Following the success we have had using probiotic creams for my daughters eczema a number of people have decided to give it a try. I can’t promise that everyone will have the same results but if you use the same protocol as I did then your chances of it working are better. I will keep the protocol simple and add explanations as to why it is important at the end.
The creams that I tried are La Roche Posay Lipikar Baume AP + which contains the thermal spring bacteria Vitreoscilla Filliformis and Avene Xeracalm AD which contains thermal spring bacteria Aquaphilus Dolomaiae. I found the La Roche Posay the better cream but it does sting at first for some people.
If you want to see the results of the probiotic creams that I tried then view my blog Millies Probiotic Cream Trial
Protocol is as follows:-
- Use emollient as many times a day as your dermatologist has instructed but replace two of the applications with the probiotic cream
- Do not use any emollients containing anti microbials or antiseptics 1
- Do not use any bath additives that contain anti microbials or antiseptics (e.g. dermol, bleach baths) 1
- Try to start off with skin as clear as possible using your prescribed steroid.2
- In the first 10-15 days you may continue to see the usual pattern of eczema. Continue using steroids as advised by your dermatologist in addition to the probiotic cream 3.
- Other than the steroid, the emollient and the probiotic cream do not use any other creams (e.g. zinc creams)
- Around the 10 day mark you may see a change in the pattern of eczema. This is the vital point at which a difficult decision has to be made. Watch the eczema for 24 hours without applying steroid. If it has not got any worse and is not spreading just continue with the probiotic cream and emollient but no steroid. If the probiotic cream is working you should see the eczema reduce and even disappear in 24 to 48 hours. If it looks like the eczema is getting worse and spreading apply the steroid cream and try the same again with the next flare. Be patient and don’t rush the stopping of steroids.
- You should see reduced itching in approx. 15 days and improved eczema in 30 days.
These creams will not stop eczema appearing but I believe they reduce inflammation and stop the staph spreading the eczema and steroid rebound.5
Notes
- This is because antispeptics and anti microbials will kill the good bacteria
- This is because the steroid will reduce the amount of staph. Also the Lipikar can sting and these creams are not meant to be used on broken skin. The Lipikar might sting even clear looking skin. This is a difficult decision to continue using it. I persevered despite my daughters protest and Im glad I did. The eczema is now better than ever. She is off steroids and after 10 days the Lipikar did not sting anymore because her skin was so good.
- The battle between the staph and the probiotic bacteria takes time so be patient. 90% of eczema patients have staph. As staph makes eczema more severe you should see a change in the pattern when the staph is reduced by the probiotic. We used to get a rebound flare that spreads quickly 3 days after using steroid.We would have to use steroid again or it would spread like wildfire in 24 hours. When we did not see the flare on day 3 (post steroid) we stopped using steroid and watched it closely. Although we saw more eczema patches appear several days later when watched for 24 hours it did not spread like previously and went back down in a day or two. We never had to use steroids again.
- We actually saw an improvement in less time than this but these are the results seen in clinical trials on the creams that I mentioned.
- There is no cure for eczema. Atopic Dermatitis means allergic skin inflammation so you will still get these flares due to environmental triggers, food allergies etc. But the bacteria will stop staph being the dominant bacteria on the skin and they also have inflammation reducing properties. This could mean the difference between having severe or mild eczema. It did for us.
Our Eczema Story 
I just wanted to thank you so profoundly for this post and for your blog in general. As a result of what you’ve written, I think I’ve been able to get my baby off topical steroids at 8 months and avoided endless months/years of pain and worry. I followed your protocol (except only used it once a day) and within 48 hours I was able to stop using the steroid cream and his eczema healed up and vanished. He had a little ‘flare-up’ today if you can even call it that but it’s so mild I barely notice it. So many thanks to you (as well as the good people at La Roche Posay).
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Im so glad it helped. There are quite a few people using the Lipikar now as a result of our experience and most are having good results. The secret to beating eczema is understanding it. It took me over a year to research and really understand it. I hope that my blog means that others do not have to wait so long before they are armed with the knowledge needed to beat this awful disease.
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Martin,
I cannot thank you enough for your blog and articles. We have been in the exact same position as you over the last two years. My son is now 3 1/2 and the last two years have been a nightmare. When I saw the pictures posted of your daughter, it was like I was looking at a picture of my son. The degree of their eczema was exactly the same. As my husband and I were reading your posts, it was like we were reading our own story. I completely agree with you on the secret to beating the eczema is to understand it. It took many online searches, articles, doctors visits and products to try to get a clear picture of what is going on with our son’s severe eczema.
I’m sure you and others have had extreme ups and downs with doctors, products, types of baths, and diet modifications. One minute we would think something was helping, then the next we were crushed to find out that the eczema and staph was beating us again. You should see the drawer of products that I have from the last two years. With our children, we are willing to try anything!
Jack (my son) had his first outbreak of staph last August 2014. From there, it’s been a battle in our household. My daughter, husband and myself have all had staph due to my son’s “wildfire of staph” and severe eczema. We all have had staph drained, all on antibiotics, and my husband was even hospitalized with staph on his face that got too deep and needed IV antibiotics. Since then, we never share towels, soaps, constantly wash our hands, and clean and spray surfaces everyday in our home. Because I would like to try to avoid antibiotics unless necessary, I’ve tried many natural ways to try to get rid of the staph. (apple cider vinegar baths, bleach baths, tea tree oils, oregano oils, vitamin D supplements, you name it!!)
We have been using the AP+ lotion on Jack for about 2-3 weeks now and have been very happy with the results. I’m hoping that this is our answer to help control the eczema and staph. Jack’s itching has improved tremendously throughout the day and his skin is very smooth. He still has spots on his feet and hands, but nothing like before. Like you mentioned in your article, we were afraid of the steroid ointment and would not use it like we needed to use it on Jack. From there, we created a more extreme eczema problem and staph problem for our son. We were all miserable.
Thank you for your research and sharing all of this information. It’s refreshing to know that we are not alone in this difficult, chronic battle. Please feel free to keep in touch or to bounce ideas off of each other.
Nicole Williams
Texas, United States
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Nicole – would you let me know how you got Lipikar AP+? I can’t seem to find a way to get it here in the US. Thanks – Matt
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Hi, I am so happy that I come across with this blog. My 7-year-old suffers from eczema on her face and elbows. It was big relief to go through your blog as this was exactly what we are going through, like spending enormous time on the internet, trials and errors with different creams, ointments, and never ending diets.I was frustrated until I read through your blog. I was very anti about the steroids, but I am going to use them from now on ( as prescribed). We have also started Lipikar AP+.Thank you very much for the detailed descriptions on each and every issue. I have a doubt as Lipikar cream leaflet suggests application once a day only. In my daughter’s case, she needs at least three times daily application. I hope that’s ok? Thanks for your valuable opinion.
Lisha.
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Thank you all for your kind comments. It is great to see people trying the Lipikar and getting early encouraging signs. I would be very interested to know how people are getting on at the 3 month and 6 months stage so I would be very grateful if you would post an update at those points.
My daughter has been using the Lipikar for over 5 months now. She has remained 95% clear in this time. The only place that she has continued to have eczema is on her hands. Last week I repeated a modified version of the protocol hitting her hands with steroid for 4 days and then just the Lipikar. Her hands are now totally clear and we are 5 days clear of steroids.
In other areas we have not used steroids for 5 months.
As of this week she is completely clear of eczema. There is not a spot of it on her.This is the first time in 3 years. Im sure we will still see it and of course we still need to watch her triggers and moisturise all over 3 times a day.She also still has a number of food allergies. But the long and difficult struggle, the tears, heartache and worry look like they are over.
If you are continuing to have success with the Lipikar please share my blog so we can help others end their misery.
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Update as requested – 6 months after starting Lipikar my 14 month old is almost totally eczema free. He gets a bit on wrists and ankles but we haven’t used steroids since starting Lipikar!
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Martin just wondering if you continue to apply the cream twice daily to maintain your daughters skin or have you been able to drop it down? We’ve had great success (have been using it for about 2 weeks) but my son still complains about the cream so I’m hoping we might be able to decrease to once a day. Just wondering what your experience has been?
Thank you!
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We are down to once a day now in fact we even reached one every two days for a while. We vary depending on how good her skin is. She had some flares last month so we went back to twice a day for a while.
Now that the eczema is just small patches I do not put the lipikar on the eczema but put it everywhere else. It stops the eczema spreading but spares her the stinging.
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Hi Martin, I initially found your blog through googling about Lipikar AP+ and came across your blog again with the recent call-in meeting c/o the Parents for Eczema Research FB group. Curious to know if your daughter had (or still has?) MRSA when her eczema was at its worst?
I’m interested in giving the topical probiotics a shot to control the eczema of my daughter who has MRSA. So far bleach baths are helping to contain the staph but I would like to explore a less toxic approach. Thanks in advance!
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Hi Cat.
My daughter was covered in infected eczema from head to toe and when she was swabbed there were traces of MRSA. She became very lethargic and was admitted to hospital for 7 days. They pumped her full of antibiotics and she recovered. We then went through months of heavy steroid use but the eczema would rebound as soon as we stopped the steroids. The Lipikar AP+ seemed to stop the rebound but it stings like hell on eczema skin. Thats why I wrote the protocol blog. It is important to get the skin clear and in good condition before applying the Lipikar or the child will scream when you put it on. I have tried speaking to La Roche Posay about removing whatever causes the sting but all I got was a load of stupid legal backside covering statements. It is a pity because I think that if they could stop the sting they would have eczema gold dust. I know others who have had great success with it but many give up because of the sting. Millie now gets a few small patches ocassionally on her body but it never spreads. Her eczema has improved 95%. The only area we struggle with now are her hands which are exposed to lots of allergens in nursery. (e.g. paint, glue etc)
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Hi Martin,
I finally got the Lipikar Baume AP+ and am trying to use it to get through my steroid rebound. You’re right about the stinging! I have a scrape here and there and it’s quite surprising. But other than that the cream feels good on the skin so far and I’m hoping this is what I need to get over the rebound. Thanks for your blog post!
Megan
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Great. Let me know how you get on. Give it 10 to 20 days. Dont be afraid to use steroids and then try again if it doesn’t work straight away. It is better to revert to steroids than let the eczema get out of control.
If you havent stopped the rebound after 20 days though then I would guess it is not going to work.Good luck
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Hi, Martin
Thank you so much for sharing all your hard work and research.
I started the Lipikar on my 6 month old yesterday so fingers crossed. He hasn’t winced or cried once when I’ve applied it, which weirdly, has made me worry it won’t work! Was wondering if you think bathing would interfere with it and whether you bathed your daughter daily or not?
Will keep you updated!
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We bathed every other day and applied the Lipikar aftert the bath
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I can not find the lipikar. It seems to be discontinued. Could you provide me a link?
Thank You !!!
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http://www.laroche-posay.com/products-treatments/Lipikar/Lipikar-Baume-AP-p11812.aspx. Not available in the US but you may find it on ebay.
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Hi Martin! May I ask what you used in your daughter’s baths? We are currently using epsom salt, ACV, baking soda, and bentonite clay….all of which have natural antimicrobial properties, I believe. I’m scared to go without, though, and I don’t want to use any soap that will irritate her skin. We also do baths every third day only. She started developing eczema after a staph infection/impetigo, so I am afraid of another infection! Feels scary to go without anything that will kill bacteria! (I dab manuka honey on spots, too, but now the eczema is full body, and it’s getting too sticky!
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We did not use anything in the bath after using the Lipikar. Antimicrobials will kill the probiotic bacteria. However I cannot stress enough that you should not use Lipikar on red skin. You need to get the skin clear with a suitably strong steroid first. Do not be scared of steroids. Under use is a much bigger problem than over use. (See my blog on this subject). If you can get the skin clear you can start using the Lipikar but also it is easier to spot triggers on clear skin. (For Millie it was cats, milk and eggs).
If the eczema is sticky then its infected. You will need strong steroids like Betnovate and possibly an antibiotic cream like Fucibet or Fucidin. If its really bad she will be given oral antibiotics.
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Hi Martin. Sorry for the repeat comments under different names. Thanks for your quick and detailed response! So actually, I meant her skin is sticky from the honey we were using all over her body. Poor syntax. Let me start over.
I’ve read your entire blog and have appreciated every post. What a wealth of knowledge. The thing I am struggling with is when can we deem the skin good enough to stop the steroids. My daughter’s eczema is still very mild, but her patches seem to be everywhere. We are not afraid to use steroids. Right now, we are applying hydrocortisone 1% on her spots, and they are barely visible (you can see the outline of where they were, but they are barely pink). We started Lipikar already…day 3? She has not been bothered by the cream at all…so it doesn’t seem to be stinging her. Would you taper the steroids slowly while applying Lipikar, taper steroids without Lipikar, or would you just stop steroids and continue w the Lipikar? Was M still on steroids when the improvements happened at day 10?
We actually signed up w Dr. Aron and am waiting to hear back, but I would rather use probiotic cream than long term low dose antibiotics and steroids, if I can!
Thank you again for sharing and helping! Sorry for all the questions! I just… have been through too many failed trials. 😦
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Sorry but I think I missed this one so sorry for the late reply.Usually I would not apply the Lipikar until the skin is completely clear. However if it does not sting then you can use it as the same time as the steroid (bascially apply as you would an emollient.)If the HC does not get the skin completely clear then you probably need the next strength of steroid.(may not suitable for babies though).
A general tip for using steroids is use it for one more day after the skin is clear as there is often eczema under the skin which you can not see.
Regarding the 10 day question. It was a long time ago but I think we stopped the steroid at day 7. By day 10 we expected the usual eczema rebound but it did not happen.In fact we never saw it again.
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Also, for anyone reading the blog who wondered where to buy, I ordered mine off the La Roche Posay US website. It is the AP+ version. We are on day 4 of the trial (but day 2 off antiseptics and antibacterial creams and additives, like manuka honey and ACV. Baby’s skin is maintaining, and we are also using 1% hydrocortisone to take on the tough spots…will update when we have some concrete findings!
https://www.laroche-posay.us/lipikar-balm-ap–3337872418587.html
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Martin, I just realized my initial post w questions never posted! I was wondering what you put in Millie’s bath every other day? We did a combo of ACV, bentonite clay, epsom salts,and baking soda to ward off infections/bacteria…but now I realized it may be killing off the good bacteria, too. We also applied manuka honey, which I may need to stop for the same reason. What would you recommend to add in bath? Thanks so much!!!
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We did not use anything in the bath as the anti microbials will kill the bacteria. You could just use a moisturising bath additive like E45.
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That’s a very helpful blog which I can follow it to try Lipikar. My son is 3 1/2 now and he was suffering eczema from birth until now. We have tried loads of cream from GP but useless or even worse. Now I want give Lipikar have a try. Fingers crossed!
May I ask you that what kind of emollient you used for that “as many times a day”?
How many times you put on the steroid each time for 3 or 4 days?
Thank you very much indeed.
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Hi Vivian
We used Cetraben twice a day and Lipikar twice a day.
We used the steroid once a day during the steroid phase.
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Hi Martin, how is Millie doing now? Don’t know if you remember but I contacted you during her trial. We are using Dr Aron and I did try the Lipikar on my son’s face with good results but I didn’t stick with it because as soon as he flared it stung again. I’m trying it again now with steroid and it’s working well. I would now like to try it on his body and hands. We currently use Dr Aron’s mix with antibiotic and steroid in on his body but after two years we are still on two apps a day which concerns me. I will take the antibiotic out and see if the Lipikar helps us to step down further. I just have a couple of questions if you don’t mind. How did you make the transition from the fucibet on Millie’s ankles to the Lipikar? We currently use fucibet on my son’s fingers but as soon as we step down they become a horrible cracked and bloody mess. As fucibet contains fucidin, how did you change over to the Lipikar. Also what do you use to wash Millie’s hands and body and how often do you bath her. I bath my son every day in dermol 500 so again wondering if this will hinder progress with the probiotic. What do you use to wash her hair. We currently use dermol 500 which works well for us, but not sure if it will affect the probiotic in the Lipikar? Many thanks, sorry for all the questions, just really hoping this will work for us and help us taper off Dr Aron’s mix.
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Hi Michelle
With the ankle I would use the fucibet until it is clear and then stop the Fucibet and use the Lipikar for a few days. If it stays clear great. If the eczema returns I would switch to a non antibiotic steroid to get it clear again. When its completely clear stop the steroid and use the Lipikar again. Every time the eczema return use the steroid again. Repeat this cycle a few times. If after 2 or 3 weeks the eczema is still returning then the Lipikar is probably not your solution. Of course if you find the plain steroid does not get the skin clear then you will have to use the Fucibet.
Regarding bathing, we just used a very mild soap (Dove I think). Dermol will kill the good bacteria. We bathed her once every two days. We tried everything in her hair, even steroid shampoos did not work. Amazingly though when her body cleared so did her hair despite not applying anything to it. We just used E45 shampoo but we had been using that for years.
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Hi Martin! I came across your blog while searching for some reviews on the Lipikar baume AP+. I would like to ask a few questions, when you first started the treatment, why did you apply 2× emollients and 2× the probiotic cream? Is the probiotic cream itself not moisturising enough? And also are you still applying 2× emollients now? I’m keen to try this cream for my baby’s eczema. Thanks for sharing this information!
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Hi Caroline. Lipikar is a perfectly good emollient but as it is expensive I also applied a cheaper emollient twice a day. We no longer apply any emollients, Lipikar or anything. My daughter is pretty much eczema free. If she gets a small spot occasionally we might apply some Lipikar emollient. Very rarely she gets a stubborn spot and we might use a steroid cream for a few days. It is quite amazing. Two years ago she was 95% covered in eczema. Now she ranges from 0% to 0.2%. This is not all due to the Lipikar though. We have got good at managing her triggers (both food and environmental).
Watch out for pets. These are a real common trigger that people often overlook.
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Hi Martin and eczema parents who are still stumbling upon this blog years later,
FIrst off, thank you so much to Martin for being so willing to share your opinion and response even after all this time. This is a cautious but optimistic update (I am the parent asking all the questions under AvantDemain, up above from July).
My 11-month old daughter was battling mild, but widespread eczema all over her body, which only started at 6 months after a drool rash turned into a staph infection (which makes me 100% buy into the argument that eczema is largely the body’s battle against staph). I was desperate and tried everything (on a TOTAL elimination diet, scores of different creams/lotions, made breastmilk lotion even, oral probiotics, FCLO, etc.) Nothing seemed to help the spreading. I even signed up with Dr. Aron, but after seeing that he prescribed a steroid cream (betamethasone) that was stronger than I liked on her “mild” eczema, we opted to not start her down that path. (Dr. Aron was supportive and understanding of this. He offered to supervise us in using only hydrocortisone.)
Long story short, I do think the whole “steroid fear” is what oftentimes what keeps it from working. We started using Lipikar in conjunction with the hydrocortisone 1%, but were frustrated that the eczema “kept coming back”. After talking with Dr. Aron, we decided to go all in, and use hydrocortisone 2.5% continuously twice a day until the eczema was “gone”, and then tapering down. The whole time, we kept using the Lipikar AP+ cream.
We are at 1.5 months of using the Lipikar now, and only using hydrocortisone 1% on her collar area once daily a few days here and there, really just to slow wean her. These spots are not red, but merely slightly bumpy. The stubborn areas on her torso, arms, and legs have been clear (knock on wood), and it has been a few weeks off steroids for these areas (and a month clear on her ankles, which were her worst and roughest spots).
We’re seeing a naturopath and using homeopathics, and still on fermented cod liver oil and probiotics, as I do believe gut health is super important to healthy skin. These things could have helped. However, I really do believe that the Lipikar was instrumental in helping us stop feeling like we were playing “whack-a-mole”. I am hopeful that we can stop using steroid cream completely soon. We’re still applying the Lipikar twice daily.
Thank you again for sharing your experience and suggesting this cream, Martin. It has been a saving grace. For other eczema parents, my advice would be to reiterate Martin’s: don’t be afraid of the steroid creams. I found that it has been better to use it more often and “nip the problem” before it spreads. Use it until clear, and wean off of them.
Also, there are always sales codes for La Roche Posay…at least for the two times I’ve ordered. Definitely worth Googling to save some money, and order two tubes for the free shipping! I’m on tube number 2. It seems like one 200 ml tube lasts us about a month.
I really feel like I can’t thank you enough, Martin. So thank you, again.
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Hi Martin. I’m hoping you still check here once in awhile. (I commented over on your probiotic cream trial post about ordering the Lipikar lotion.) I finally received it in the mail about 9 or 10 days ago and started using it along with my steroid cream. Like you said, I continued to see the usual signs of eczema the first week. I should explain that for me, it’s a form of eczema called dyshidrosis. It is only located on the sole of my right foot and a small area on my right palm. I’ve had it for almost two years now. I get the usual, red, itchy, dry, cracked skin and I also get tiny blisters. They go away, then more appear, along with the cracks, redness and itching. It’s a vicious cycle. I’ve had a difficult time wearing socks and shoes, which is sort of a necessity when you live in a wintery climate like I do. I go barefoot as much as possible in the house and have difficulty putting all my weight on to my right foot. I tried everything to get rid of it. Lotions, antifungals, vitamins, probiotic capsules, oils, apple cider vinegar, diet, etc. I did a ton of research on the web, finally stumbling onto your blog. I’m only telling you all of this in case someone else suffering from dyshidrotic eczema finds your blog and wonders if the Lipikar lotion works for it. I first want to thank you for your extensive and thorough research and your detailed blog posts. They gave me hope! I’m on the 10th day of your Lipikar protocol and there seems to be a change. My foot is less red, I haven’t had any horrible itching for a couple of days and I’m seeing some areas peel with nice looking skin underneath. I’m still getting a few tiny blisters but not as many as I used to get each day. My steroid cream says to use three times a day, so I rub that on and then within a few minutes, I rub the Lipikar directly on top of the steroid cream, all three times. In between, a few times a day, I use an emollient cream. My hopes are high that my skin will continue to improve and I can stop the steroid cream and only use the Lipikar. I won’t rush that though, like you suggested. I had stopped using it all together because I was so afraid of it. It was nice to read your post about not being afraid to continue with the steroid cream. Anyway, I probably should have waited longer to share this but I’m so excited! I’ll definitely come back here in a week or two to let you know how it’s going. Thank you again, so much!
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Hi again. My dyshidrotic eczema on my foot still did not get better so doc bumped me up to a stronger steroid cream and this protocol is now working fabulously! I started out using a 0.1% cream and am now using a 0.5% one. I’m looking forward to the day when I can stop the steroid cream and only use the Lipikar. I’ll be back with another update. . . .
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Hi Martin, I was happy to stumble on your blog, being somewhere in the middle of the 12 steps with my 3 y/o son. I wanted to point out though that the AP+ does not contain live bacteria — Aqua Posae Filiformis is a bacterial extract, so the benefits are not from colonization of the skin but rather something in the bacterial cells. (See e.g. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3770492/). So in principle there’s no reason for people who have seen benefits with bleach baths or other antibacterial treatments to avoid them if they start using Lipikar.
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Hi Martin, we are on day 4 of the trial. This morning his back flared up a bit; I think it is because I was too ambitious yesterday and only put diluted 1% HC on his back. I am going to go back to 2% twice a day. I really think we are having the same problem that your daughter had, and am hopeful that this will work. I am trying to be patient and keep going for at least 10-15 days as you mentioned. Do you remember getting any flare ups in the beginning of the trial? Also, did you apply steroid and/or Lipikar to her scalp? I feel that my son’s scalp is the worst, but we never usually put steroid there. Thanks, Martin!
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Yes we had flare ups several times before it disappeared. Don’t hold back on the steroids. Using too weak a steroid will just let the eczema get control and the staph will take over.
Millies scalp was terrible but we never used anything on it. Curiously when we got the eczema all over her body under control, the eczema on her scalp disappeared.
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Also, did you ever find that oral antibiotics helped your daughter’s skin?
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Oral antibiotics will get rid of the staph so improve the skin but they wipe out much of the good bacteria in the gut which can have an effect on the development of the immune system. There is now a lot of evidence that the use of oral antibiotics increases the chances of allergies like eczema, hayfever and asthma.
If a large portion of the skin is badly infected with staph then oral antibiotics are essential because the infection can be life threatening. However they should not be used to improve non infected eczema.
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Martin,
Thank you so much for your replies to all of my questions. You have been an amazing resource. I am on day 15 now with my son. There are a few spots that the eczema hasn’t returned, but it still slowly returns in most areas of the body, so I am still applying steroid. The key word is “slowly,” as before it would be a crazy fast wildfire. So it seems that it is working, but not as quickly as it did for Millie. Do you think it will only improve with time the more that I use the cream? You mentioned that after 20 days, if it hasn’t worked, then it might not be the solution; however you also mentioned that clinical trials show it to improve eczema at 30 days. Thanks Martin!
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It is difficult to say as every childs eczema is different. It might be worth going the full thirty days. If you do not see an improvement after that then it may be trying other things or just carry on as the we find the Lipikar a good moisturiser. Eczema is an allergic disease so if your daughter is repeatedly exposed to her trigger then it will keep returning whatever you use. The steroid and Lipikar will help with the staph and reduce the wildfire eczema but it will not get rid of it altogether. Finding the triggers is really difficult but if you haven’t done it already try to get a food allergy test for the main 6. Another allergen a lot of people overlook is animals. It is a hard decision to get rid of a pet even for a few months but it a very common trigger.
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Hi Martin!
It has been 30 days of using the Lipikar and my son’s skin is looking better and better. We now believe that the eczema is always creeping back due to a laundry allergy, since the eczema NEVER goes below the diaper and there is almost a perfect line. Did you have this observation with Millie?
As we are in the process of eliminating all detergents per solveeczema.org, I am debating using the Avene Xeracalm Balm once a day along with the Lipikar twice a day, to continue to fight staph and heal the skin. Have you heard of anyone combining these two creams? I am thinking that it can’t hurt.
I also purchased the Mother Dirt spray but I will probably hold off on using that for a while, since it seems like it would be a bit much with the other creams (for a baby).
Thank you, THANK YOU so much for sharing all of your knowledge, Martin. You have truly helped my entire family and probably many other readers out there. THANK YOU.
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Hi Laura
Im afraid the diaper line may be a red herring. It is quite common for children to have eczema everywhere but not under the diaper line. (Same with Millie).This is because diapers trap moisture in the skin so the skins natural protection from allergens is much better.
However detergents are common allergens, so it is always worth changing to a hypoallergenic one. Although I cant see any harm in combing the creams it does introduce new variables which can cloud the picture. Personally if you are seeing improved skin from the Lipikar I would stick with that. If you want to give the Xeracalm a go I would do it this way:- Treat the left arm and leg with Xeracalm, treat everything else with Lipikar. Then after a few weeks compare the left arm and leg with the right arm and leg to see which cream has had the better results.
We did something similar and the Lipikar performed much better than the Xeracalm so we switched to Lipikar all over.
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Thank you for this post Martin. I found it a year ago when my one year old had eczema covering almost his entire arm and in other areas like behind his knees. We tried a lot of things, including starting to give him Culturelle regularly. He is now two and his eczema is nearly entirely gone. He only has two problem spots near his ankles that seem to be getting progressively better. I’m not sure if it was the Lipikar AP+ lotion but I believe it has helped immensely. I didn’t see immediate results but saw significant improvement over the course of weeks/months paired with topical steroids. At this point, we don’t use steroids at all since his skin is wonderful. For those struggling to find it in the US, I have purchased it on ebay a few times. And I recently found it on this site: http://www.eskinstore.com/Lipikar-Balm-AP-P18813?gclid=CML0pfOS8tMCFQ-QaQodmpYFHQ At the time of the posting, it is $24 for 400ml + $10 shipping in the US. It is a small price to pay since the bottle lasts quite sometime for us.
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Thank you so much for creating this blog. The information on topical probiotics has been so helpful. I’m surprised that I can’t find more information about this elsewhere. We are about 3 weeks into using Lipikar, and I am cautiously optimistic. My son had eczema behind his knees, back of neck, folds of his elbows, and around his waist. He still has a little eczema in those areas, but it has dramatically improved. I’m using less and less of the steroids as the days go by. I’m hoping that by day 30 it will mostly be gone. I’ve followed your protocol somewhat with some deviations.
1. Bath everyday. It seems like the Lipikar soaks into the skin better after the skin is moist. My son’s skin always appears its best after the bath and application of the Lipikar.
2. I also used a topical probiotic spray. I was using LiviaOne but just started with Mother Dirt today. In the morning I would spritz him up, let the moisture soak into his skin a little and then apply the Lipikar. At nights, I would bath him, pat him dry, spritz the probiotic spray, and then apply the Lipikar.
3. I did not apply any other emollients. If his skin was getting a little dry, I would apply more of the Lipikar. It is a little costly though, and in the US, you can only get the smaller 200 mL tube. It seems that the 400 mL bottle is unavailable.
I wish this information was more widely available. It would have saved me a lot of heartache. I wonder why more people are not using this product and it’s not being discussed more in eczema forums.
Thank you again, and I’ll report back in another few weeks.
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Im glad it seems to be working.I will be interested to hear your update in a few weeks.
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When your daughter first stopped using steroids and had rebounds did they appear in different parts of her body too?
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I struggle to remember as it was a long time ago but I think it appeared in various places but would usually start on the lower back and arms.
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Hi,
I’ve just begun applying Lipikar to my 5 month old, who has experienced eczema flare ups in the last month. I have him on hydrocortisone cream 1%, and am having a hard time getting him off, as the rash comes back a few days after stopping use. The rash clears up pretty well after three days when using the steroid 2 x a day, with Burt’s Bees lotion (what I had on hand), and aquaphor. After getting his skin mostly clear I replaced the aquaphor and Lotion with the Lipikar along with the steroid, but the skin is worse after two days. I was thinking I’d just use the aquaphor still, but I’m not sure if it would interfere with the job of the Lipikar. Do you know?
Another possibility is to continue two applications of lotion and aquaphor a day, (like my dr. recommended), and add two applications of Lipikar, hopefully that’s not too much,
Thank you. Your blog is providing me with hope for my son.
Katie
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I think its ok to use more than one moisturiser. We found that Lipikar alone was all we needed. If you have used the Lipikar twice a day for 10 days or more but the pattern of eczema has not changed then its probably not going to help.
The most successful way of beating ezcema is working out the triggers which is really hard when the eczema is severe. Our daughter still has eczema but her skin is clear most of the time so it has made it very easy to find her triggers. I assume you have tested for food allergies. The big one that we missed and many others do is animals. If there is an animal in the home and the child has an allergy to dander it will cause eczema no matter how much you clean the house.
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