This post is sponsored by Paladin Labs, distributor of Dermakalm. The opinions on the blog, as always, are my own.
When my second son was just 2-years old, we noticed a small pink spot on his leg, about the size of a quarter. It was raised, rough in texture and my little guy had obviously been scratching.
“That’s eczema,” my family doctor said.
“I thought it was a rash?” I countered. “Don’t rashes itch?”
“Eczema is the itch that rashes,” she explained. “Just put a little hydrocortisone on it.”
(Usually, the first symptom of eczema is intense itching. The rash appears later and is red and has bumps of different sizes.)
We followed her instructions and didn’t think much about it. Neither my husband nor I had experience with eczema, as our older son had been spared and we didn’t have family members with the condition. However, within days, the eczema spread across one leg, then the next, and appeared on his elbows as well. Soon, almost 30% of his body was oozing, red and unbearably itchy for the little guy. It broke my heart.
For four years, for at least 15 days out of each month, we applied a prescription-strength steroid ointment to the affected areas. I won’t lie; it bothered me, a lot. I worried about the side effects of long-term use. I worried that his skin was stuck in a never-ending cycle of inflammation. And most of all, I worried that his eczema flare ups may prevent him from doing the things he loved most, like swimming, sports and getting dirty like little boys do.
So, at the end of 2016, I made a promise to myself: 2017 would be steroid-free. We aggressively researched ways to manage eczema to make it more tolerable, with the goal of getting his skin to baseline clarity. We loosely followed the following prevention checklist (source):
Moisturize daily.
Choose loose cotton and soft fabrics over rough, tight, scratchy clothing.
Take lukewarm baths and showers; favour mild soap or non-soap cleansers.
Gently pat skin dry using a soft towel.
Learn what triggers eczema and try to avoid these.
In dry or cold weather, use a humidifier.
Keep fingernails short.
Overall, we found we could be lax on almost everything except keeping my little guy’s skin hydrated, the key to relieving the dreaded itch. We became obsessed with finding the most effective cream – one that was non-greasy, free of corticosteroids, fragrances, parabens and artificial colouring – and of course, easy to obtain at a Canadian pharmacy.
Introducing Dermakalm. The Dermakalm Eczema Cream for Infants and Children, like all the products in the eczema line, is developed with dermatologists to temporarily relieve symptoms of eczema, like itching, red spots, dry skin, scaling, oozing, abrasions and hardening of the skin. But there are a few key characteristics that set Dermakalm apart –
1. The cream can be used on children as young as 8 weeks old.
2. Only a thin layer is required. Dermakalm is a cost-effective solution even with repeated daily use, as a little goes a very long way. You’ll be surprised at how hydrating it is!
3. Dermakalm is formulated without corticosteroids. It can be used safely for up to 4 months (after which you should contact a physician).
We’ve been using Dermakalm on my son’s skin for almost 8 weeks now. We began when his skin was clear, and it has remained clear throughout use with no flare ups – even after swimming lessons (chlorine has been a trigger in the past). We really like it.
The formula is easy to apply and doesn’t leave a greasy residue on the skin. Dermakalm is also completely odourless, an added bonus!
Friends, I’m a woman of my word. We are steroid-free in 2017! Visit www.dermakalm.com to learn more about this effective cream for temporarily relieving eczema symptions (Grab a $5 off coupon.)
Do you know someone living with eczema? What are your tips for managing outbreaks?
I am impressed with how young you can use The Dermakalm Eczema Cream for Infants and Children. This looks like a great product.
Sounds like a great products, Eczema is not something we have to deal with but will pass this information on.
Oh I would love to try this. I myself get terrible flare ups and refuse to take oral medication due to bad side effects.
My son has a spot on his leg that always flares up, especially in dry cold weather. I can only use the prescription cream sparingly on it so I would love to try this! It irritates him so much I will do anything to help him.
So great to have something that is steroid free!
This time of year with the cold winds the intense itching wakes me up at night,thanks wonderful post thanks for sharing this information
I dealt with horrible eczema on my face as a kid. They always just pushed cortisone cream at us to help clear it up, but it barely helped. It was painful, and you can imagine as a kid, embarrassing. Wish something like this existed then.
Thankfully none of us suffer from it – but the dry air in wintertime is hard on our skin – I can’t imagine how much worse it would be if you have eczema.
ok so I was really really sick for a long time and went down to 78 lbs. With lots of hardwork and treatment I’m up to 103 now..and have started some flaring up rashy thing between what I can now proudly call… boobies.
Nothing I’ve used has worked… I will give this a go! Thanks so much Lena.
My littlest guy has been prone to eczema in the winter months (it also sometimes seems to flare-up and be especially aggravating at times when he picks up a cold or virus). We have had to use prescription steroid ointment and have tried other solutions to ease and help manage the itch too, I will definitely be giving this a try! Thank you so very much for sharing!
Thank you of reminding me of this issue for babies <3 Something i know to have on hand. Especially in winter time this can be such a problem
I could have used this for my daughter when she was an infant.
I’m glad you found something that worked. Moisturizers are key!!
I am going to try this myself. I suffer for eczema and it’s horrible. Nothing works…so far.
My brother suffered horribly when he was young. Wish this cream had been around then.
I am excited to try this. Our goal is to be steroid free for 2018 too!
Thanks for the wonderful review I was telling my friend about this her little one at 9 months has terrible all over her body,her cheeks and hands being the worst.
Thanks Lena. Both my son and I suffer from eczema. I hated putting Steroids on him, but it worked so I wasn’t sure I had the choice. Thank you for a safer option.
I don’t have exzema, but I have super-sensitive dry skin. I’ll have to give this a try!
I’ve never heard of Dermakalm before but their products sound great. I love that they are safe enough to use on children as young as 8 weeks old!
I will check out this product. Thanks for info.
Eczema is horrible for the people and kids suffering from it, this cream sounds like a great alternative as we all know steroids aren’t good for us, sometimes there’s no other solution but this sounds like a great way to avoid their use.
Having a rash or ichy skin can be awful and agonizing and if this cream can save you from feeling that it would be amazing
I have been using Dermakalm Eczema Cream for about 6 weeks now and my hands never felt better,no more cracks or bleeding!
We’ve tried everything! My daughter is 15 and has been bullied when her rash is at its worst. We can’t get away from the prescriptions… I wish we could! I’ll be looking for Dermakalm but we’ve just started using the Aveeno for Eczema and it’s pretty good too. Not good enough to get away from the medicated cream though.
My kiddo suffers from eczema – sometimes it’s so itchy he can’t stop scratching!
Good info! I’ve had one or two small rashes before that could have been excema so I’ll keep this in mind if it happens again!