Is this really an eczema flare!?

Hi everyone! My daughter started school four weeks ago and the first week she developed a rash on eyelids and around eyes and just gets worse! I knew before school that she has eczema but never in the eyes or face in general! There are days I pick her up and she has rashes around mouth and cheeks. She’s so miserable and irritable it looks terrible! I have been trying everything I took her to her pediatrician and she’s just like eczema flareup give her Benadryl. That’s it! Benadryl really barely does a thing but makes her more irritable! I have an appt booked for her with an allergist Friday but I just can’t stop worrying!

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You should take her to the Dr and get a referral to a dermatologist

@Jen well I’m taking her Friday to an allergist because I figured they can help get to the root of the problem rather than just treating the reaction with medications from a dermatologist

It looks like eczema to me. My daughter and I both have it and she has gotten them around her eyes when she was a baby. At this point since the rashes are there, it’s best to treat it with a medication to get the flares to go away. Once they are gone, work on preventing them with a good moisturizing routine. You want to treat them patches because leaving the skin barrier damaged and cracked can open her up to new allergies from the environment. After my daughter’s daily shower, within 3 minutes I apply a generous layer of cerave moisturizer cream and then seal with aquaphor on top. You want the skin to be damp while you do this to lock in the moisture. Definitely see an allergist though.

Agree with @Monique. My daughter has eczema and that’s what we do. Her dermatologist did write a script for a prescription lotion / ointment for very bad breakouts/flare ups, but then once it goes away, we just work to not let it come back, which includes her bath and daily moisturizing routines, as well as watching things she eats or is exposed to in case one of these could be culprit in flare ups. Aveeno makes a nice oatmeal bath targeted for eczema, and they have a lotion too. Otherwise, Cerave and aquafor, as others mentioned, are good for daily moisturizing. Good luck and hope baby feels better!

@Laura @Monique thank you guys so much! Yes we have the medicated steroid cream triamcinolone but we cannot put that on her eyes. I have given her oral Benadryl for a couple of days as advised by doctor but it barely brought down the rash and redness around her eyes. I do the aveeno oatmeal baths and I do the cerave and aquaphor all over her.

@Devon yes, we use the triamcinolone for my daughter’s body too. For her face, her derm prescribed a non steroid protopic that worked really well. Instead of Benedryl, try children’s Zyrtec since it’s non drowsy, you can def ask her doctor about those.

@Monique okay thank you! Will be meeting with allergist tomorrow praying for some help and answers. Her itching has started waking her at night 😪 wonder why her pediatrician wouldn’t have ordered her the cream for the eyes 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Devon believe it or not, even with how common eczema is, most pediatricians don’t know a ton about it. We got the face cream from my daughter’s dermatologist. The skin around the eyes is so thin that I wouldn’t even recommend over the counter stuff for it without talking to a doctor first. Try putting a cool wet towel on her eyes for a few minutes and then sealing with aquaphor.