Allergic to dust and eczema flare-up

amother

Tue, Feb 08 2022, 7:08 pm

My son's eczema has flared up terribly. His face is red and scaly.
We are keeping him off all his food allergies. However, he is also very allergic to dust. And we are undergoing construction now. I don't know for a fact that he is reacting to it, but it does appear to me that his flare-up coincided with the start of construction.

Anyone have any ideas for me? Do I put him to sleep with an air purifier or something like that? Any advice or links are helpful.

amother

Peach

Tue, Feb 08 2022, 7:10 pm

Absolutely an air purifier, and windows open.

Also anti histamines.

amother

Tue, Feb 08 2022, 10:19 pm

Do you have a recommendation for an air purifier
Do I put it in his room for overnight?

amother

Peach

Tue, Feb 08 2022, 10:26 pm

Air doctor
IQ air
Austin Air
HomeLabs

amother

Silver

Tue, Feb 08 2022, 11:19 pm

Any nights that he can sleep out of the house will be a bracha for him. Been there done that.

amother

Tue, Feb 08 2022, 11:30 pm

amother [ Silver ] wrote:

Any nights that he can sleep out of the house will be a bracha for him. Been there done that.

I have nowhere else to go...
His bedroom is far from the room we are renovating. Also, he's out of the house for much of the day.. so I'm not even certain that that's the issue.
.
I'm thinking to put an air purifier in there while he sleeps and see what happens. But I have no clue about air purifiers.
Is there anything else I should do?

amother

Alyssum

Wed, Feb 09 2022, 1:05 am

I’ve had terrible allergies to dust as a kid, any hotel room with carpet would keep me up all night sneezing. Bh after a few chiropractor adjustments and allergy shots, don’t remember what kind but I took them weekly, its now history. Good luck!

amother

Alyssum

Wed, Feb 09 2022, 1:06 am

Definitely a good air filter. I still use one because I’m so used to the noise!

SG18

Wed, Feb 09 2022, 8:45 am

DH has severe dust allergies as well.
Air filter/purifier for sure! DH recommends HPA 200. This is the one we had in the US.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B.....DGGM5

And have him take loratidine (generic Claritin) 1-2x a day. You can find it at any pharmacy, Walmart and Wegmans have it for cheap.
Happy to offer any advice, it's a big issue in our house.

lopman29

Wed, Feb 09 2022, 8:50 am

The main thing is that the air filter should have a HEPA rating

Not_in_my_town

Wed, Feb 09 2022, 9:46 am

While dust can exacerbate eczema-type rashes and he surely should be exposed the least possible to it, there are other things that you can be doing to hopefully give him some relief.

Here's a short list of suggestions:

1. A humidifier in every room when the steam is on. Attaching a link to the one I prefer, and I've tried many. This one is super easy to use (just fill up and turn on -- no filters!), is cool mist, and lasts over Shabbos when turned on a lower setting. It does need to be bleached out twice a month or so to prevent bacteria overgrowth.

2. A good moisturizer. I recommend Eucerin Original Healing Cream because it is:

A. From a large company (many small companies will put unabled medications in their creams in order to make them "magical"... bigger companies usually won't take that risk.)

B. A combination of both water and oil (water-based creams usually sting and irritate rashes, while oil-based don't really penetrate the skin. The combo makes it mild and deeply moisturizes.) If it's your first time using the cream, put it on after a bath/shower so that the skin won't react to it. Damaged skin can react very easily to new products, but the bath/shower puts the skin in the optimal state to receive new products.

3. Balmex. It contains Zinc and is a natural anti-inflammatory. (Some people prefer Desitin, but Desitin, from what I know, contains fish oil, which can be an irritant for some people.) Put on a little bit when rashes are bothersome. It doesn't need to be a thick layer.

4. Antihistimines as needed. Benadryl or Atarax. (Zyrtec doesn't help rashes very much; that's meant more for seasonal allergies.) Obviously, if he doesn't need it, don't give it, but according to the doctors I trust, antihistimines are some of the safest meds around.

5. Daily hot showers/baths. Not hot enough to hurt him, but hot enough to provide relief to the skin. (Yes, I know, many derms recommend lukewarm, but let's get real here: lukewarm irritates the skin for most people. People with severe rashes usually prefer hot water to take away the itch/burn.

There are other things you can do, as well, depending on his symptoms.
Most importantly, IMO, is to figure out if he has regular "eczema" or a different condition, which is generally much worse, called Red Skin Syndrome. They're two different conditions and need to be treated somewhat differently.

Wishing you all the best in getting to the bottom of this and providing him some comfort.

Not_in_my_town

Wed, Feb 09 2022, 9:47 am

Forgot the link to humidifier: https://www.taotronics.com/pro.....ifier