Gavin had his follow up appointment with the dermatologist yesterday. We've been able to maintain his eczema on his face by applying his steriod cream twice a day and the new prescribed cream once a day/every other day. The new cream is rather pricey, so we've been trying to make the samples last as long as possible!
While his face is looking better, we're worried about continuously applying steriod ointment. Out of curiosity, we'd didn't apply it one morning and his eczema returned by the afternoon.
The doctor explained that his skin has become addicted to the steriod. The rash returns quickly after not applying the ointment because his skin is "craving" it. That's right, our baby is addicted to steriods! She predicts that his skin will improve on it's own as the weather warms up. She recommended weaning him off of the steriod ointment, only applying it once a day (or occasionally twice a day while we're weaning him), and then not at all. She warned us that his eczema may flare up while his skin is adjusting. She recommended applying the non-steriod cream more often while his skin adjusts. We only applied the new cream this morning and his skin looked great tonight. We hope this continues!
The doctor also commented about how great Gavin's scalp looks! We've only given him two treatments since our last appointment, instead of the recommended 2-3 times a week. It was recommended that we use it overnight. The directions also wanted us to use a shower cap during the treatment. Instead, we've been doing the treatments for a few hours in the afternoon. Putting a plastic shower cap over our infant's head overnight goes against our parenting instincts!
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