any advice for 5 year old son with extremely dry skin/bumps on legs

Hello mom of 3,

your post is a few months old so i am not sure whether you will read it, but we´re having the exact same problem with our 5 year old son. His skin has been dry ever since he was born and we were told he will grow out of it, while it actually seems to get worse the older he gets. We have tried everything, we have been to 7 different doctors in Germany, the UK and the US. They all told us its just one of those things...but our son has started school in September and kids are starting to make fun of him, calling him wrinkly hand and all that. He says no one wants to hold his hands, because even his little hands feel very rough. I feel so sorry for him and feel so helpless as well...I was wondering if you got any good advice that you could pass on to us.

Kind regards,

Nessie

Nessie,
We are still battling the dry skin issue. And sorry, we still have not had anything that has seemed to help. At least it is getting cooler in SC, so he will be wearing long pants instead of shorts and long sleeved shirts instead of short sleeved. But all that does is to help hide his skin; that does not make things any better as far as his overly dry skin is concerned. I wish I had some answers for you. I wish we had some answers. Like you, everyone that we have seen has told us that he would grow out of it. Well, the older he gets, the worse his skin gets. If there is anyone out there who has any suggestions, please let us know. We are willing to try anything to give our son some relief. Thanks.

Sometimes vitamin deficiencies can cause these problems. Prescriptions (even antibiotics or aspirin or cough syrups) can contribute to these problems (as well as a myriad of other adverse reactions). DON'T use vitamins, especially for children, because sometimes overdoses can be a problem. Try to check your childs eating habits. If they have "picky" habits this could result in a vitamin deficiency. Milk is good, but not at the expense of other foods. Try new foods with a happy atmosphere. Fish once a week is good (not more, due to mercury). Fruits and vegetables can increase iron and B vitamins. Peas and watermelon have iron. Eggs have a lot of vitamins. Allergies can also be a problem - and lotions can be the culprit. Change brands or throw them away if you have any suspicions. Bath products and laundry soaps have perfumes. Sodas can deplete water in the skin. Make sure they can get water whenever they want it. Sun is good, but don't overdose; a little color is good, but sunburn should be avoided. Always shower after being in pool.
I'm not a health professional, this is only hard knock experience. It is a very rare doctor who has any knowledge of nutrition and/or allergies, but if the problems continue don't let them brush you off. Check blood levels. Complete blood tests, not just iron (who wants to blood let every time - oh, yeah the doctors do, because they can charge each time). And make them follow up.

Hello again,

we have been to yet another doctor who prescribed "Doublebase" Lotion (comes in a 500g dispenser or 100g tube and contains Active Ingredients which are 15% Isopropyl Myristate, 15% Liquid Paraffin and Inactive Ingredients which are Glycerol, Carbomer, Sorbitan Laurate, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol and Purified Water ). We were recommended to give him a shower/bath every night and apply the lotion on the clean skin, although on the box it says may be applied before showering..we have been doing so for 5 weeks now and his skin is actually starting to feel smoother. For the first time ever!! Just have to make sure we do it on a DAILY BASIS which is a bit of a hassle for him,but worth it. Have you tried "Doublebase" yet?

All the best,

Nessie

So thankful that your son's skin is actually showing improvement!!! Unfortunately for our son, we are still battling the dry skin issue. We have actually changed pediatricians because our former doctor moved, so we were hopeful that we may get some new information on his dry skin issues. However, his new doctor is just as baffled as the rest, saying there really is nothing new to try. It is just something that he will have to learn to deal with.......No, we have not heard about the Doublebase lotion. I'm assuming that you must have a prescription for it. But, you better believe that we will be requesting a prescription for it. At this point, we are willing to try anything. Thanks so much for replying and for offering this information. Please keep us posted on how your son is doing. Best of luck!!

My daughter (5.5 yrs) is having extreme dry skin problem which actually bothers her. She feels very itchy all the time throughout her body due the dry skin during the winter months. She 's so itchy that she actually lies on the carpet or rug and rolls over her back to relieve the itchiness.

This is what I do and it really works for her.

1. Few minutes before showering; apply olive oil. I apply lots of it and massage it on her entire body so that the oil seeps through her skin.
2. Allow her to sit for 5 minutes with the olive oil on (I try to play some small games with her during this time to keep her occupied). Then ask her to take her regular shower.
3. Once she done showering; I apply a liberal amount of Baby Aveeno cream on her entire body.

I do this everyday and it has made her skin quite smooth and the itchiness is gone down considerably.

Hope this helps for you guys too..

Hey ladies, I read your posts.. and honestly it saddens me to think about your kids growing up with those skin problems. I wish I could help. I don't know if you have tried ALOE VERA. I'm not talking store bought in the walmart aisle. I'm talking about the Aloe Vera plant you buy at the store, and you peel yourself. Buy one, and peel it, take out all the gooey stuff, and put it in a blender on low speed till it is liquified, and use it as lotion, it might be sticky. But its natural lotion, and ALOE VERA is very good for a lot of things. Hope things have gotten better, but if they havent, try this if you read my post. :)

Sounds like it might be a food allergy to me.  Try seeing an Allergist who specializes in diagnosing these types of issues.  You can also google "atopic eczema + food allergies" and find a lot of info.  Dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, or peanuts may be the culprit!

Hi everyone. I have a 5 yr old girl with very dry and flaky skin too. She had eczema as a baby but this has now died down to just dry flaky skin. She also has food allergy issues, the latest being mild peanut allergy (she outgrew an egg allergy). I just use Elave moisturiser on her daily. But I have come across a Australian skin cream brand called MOO GOO which looks very good. Unfortunately, I tried a bit on my little girl and she reacted immediately. I'm guessing it was because it contained coconut oil and almond oil. So, ALWAYS do the recommended skin patch test before trying. Also, VITAMIN A deficiency might be an issue. Hope some of this helps somebody out.

Vitamin e lotion.

Aloe vera is the silent healer. Also grape seed extract. I HAVE SEEN AMAZING RESULTS WITH BOTH. What I have learned from having children with eczema is that just like a cut it heals from the inside first..grape seed comes in all different forms and is safe for children. Aloe vera comes in juices and is safe to drink. You can find them at your local healthfood stores.

Okay, so I have been reading up about dry skin for a LONG time. Mostly because I have terribly dry skin myself and it can be really embarrassing in the winter when your hands are dry and cracked or your feet look terrible right before you can put on those summer sandals...However, recently I have been looking up things for my son, who is 2. His skin sounds like what you guys have been describing in this forum. And I wanted to share our new skin care regime for him with you. I have not spoken to a doctor and I am not a doctor, I have just been using on him what works on me :-D. 

So before we bathe I body brush him...yes body brush. I know this is hard to do on a toddler but after a few times he really liked it because it feels good and it rubs away all the itchy dead skin that he's been collecting. Body brushing also does great things for your body which you can read about on the web. I have included the URL to the body brush I use and trust me, quality DOES count with a body brush.

***Post is edited by moderator *** Web addresses not allowed***Please read our Terms of Use

. We only take a short bath in warm, but not hot water. After that I apply Eucerin Soothing Repair Creme. If you know anything about dry skin care creme is better than lotion, ointment is better than creme. I really like it because it's thick, creamy, and rich. I massage, yes message not just rub, it into his skin. He didn't like this at first but after a while he realized this too felt good. I do this 2-3 times a day. 

I know all of this sounds kind of "much" for a toddler and his skin care but I know how it feels to be miserable and embarrassed about your skin. So I will do anything to make him feel better. Also, I didn't want to have to worry about prescriptions. I understand some childrens' skin issues might be worse or need a prescription, and like I said I am NO doctor. I just wanted to keep it simple to stuff I can buy any time. And I could tell a difference in his skin after the first day. I really hope this helps!

I also forgot to say for soak I use Cetaphil.

**SOAP. Woops! Again, hope this helps!