Coconut oil for eczema - could it cause a coconut allergy?

[ClockWatchingLady]

I'd like to try using coconut oil as an emollient for DS(7yo)'s eczema, to see if it works as well as/better than the prescription stuff we use ATM (poorly absorbed and a bit grim).

But at the back of my mind is something I read ages ago about creams containing peanut extract being implicated in the later development of peanut allergy. Something about people becoming allergic to things when they get into their eczema??

So is it OK to use something food-based like coconut oil as an emollient?
Any experiences?

Many thanks for reading.

[eragon]

does your child have food allergies?

does his eczema have a food related reaction?

Coconut allergy is out there iyswim , but is not as common as tree nuts and peanut. I personally would avoid using on skin if you have nut allergies. But I wouldn't stop eating it if it was eaten with no problem.

I am aware that olive oil is not a suitable moisturiser but have little knowledge of coconut oil.

there are many creams on prescription from gp to try, and get GP to double check contents, or you could ask for a referral.

Some combination of emollients added in to daily eczema routine and treatment have a greater impact sometimes.

[ukey]

what emollients/bath products do you use at the moment?

[ClockWatchingLady]

Thank you for your replies.

eragon, he has no known food allergies (though he does seem to have respiratory allergies to something - hayfever I assume, or dust allergy?).
Do you know why olive oil isn't suitable as a moisturiser? I put it on him in the bath (oilatum makes his eczema worse I think).

Interesting about using a combination of emolients - that's a good idea.

ukey, we use diprobase ointment and hydrocortisone ointment on flare-ups. The creams (e.g., diprobase cream, doublebase, etc.) we've had in the past have seemed worse than useless.

Thanks again.

[LeMousquetaireAnonyme]

I have use coconut and sweet almond oil on DD1 eczema in the past and it didn't work. oilatum did make her eczema worse

OP go back to your GP.

Now we have Doublebase gel as a soap and Epaderm as an emolient which seem to be working well. Eumovate instead of hydrocortisone. Try shower instead of bath and not too warm.

[ClockWatchingLady]

Thanks Mousque. I think you're right about the GP - I suppose it's all trial and error. Glad you've found a good regime for your DD.
Thanks again.

[anotherdayanothersquabble]

Sadly, it is trial and error. DS reacts to anything with petroleum in it. H

[Fcukfifa]

I also tried coconut oil on my ds hoping that the natural solution would work. It didn't make a difference.

I now use hydromol as a bodywash and oilatum cream afterwards with a hydrocortisone cream on flare ups.

[ClockWatchingLady]

That's interesting, Fcuk. I think the idea is so appealing that a simple oil would work, but perhaps it rarely does.

another - that must be tough, petroleum seems to be all over the place.

[ukey]

may need to be seen by derm again for a change in creams?

50:50 is good tho very greasy, we have just started using hydromol again, (tho epaderm had never worked for us in the past and they are similar)

hydrocortisone ointment is good, tho is pretty mild so if that doesn't help ask for the eumovate ointment.

also avoid any soaps, bubble bath etc. with eczema its trial and error till you find what works for your child x

[ukey]

ointments do seem to work better than creams i find

also washing powder etc often flairs eczema

we use surcare

[ClockWatchingLady]

Thanks ukey, and good point about the washing powder

[anotherdayanothersquabble]

We do find rosehip oil to be very good and use coloidial silver spray if there is broken skin, Epsom salts in the bath with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide 3% in the bath to keep fungus and infections at bay, but only if he has a flare up.

[ClockWatchingLady]

Really interesting about the H2O2 another - thanks for the post. I've wondered about these things before. Never heard of the silver spray?

[ChickenMe]

Extra virgin coconut oil is now being sold in supermarkets. Sadly it hasn't worked for my eczema. It does soothe but it doesn't eliminate. I tried sweet almond oil too. No good. Wheat germ oil was ok. Sunlight helps but that's about it! (Sorry not more helpful).

[ClockWatchingLady]

I didn't know supermarkets sold it, Chicken - thanks.
Definitely agree sunshine helps. It's almost cleared up at the moment (as it has done the last two summers), but I suspect by November it'll be back with a vengeance . Just thinking in advance of some new possible lines of defence.

Thanks all for your replies about this

[HotMommy]

I am personally a fan of coconut oil and use it for lots of things but found it didn't do anything for my daughters eczema and actually seemed to give her irritated skin all over. After trying all kinds of things that did nothing (diprobase, etc etc etc) we were recommended aveeno by a friend and that's the best thing we have found so far. I was able to her my gp to prescribe it too so don't have to buy it, but it's available at most supermarkets & pharmacies so I would say its worth a try. We use the kind with a dark blue band on the tube and it has Shea butter. I also use their sunscreen (available only on amazon from the US). I wash her with dermol 500 which is another prescription and we use hydrocortisone almost every day for trouble spots. Definitely get your GP to try different things as diprobase is just not effective a lot of the time and frankly it's a pain to put on constantly if its not working. My GP is very knowledgable about eczema (from personal experience) and swears by the combination of dermol 500 as a soap, balmeum oil in the bath and liquid paraffin (which is truly nasty stuff to use) as an emollient/skin protector.

[HotMommy]

Also remember to allow the steroid to soak in for at least 10 mins before you apply something else, otherwise you are just rubbing it off/diluting it.

[tacal]

coconut oil does work for my ds. He had dry, itchy bleeding hands, wrists and knee area earlier this year. Tried steroids, various emollients and bath oil. His skin would get slightly better then get bad again. Decided to try coconut oil as an emollient and dead sea bath salts in the bath. A month or so later ds had perfect skin (but it looked worse before it got better). He has remained eczema free.

[eragon]

I would not recommend sweet almond oil on a young child/infant skin due to nut allergies and possible development.

olive oil isn't suitable from a ph content? I think that's the reason and is best served on food !

if eczema worse in winter, but better in summer the cause could be the drying effect of central heating, or mould allergies (November big mould time) or dust mite allergy. The later is a year round allergy, but in our home eczema is often better because heating turned off.

hope this is helpful.

[KneeQuestion]

My neice has eczema, my SIL has been using unrefined shea butter with success. It has really helped.

I don't know much about eczema, or how you manage it, but I think she was using the shea butter after washing/daily.

You can order it on Ebay.