryl/laurel sulphates.
So, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact thing that helped her eczema and it’s entirely possible it wasn’t just one thing, but a combination of things I changed. Either way, we’re thankful her beautiful skin is back.
FROM: Eczema
That is wonderful Jennifer! One less thing to worry about.
Thanks Nancy! Yes, I’m thrilled!
Eczema is such a finicky skin problem…what works for one does not always work for another. My second son also had very mild skin issues through his childhood years…I wouldn’t call it eczema…more like very dry skin. Dairy and wheat are in his diet along with fish oil, evening primrose oil and vitamin D. Funny how I never thought to take him totally off dairy when I know how bad it is for eczema. I guess because it is more dry skin than an itchy rash of eczema. I am so glad that your daughter’s skin has cleared…I know, from experience, how troubling and frustrating it is, as a parent, to watch your children suffer at the hands of eczema. I hope you find the combination cure for your son.
Thanks Susan! Tristan is really great now. He really only flares up when we try to reintroduce a food or he gets sick. So, we’re on maintenance mode now which feels GREAT!!!!!!
That is good news!
Wow Jennifer, what great information on eczema. Both my daughters have had eczema and I found it is definitely diet for both of them. My 20 mth old is still getting it on and off so I am eliminating things with her again right now. I am Jaime from Keely’s Kitchen and just got your messages on my blog. Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading more of your great posts.
Hi Jamie – Thanks for your comment! Yes, diet and eczema seem to really go hand in hand. It still amazes me that most doctors say food allergies rarely cause eczema. I think this is because the allergy tests aren’t really reliable, so if the doctors use the allergy test as the basis of knowing if a food is triggering eczema, of course the answer will be no. Good luck with your youngest! I’m sure you’ll find all the triggers soon. Jennifer