YOUR QUESTIONS:
(click on each link to see the FULL Question \ Answer)

1. I was just wondering if the infant face rash cream is also good for heat rash or milk rash? How long approximately does it take to get rid of the rash if it does treat these conditions?

   Milk rash is often due to proteins in milk that trigger an allergy. Our Lavender balm is totally non-toxic and should be applied to the lips and around the mouth of the baby before a feed and then again after you have cleaned their face after a feed. The lavender balm will solve the problem immediately....ANSWER

   Heat rash is often a problem at this time of year and also in tropical areas. We have had surprising success with many mothers finding the lavender balm used 2-3 times a day helps....ANSWER

2. My son is 3 months old, and has a red lumpy rash all over his face - the spots are tiny, but there are lots of them and his skin feels quite rough to touch. I am not sure if this is milk rash, or the start of eczema. In either case, is your lavender balm safe / effective to use?

   Milk rash is a term applied to a type of eczema which often forms around the mouth and chin, sometimes going down to under the chin. Apply our lavender balm thickly enough to leave a protective shine on the skin before and after feeding and at bedtime to the affected areas. The product is totally non-toxic , makes a good lip balm too! If he rubs his face and rubs his eyes there is no problem. ...ANSWER

3. My son developed Eczema from the age of 6 weeks (he is now 4 months old). The rash first appeared on his face and neck and was originally misdiagnosed as hormone or milk rash. By 8 weeks it was clear to our child health nurse that it looked like atopic dermatitis as all his flexures/creases were very red and he had a slight oedema to the eyes. By now he also had a rash all over his torso and his neck was almost red raw. Unfortunately within a week the rash had returned and was particularly bad on his torso, neck, face and all his creases were very red. We managed to get in to see and Allergist who prescribed an extensively hydrolysed formula (Neocate LCP) with the assumption that it could be a cow milk allergy on the basis that the first rash coincided with us moving from breast milk to formula. The Allergist also conducted skin prick tests for cow milk, soy and cheese but all returned negative. I am desperate to try an alternative and more natural cream for his eczema and have read about your hypoallergenic eczema cream that may be suitable for my son.

   Our hypoallergenic face and body balm is non-toxic (so is Dermese) but much easier to apply, does not sting, contains Chlorhexidine which is a safe antiseptic. This adds an extra degree of protection against bacteria. The balm also contains zinc oxide to assist healing and reduce itching which may occur as the skin heals. I in 3 children (ages o to 5 years) will suffer eczema and I believe it is due to their immunity to the environment developing. If the rash looks like tiny pimples with clear centres you may have a bit of heat rash occurring which the Dermese can aggravate due to sweat glands being blocked. Our Balm will absorb sweat so blocking of the pores is less likely to occur. ...MORE

4. My 7 month old son has a terrible looking rash that started off on one cheek and has now spread to red blotchy patches over his entire face and little pimpley dots that vary in thickened degree around his neck, chest, abdomen and back. To begin with I thought it was dribble rash but over the last two days it has spread to places where drool does not get to. So now I'm wondering if it could be heat rash?

   It is quite likely that he has infantile eczema in the damaged areas and heat rash in the more recent flare up. Heat rash looks like lots of very minute pimples with clear water centre's. For the drible rash areas use our lavender face and body balm before and after a feed and more thickly at night. For the heat rash just apply the balm very thinly at night ...ANSWER

5. My daughter is now almost 4 months old. She developed face rash when she was 6 weeks old, and my maternal child health nurse told me it was 6 weeks rash or heat rash at the time. However, it got worsen, so I took her to my GP who prescribed her Hydrocortisone acetate cream(sigmacort 1%) which did the trick. Like all mums' dilemma, I do not want to use cortisone all the time, especially I started to see the side effect (broken capillaries) on her face. Her face sometimes has redness, spots, or even peals. She also has cradle caps Please kindly advise what type of the cream you recommend me to use on her that ideally can use on all parts of her body...

   I make a Lavender face and body balm that can be applied to any part of the body, is not toxic, does not sting and is much less greasy than the Dermese. I also make the same product without lavender if you feel she may be sensitive to essential oils which is called our Hypo allergenic Face and Body Balm...

   Sorbolene seems better for adults than for children. I believe they (children) need a richer formula than sorbolene as their skin is more sensitive...

   Apply the cortisone first then the lavender balm over the top as the protective effect of the balm will not allow the cortisone to work if you apply it the other way around! ...ANSWER

6. My 5 month old son was diagnosed with eczema due to a milk protein allergy. We switched to an amino based formula which only slightly improved his skin. Now his face is very red and bumpy on his cheeks near his mouth (maybe from drooling). Can I use the face balm on his body also, or do I need two different products?

   The Hypo allergenic Face and Body Balm is suitable all over the body and will not sting and is non-toxic. It would be ideal to apply before each feed to his face due to his sensitive skin. P.S. There is no dairy related ingredients in any of our products.

QUESTION(S) Will your Cream treat HEAT RASH and MILK RASH?

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ANSWERS(S) - How to treat Milk Rash and Heat Rash

Hi,

Milk rash is often due to proteins in milk that trigger an allergy. Our Lavender balm is totally non-toxic and should be applied to the lips and around the mouth of the baby before a feed and then again after you have cleaned their face after a feed. This problem clears up on it's own eventually but the lavender balm will solve the problem immediately.

Heat rash is often a problem at this time of year and also in tropical areas. We have had surprising success in Hong Kong and also Indonesia with many mothers finding the lavender balm used 2-3 times a day helps. Dress the child lightly in cotton, avoid synthetics. Use a bath oil in the bath, never soap.
Any good brand of bath oil is suitable. Avoid the "bunny suit" type of pyjamas as they are heat traps.

I would conservatively expect improvement within 2 weeks, often results are obtained faster but you will have a great improvement within 2 weeks. Sometimes the balm does not clear the problem completely but works better than cortisone and is safer too.

Of course, if for any reason you do not believe the product has performed to YOUR COMPLETE SATISFACTION we are happy to refund you money (including the postage!!)

Hope this helps,
Kind Regards,
David Hosking

QUESTION - My 3 month year old baby has a red lumpy rash, is it milk rash, or the start of eczema?

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ANSWER - 3 month year old baby has a red lumpy rash, is it milk rash, or the start of eczema?

Milk rash is a term applied to a type of eczema which often forms around the mouth and chin, sometimes going down to under the chin. Apply the lavender balm thickly enough to leave a protective shine on the skin before and after feeding and at bedtime to the affected areas. The product is totally non-toxic , makes a good lipbalm too! If he rubs his face and rubs his eyes there is no problem. Basicly it is formulated specifically for children of that age that will spread cream everywhere. Regards David

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QUESTION - My 7 month old has rash with red blotchy patches - could it be heat rash?

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ANSWER - My 7 month old has rash with red blotchy patches - could be it heat rash?

Hi NP,

It is quite likely that he has infantile eczema in the damaged areas and heat rash in the more recent flare up. Heat rash looks like lots of very minute pimples with clear water centre's.

If he is waking a lot at night with a sweaty red face then he may be overdressed or the room may be too warm.

Just use water and a slightly textured face washer to wash his face in the bath and before and after a feed. For the dribble rash areas use our lavender face and body balm before and after a feed and more thickly at night. For the heat rash just apply the balm very thinly at night, check he isn't getting overheated and all should improve within a week.

Kind Regards, David Hosking

QUESTION: How do I treat my baby's eczema and stop using Cortisone (steriod)?

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ANSWER: How do I treat my baby's eczema and stop using Cortisone (steriod)?

Hi Jj,

I make a Lavender face and body balm that would be ideal for your daughter. I also make the same product without lavender if you feel she may be sensitive to essential oils which is called our Hypo allergenic Face and Body Balm.

The lavender version outsells the non-lavender version and seems to be a little more effective. (price is the same) It is a mildly antiseptic balm which protects against bacteria on broken skin while creating a barrier to allow natural healing to take place. Continue to use the bath oil and dress her lightly in cotton. The jump suit has been acting as a physical barrier stopping her skin from drying out so much which is good during winter, but in the hot days of summer she will perspire more which will irritate her eczema more.

The lavender balm can be applied to any part of the body, is not toxic, does not sting and is much less greasy than the dermese which is a good product but very messy to use. Sorbolene seems better for adults than for children. I believe they (children) need a richer formula than sorbolene as their skin is more sensitive.

Our lavender face and body balm will melt into her skin as you smooth it on. The right amount to apply is enough to leave a shine on the surface of the skin. When the protective shine disappears, apply more. You cannot use it too often but if not applied often enough the healing will not be a fast.

How to Phase out Cortisone

With the cortisone, if you suddenly stop the cortisone you may get a flare-up several days later. It is best to keep using it but slowly reduce the amount and number of times you apply it over about 2 weeks until at the end of the second week you should be able to stop it.

How to Apply

Apply the Cortisone FIRST then the Lavender balm OVER THE TOP as the protective effect of the balm will not allow the cortisone to work if you apply it the other way around!

You probably are using the cortisone once or twice a day , apply the lavender balm after a bath, before and after a feed on the face and try applying it 4 times a day on the body.

For the cradle cap, massage the balm into the crusts on her scalp daily. At bath time use a shampoo such as Johnson's No more Tears or similar non-irritant product. Do not wet her hair. Instead apply the shampoo straight on the scalp where you put the balm. Use enough shampoo to cover a 50cent piece approximately. Massage the shampoo into the crusts where you have applied the balm to dissolve the balm then add a little bath water to work up a nice lather. Using your fingertips massage the crusts with firm pressure. The idea is not to dislodge the crusts but to slowly break them down over several washes. The finger pressure should be firm so it is almost uncomfortable for your daughter but not quite so hard that she reacts unhappily.

Wash out the lather, finish her bath, dry her hair then using a fine plastic "lice" comb comb out any flakes that have been dislodged but are still in her hair. This should fix the problem quite quickly as it moisturises the scalp and hair yet softens the crusts for easy washing out and removal.

Most mums have dry hands from all the washing they have to do. At night prior to bed, you can massage some into your hands. It is somewhat oily but will penetrate the skin during the night and soften your hands too

Hope you find this helpful.

David Hosking

Compounding Pharmacist.

QUESTION - baby eczema originally misdiagnosed as hormone or milk rash - I want to stop using Steriods

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ANSWER - Tiny pimples with clear centres may be heat rash

As you have found, cortisone creams suppress the reaction and when withdrawn usually a flare up occurs.

As the skin is sensitive, emollients are the best thing to use. That is protective products that form a layer over the skin protecting it from the dry air of winter as well as things which irritate it such at saliva which has digestive enzymes in it! Dermese is a 50/50 mixture of white soft paraffin and liquid paraffin which is protective and gluggy.

Our hypoallergenic face and body balm is non-toxic (so is Dermese) but much easier to apply, does not sting, contains Chlorhexidine which is a safe antiseptic use in mouthwashes and even hospital hand cleaners! This adds an extra degree of protection against bacteria. The balm also contains zinc oxide to assist healing and reduce itching which may occur as the skin heals.

All the things you are doing are fine and it is a common problem children face as they develop. I in 3 children (ages o to 5 years) will suffer eczema and I believe it is due to their immunity to the environment developing. You will often get an eczema flare up after a cold or minor illness. If the rash looks like tiny pimples with clear centres you may have a bit of heat rash occurring which the dermese can aggravate due to sweat glands being blocked. Our Balm will absorb sweat so blocking of the pores is less likely to occur.

The method of treatment I suggest is not sudden cortisone withdrawal as this will undo the progress so far. For the first week use the cortisones as prescribed with the hypoallergenic face and body balm over the top and extra thickly in problem areas like neck skin creases. Apply enough to leave a slight shiny layer and a bit thicker in the skin creases. Apply more thickly at bedtime.

After 1 week to 2 weeks noticeable improvement should start to occur. Then half the amount of cortisone you are using but keep the Hypo balm the same. Make sure there is always a slight shiny layer on the skin so 4 times a day of more is average. You can't use too much but too little will allow the skin to dry out. If in doubt, apply more.

Once the skin is normal stop the cortisone completely. However flare-ups will occur with colds etc that challenge his immune system may mean occasionally having to use cortisone on the odd occasion.

If you are only using cortisone twice a week you are managing very well and should be able to REDUCE that with the hypoallergenic balm 4 times a day. The balm is pleasant to use and I think you will be pleased with the results.

Kind Regards, David Hosking. 12 August 08