Desperate Help needed - Bad Skin Problem on Baby's Face - Any Skin Specialist?

[stephaniesimgl]

My son has been having rashes on his cheeks since he was 1 mth old. His KK pediatrician said it could be just milk rash or heat rash... My son is turning 6 months next week - the rashes has become worse; moving from his cheeks to slightly above his eyes now... Sometimes, both cheeks are very red and water oozes out from his cheeks.

I've tried Mustela facial barrier cream, Sebamed facial barrier cream and now, Physiogel. His pediatrician recommended the non-steriod based Ezerra cream (for mild Ezcema) which we have been using for the past month. The rashes didn't go away and seemed to have grown worse.

Does anyone know of a skin specialist who is familiar with treating babies? Kindly recommend as it pains me to have to tie/hold my son's hands down all the time to stop him from scratching his face....

Desperate help needed to find a skin specialist?

Thank you.

Cheers,
Stephanie Sim

 

[apollo]

i suggest u to go to skin centre, as they are more specialise on skin problem, can find the root of the pro and solve/cure it.

u can get ur pd to refer you to skin centre or go to poly clinic to get the referral letter. but the price will be diffe. if refered by poly clinic, the price you pay will be under subsidy, much more cheaper =)

 

[stephaniesimgl]

Oh, ok. I think I'll bring him to the polyclinic near my place... Thanks for the advice.

i suggest you to go to skin centre, as they are more specialise on skin problem, can find the root of the pro and solve/cure it.

you can get your pediatrician to refer you to skin centre or go to poly clinic to get the referral letter. but the price will be diffe. if refered by poly clinic, the price you pay will be under subsidy, much more cheaper =)

 

[chiro]

u wanna try putting ur own breastmilk on them?

 

[stonston]

For infants/toddlers, they will direct you to PD skin specialist in KKH, not National Skin Centre.

My boy was referred to KKH for his ezcema. We tried to walk-in at NSC and they referred us back to KKH.

 

[stephaniesimgl]

I thought the breast milk was the very reason why he had the rashes in the first place... Milk rash also refers to breast milk, right? I don't mind trying, afterall, what's more natural than breast milk? But how long should I leave it on before i wipe it off?

you wanna try putting your own breastmilk on them?

 

[chiro]

i think milk rash refers to rashes from bm and fm

u can leave bm to dry naturally

if the redness persist ,,better check with kkh skin specialist

I thought the breast milk was the very reason why he had the rashes in the first place... Milk rash also refers to breast milk, right? I dont't mind trying, afterall, what's more natural than breast milk? But how long should I leave it on before i wipe it off?

 

[stephaniesimgl]

Thanks for the info... I didn't know KK has skin specialists... In that case, I'll get his pediatrician to refer us to the KK skin specialist - I guess it's better coz his records are already there... So, was the specialist good? Did your son's condition improve?

For infants/toddlers, they will direct you to pediatrician skin specialist in Kandang Kerbau Hospital, not National Skin Centre.

My boy was referred to Kandang Kerbau Hospital for his ezcema. We tried to walk-in at NSC and they referred us back to Kandang Kerbau Hospital.

 

[stephaniesimgl]

Do I need to wipe off the dried milk after some time or can just leave it for a long time?

I guess it's no harm trying... I think I'll try it tonight. I'd still make an appointment with his pediatician just in case it doesn't work... Thanks for the advice.

i think milk rash refers to rashes from breast milk and fm

you can leave breast milk to dry naturally

if the redness persist ,,better check with Kandang Kerbau Hospital skin specialist

 

[PinkDiamonds]

For infants/toddlers, they will direct you to pediatrician skin specialist in Kandang Kerbau Hospital, not National Skin Centre.

My boy was referred to Kandang Kerbau Hospital for his ezcema. We tried to walk-in at NSC and they referred us back to Kandang Kerbau Hospital.

Not true for my girl's case. She had eczema at 4 months old and we were referred by the polyclinic to National Skin Centre. They have a skin specialist for babies/toddlers. When we were there there were also other babies/toddlers waiting to see him.

 

[diymummy]

Eczema means allergic rash. Docs can treat the symptoms, ie, rash, but you'll also need to filter out what is the cause of the rash.

For my son, he was allergic to peanuts. When I had peanuts while breastfeeding, he would break out into a rash. When he started solids, chicken and egg also gave him rash. What we did was to keep trying the foods he is allergic too every month and at 18 mths, he finally outgrew his allergy to chicken and eggs.

You can google to find out what are some of the common high allergenic foods around.

Dry skin and other environmental factors like dust can also cause skin reactions. Thus, using hypo-allergenic moisturisers such as Physiogel can ease up the condition and using mild bath gels like Sebamed Baby are all good choices.

My son was on steroidal cream to ease his condition because he would scratch till he bled really bad. Just remember that steroidal cream is drying and you need to use together with a moisturiser like Physiogel.

Don't worry. The condition will ease up if you remain vigilant. It's a tedious journey but it does get better. Take care.

 

[stephaniesimgl]

Not true for my girl's case. She had eczema at 4 months old and we were referred by the polyclinic to National Skin Centre. They have a skin specialist for babies/toddlers. When we were there there were also other babies/toddlers waiting to see him.

Thanks for the info, PinkDiamonds. I'll ask his pediatrician which is better then... How did you find the doctor at the skin centre? Was the treatment effective?

 

[stephaniesimgl]

Eczema means allergic rash. Docs can treat the symptoms, ie, rash, but you'll also need to filter out what is the cause of the rash.

For my son, he was allergic to peanuts. When I had peanuts while breastfeeding, he would break out into a rash. When he started solids, chicken and egg also gave him rash. What we did was to keep trying the foods he is allergic too every month and at 18 mths, he finally outgrew his allergy to chicken and eggs.

You can google to find out what are some of the common high allergenic foods around.

Dry skin and other environmental factors like dust can also cause skin reactions. Thus, using hypo-allergenic moisturisers such as Physiogel can ease up the condition and using mild bath gels like Sebamed Baby are all good choices.

My son was on steroidal cream to ease his condition because he would scratch till he bled really bad. Just remember that steroidal cream is drying and you need to use together with a moisturiser like Physiogel.

Don't worry. The condition will ease up if you remain vigilant. It's a tedious journey but it does get better. Take care.

You are right about the 'tedious' part - My son is waking up every 2 hrs in the night crying non-stop because it itch so badly... And yes, he bleeds when he scratches his cheeks, so I had to tied his hands down - so cruel but not much of a choice.

I'm now actually suspecting that we have overused Physiogel (can that happen? I'm just guessing). We've been using it for 2 months now - The dryness is reduced but his cheeks turned red and watery. The redness also spreads upwards towards his eyes. Before I used Physiogel, it was just some concentrated red spots on the cheeks... I really don't know... just guessing now until I can confirm with the doc when I see her.

It'll be very hard to find what it was that I ate coz I eat many things - I'm cutting down on seafood but doesn't seem to be the cause... Sigh... I really hope he will outgrow this coz it's really causing him so much discomfort and pain.

 

[diymummy]

Hey Stephanie,

I also tied my son's hands down before. I guess it's a lesser evil.

I don't think you can overuse Physiogel. It's supposed to be a hypoallergenic cream.. So it is unlikely to cause a reaction. We used the lotion all over my son's body and we finish 1 bottle in like a few weeks.

Seafood, eggs, peanuts, dairy like cheese, are some of the high allergen products. You might want to try to cut them out from your diet for 2 weeks and monitor if there is improvement.

Meanwhile, maybe you can bring your son to a doctor for a 2nd opinion?

He will definitely outgrow some of the allergies. My son is still trying to outgrow some. In due time... Jia you!

 

[PinkDiamonds]

Thanks for the info, PinkDiamonds. I'll ask his pediatrician which is better then... How did you find the doctor at the skin centre? Was the treatment effective?

For our 1st visit we had a "preliminary examination" by a doctor who then referred us to the baby skin doctor for our subsequent visit. The treatment given to us on that 1st visit improved her condition and we can see the result after a few hours of using. I think it's because the polyclinic doctor was more conservative about prescribing too strong a steroid cream for a baby, thus we were only given an over-the-counter cream at the polyclinic. Baby's skin is very delicate thus if too strong the cream can thin the baby's skin.

On the 2nd visit we were given another cream by the baby doctor and she recovered so we didn't go back for review. An allergy patch test was also done to see what she was allergic to. So I just avoided egg in my diet and once my girl started solids I tried not go introduce egg until she turned 1 to see if she outgrew it.

Like diymummy has mentioned it's not only important to treat the symptoms, but also find out the cause of it. Good luck!

 

[Mummy to Baby V]

My boy had bad eczema on his cheeks from 6-12 months. It disturbed his sleep, he also rubbed his face until his pillow was stained with blood. Very poor thing.

Redness means inflammation, which must be treated by the doctor.

In the end, we realized my boy was allergic to soy, which I took regularly. Once I stopped eating soy, his eczema finally went away.

The rash also flares up when he perspires, so it is important to wipe off perspiration with a damp cloth regularly.

Our specialist is Dr. Jean Ho at Mount Elizabeth. She is a very nice lady and specializes in children's skin.

 

[stephaniesimgl]

My son's symptoms are exactly what you described. So, it is quite likely that my son is allergic to something I ate... Did the doctor do some tests to find out that soy was the cause? Is Dr. Jean Ho's consultation expensive? (Private doctors in Mount Elizabeth should be quite expensive, correct?) If she is really good, I think I won't mind spending...

My boy had bad eczema on his cheeks from 6-12 months. It disturbed his sleep, he also rubbed his face until his pillow was stained with blood. Very poor thing.

Redness means inflammation, which must be treated by the doctor.

In the end, we realized my boy was allergic to soy, which I took regularly. Once I stopped eating soy, his eczema finally went away.

The rash also flares up when he perspires, so it is important to wipe off perspiration with a damp cloth regularly.

Our specialist is Dr. Jean Ho at Mount Elizabeth. She is a very nice lady and specializes in children's skin.

 

[stephaniesimgl]

Thanks for sharing... At least now I know what the options are. Thank you very much.

For our 1st visit we had a "preliminary examination" by a doctor who then referred us to the baby skin doctor for our subsequent visit. The treatment given to us on that 1st visit improved her condition and we can see the result after a few hours of using. I think it's because the polyclinic doctor was more conservative about prescribing too strong a steroid cream for a baby, thus we were only given an over-the-counter cream at the polyclinic. Baby's skin is very delicate thus if too strong the cream can thin the baby's skin.

On the 2nd visit we were given another cream by the baby doctor and she recovered so we didn't go back for review. An allergy patch test was also done to see what she was allergic to. So I just avoided egg in my diet and once my girl started solids I tried not go introduce egg until she turned 1 to see if she outgrew it.

Like diymummy has mentioned it's not only important to treat the symptoms, but also find out the cause of it. Good luck!

 

[stephaniesimgl]

Thanks for the encouragement - At least I know some mummies out there have been through the same ordeal and 'survived'. So now I'm looking forward to nice clear cheeks so I can finally kiss him on his cheeks...

Hey Stephanie,

I also tied my son's hands down before. I guess it's a lesser evil.

I dont't think you can overuse Physiogel. It's supposed to be a hypoallergenic cream.. So it is unlikely to cause a reaction. We used the lotion all over my son's body and we finish 1 bottle in like a few weeks.

Seafood, eggs, peanuts, dairy like cheese, are some of the high allergen products. You might want to try to cut them out from your diet for 2 weeks and monitor if there is improvement.

Meanwhile, maybe you can bring your son to a doctor for a 2nd opinion?

He will definitely outgrow some of the allergies. My son is still trying to outgrow some. In due time... Jia you!

 

[PinkDiamonds]

I felt guilty cause it was like my fault that caused DD to have eczema, plus other people who don't know it's eczema blamed me for not maintaining proper hygiene when I breastfeed her. We even used those nappy clothes to tie up her hands. Poor girl at the age of 4-5months cannot explore her own fingers & hands. At night she will flip and rub her face on the mattress to "scratch" it.

So I just want to add that although it seems like a never ending torture for both you & baby, the condition will definitely improve once you find out the cause & take appropriate measures to control it.

Like for my case, DD outgrew her egg allergy after she turned 1. diymummy's son also outgrew some of his allergies.

So you can definitely look forward to seeing your baby have rosy smooth cheeks & be able to kiss them!