Hydrocortizone cream on a babys face?

My daughter who is 2 next month has very dry cracked skin on her checks, she has some mild eczema on her body that doesn't require hydrocortizone, but it is the only thing that makes any difference with her face. I am wary about using it and only do about twice a week (i use e45 cream a few times each day), although i have been told this is ok by my GP. She is teething at the moment which i think is making it worse, and it is also worse in the winter because of the heating/cold weather. What is your opinion on this?

Hydrocortizone cream on a babys face?
I have used it before on my daughter's face. She has terrible reactions to mosquito bites in the summer time, they just welt up on her like crazy. She always seems to get one or two bites on her face every year no matter how much "Skin So Soft" I use. Her pediatrician told me it was ok to use hydrocortizone on her face, just be careful of the eyes and mouth and to use it sparingly. It sounds like she should be fine the way you are describing.
Reply:I would be wary of that too. I'm afraid I can't be of much help, sorry, but I do know that Lush sells 'Dream Cream' which is supposed to be very effective on eczema, and that if you ask them they will give you a sample for free to take away- can't hurt to try it? All natural and organic ingredients in so far as possible- must be better for babies skin, I know that it works for some people, and is apparenlty recommended by some doctors too.
Reply:Try Fucidin Cream, this is also good for eczema/dry skin, however check first because one of the creams i used (poss Fucidin) was not for facial use. Fucidin did the job however
Reply:I would not use hydrocortisone on her face, because it thins the skin. I have eczema and when prescribed that by my doctor, he said it thins the skin especially if used on the face. It is best not to use it too much as the paraffin content can give a wrinkled effect to the skin, like it has to my fingers. I used to use it alot on my fingers when I was younger and they are much more prone to eczema now, more than the rest of my body...hope this helps!!
Reply:I wouldn't use it on her. If "baby" lotion doesn't help, I'd get something like Aveeno with oatmeal in it. It did wonders for my daughter's legs when her eczema flaired up.
Reply:Try Fucidin in place of Hydrocortisone cream. Fucidin is far more gentle.
Reply:my son had severe eczema on his face as a baby and i used hydrocortizone daily for a week on the worse areas and it really helped,as the areas became better i used the cream with less frequency,my GP also told me it was fine to apply to the face.and use less sparingly as the areas healed up.
Reply:You obviously know you have to be really careful. Are you sure the problem on her cheeks is eczema? Could your doctor let you have something else to use which is less harmfull in the long term. As a grown woman I was told not to use HC facially. In the UK pharmacies are allowed to sell it without prescription but will not sell it to you if you admit to using in on the face.


Maybe try vaseline on her cheeks to protect from dribbling when teething or in cold winds. That is very neutral and is a waterproof barrier.


Also, E45 comes in a version to stop itching. Your could try this.


Hope this helps. Hope it clears up with time.
Reply:Hydrocortisone cream must be used sparingly, spread very thinly. Whilst it's very effective in treating eczema, it can cause thinning of the skin, long-term. Don't use soap, or anything that's fragranced or containing Lanolin. Keep skin moist with CETRABEN emollient cream (available on prescription) and wash all your baby's clothes and bedding with non-biological, unperfumed washing liquid.
Reply:i believe hydrocortizone has a steriod init too, i wouldn't use it, but don't worry that you already did, she'll be fine...try using vaseline when she sleeps and some non-perfume /fragrance free baby lotion during the day. also instead of vaseline i hear udder cream works wonders on skin, but never actually use it. (people swear by it)
Reply:When my daughter's face gets dry and chapped and red because of either teething or the weather, Vaseline has always worked fine on it. The only time I used Hydrocortizone cream (the least possible % and amount should be used) was when she had some areas that she kept itching on her body, not her face. For just dry skin, I don't think hydrocortizone is the answer, regardless of what your GP says. Try dabbing on just a bit of Vaseline at bedtime, and if it works you will notice it in the morning. If it's really bad, it won't clear up in one night, but you will notice a definite improvement.
Reply:My little girl went through that on her face and arms and legs. We use that Aquaphor and it cleared it up in a day or two everytime.
Reply:Although our little girl needed hydrocortisone cream on her body we were told to avoid putting it on her face as it has a risk of making the skin thinner, she was lucky she didn't need it on her face - the E45 did the trick. We washed her body in aqueus cream and put Oilatum in her bath too.


Perhaps go back to the doctors/health visitor for an alternative cream to E45.
Reply:if you have already done this and its helped before just carry on doing it your g.p said this is ok so and hydrocortizone is used for eczema the other thing you could try is oiltuim which is what i use for my daughter it can be a solution that you put in the bath they even have shampoo of it now and there is a cream
Reply:My little boy is 5months and he too has very dry skin/eczema and I use hydrocortizone 1% cream too. I do use it on his face but only a small amount. What I do is i put some on the palm of my hand and mix it with the e45 cream and then apply it. It goes further and works really well. I only do this about 3 times per week or if it is really red and sore looking.
Reply:my son had this, mainly on his hands,very bad most of the time and dr gave steriod cream,they dont like givig it as it thins the skin, fucidin made it worse as soon as it was put on, i used e45,and aveeno oil, tried everything really, when he was 5 i found a cream that acutally worked its called eumobase,(not umovate,thats 4 adults) boots sell it,it cleared his hands i couldnt believe it, but couldnt get it on percreption. but it well worth a try 4 u. my sons 9 now,his hands are fine. i think the parafin in theese creams makes it worse,try sumthing with beeswax in
Reply:don't worry my 2 sons aged 3 and 4 1/2 are using these creams 1%on body and 0.5% on face and i would use aqueous 3 times a day on her face.yes its steroid based cream but if you use it as your GP as told you how much to use then trust your GP.good luck hope she feels better soon
Reply:Trust your GP on this. If the hydrocortisone cream clears your daughter's skin problem, do use it. You are absolutely right to use it as you do, sparingly and only when necessary, but do not be worried about the 'skin-thinning' stories.


These are based on cases from 20-30 years ago when hydrocortisone creams were first used. At that time, they were applied thickly, like moisturisers, and used daily (or even more frequently) for years. Skin thinning is almost unheard-of even in long-term use at the kind of levels you're using on your daughter.


Corticosteroid medicines are amazing; part of the reason people get upset about them is that they confuse them with anabolic steroids used by athletes and body-builders.





Corticosteroid is naturally produced by the human pituitary gland, so the medicine is mimicking a natural healing process, preventing or reducing inflammation and scarring.
Reply:my babies face broke out when she was just a month old and her doctor said it was fine to use the hydrocortisone on her face. it cleared up immediately. i also have bad eczema on my body and my face. my doctor prescribed a thicker hydrocortisone, 10% cream, (which means heavier steroids) for my body and he said that i shouldnt use it on my face because it thins out the skin. but he told me that i could use the hydrocortisone from the grocery store, the 1% cream, on my face because it isnt as strong (much less steroids) if the cream is working for you and your babies doctor gives you the ok, then use it and just watch her skin. if anything you can use it for a while, then when she isnt teething and the weather has calmed, use just a regular lotion on her face. good luck
Reply:I think it's absolutely fine. My son is 15 months old and he has eczema. He has a prescription cream that is like hydrocortisone only one level stronger (apparently there are 7 levels of steroid creams, with hydrocortisone being the weakest, according to my pediatrician). My doctor told me that I can put it on his face or even his groin area if needed because it is a very weak cream. So if that prescription cream is okay, I would think hydrocortisone (which is weaker) should be fine. Just try to avoid getting it too close to her eyes or mouth and make sure it is rubbed in enough so that she doesn't rub it into her eyes or mouth with her own fingers.
Reply:My daughter is the same. If you have an aloevera plant, use the sap from the leaves because that is really good for dry skin.


If you don't, try using something called DiproBase Cream, which your doctor can prescribe.


Believe it or not, the E45 can make things worse because of one of the ingredients, lanolin.
Reply:be careful as this is a steroid cream my daughter uses this for the back of her knees,its quite fierce so she needs it to help the irritation,this has thinned her skin as a result of the cream containing steroids,her skin is really soft and shiny and a different colour pink from the rest of her legs,this isnt loads but some days noticable.xx
Reply:My daughter is 9 months, and has mild eczema. Mostly it is under control with 50:50 ointment, but her face still occasionally flares up. I have found that a couple of applications of Fucidin (which is a 1% Hydrocortisone) as soon as the flare up starts seem to prevent the worst of it, and this is surely better than allowing the skin to dry out and scratching? We use it perhaps 2/3 times over a month, which is much less than if we waited for the skin to be bad before using it, then having to use it for longer periods to clear it up.





I think its use on the face is not ideal, but when the skin is bad and achieves a good result its worth it.





Please experiment with emollients (I assume your GP has explained the importance of a good skincare routime, lots of emollients?) for your daughter, to see if anything would help prevent flare ups. Everyone is different, and what works for my daughter won't necessarily work for yours. 50:50 ointment and Aqueous Cream, with Oilatum in the bath work for us, but alot of mums recommend Aveeno products. I going with the theory that prevention is better than cure!!!

frangipni