# PLEASE help me identify this rash on my toddler!***Update in post 28!***



## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

my 16 month old has had a rash on his face for about a month. It started on the right side of his face, looking like a few pimples. It has gotten progressively more red and irritated looking, as well as spread across his chin and even over his mouth - it has gotten particularly bad in the last week or so. We have not changed soaps or detergents, he doesn't appear to be drooling much due to teething.

What do you think from these pictures? (ignore the boogers, he has a cold







)

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...9/Img_1760.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...9/Img_1761.jpg


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

I don't know. Let me look at it later. Grandson needs me right now.

I would use some olive oil on it and see....


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## Blue Dragonfly (Jun 19, 2005)

That looks like what my son gets when he eats something he shouldn't - tomatoes in his case. If its a food thing, it would get more red and pronounced right after he eats the food.


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## sebandg'smama (Oct 29, 2005)

Does he have a rash like that on his bottom as well?
If so, perhaps it's impetigo.


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## RachelGS (Sep 29, 2002)

Look at those beautiful eyes!

Has he seen a ped? I'm wondering about staph.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

He hasn't seen a ped yet - I'm going to try to get him in next week. He does have a bit of a diaper rash, but it looks different - just red, without any little bumps.


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

I also think it might be a staph infection. But we build immunity to that also.

So, even if it is staph - I would use some tee trea oil diluted to see how he does with it and if ok then full strength.

If nothing works, I would use some neosporin for a few days but very sparingly. Very, very thinkly. It really only takes a touch of it. And only for a few days.

Personally I would not take her to the ped for it, but that's just me.


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## fishface (Jan 6, 2007)

What is the condition that you can develop after touching someone else's broken skin? It's been mentioned a ton of times on these boards but I can't remember the name. The pictures I saw look like that. Sounds pretty common in kiddos.


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## laura163 (Sep 13, 2002)

looks a little yeasty to me.


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## huskermommy (Jun 14, 2006)

My dd use to get this ALOT. I don't know exactly what foods caused it but it would come and go for several months. Now w/home treatment it has completely gone away!







Good luck and yes, BEAUTIFUL eyes!


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *huskermommy* 
Good luck and yes, BEAUTIFUL eyes!

Thank you









I was thinking yeast for a bit, too, which is why I'm hesitant to try an antibiotic ointment. I did just try TTO, but he screamed when I put it on (it was diluted), so I won't try that again. I also have OTC yeast cream, but I don't want that too close to his mouth - and if it's not yeast, I don't want to make it worse somehow.

The main reason I plan to have a ped check it is that as of the end of the month, he will be without insurance for approx a month - so if it's something that needs a rx or specific treatment, I want to know now.


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## 425lisamarie (Mar 4, 2005)

DS has this exact thing on his hand, just one spot around the base of his thumb, and a little around there.

I wasn't thinking yeast, and wasn't thinking impetigo either because that crusts and blisters more. I don't want to take my DS to the ped because I'm not giving him antibiotics.

Have you found out what it is yet? Maybe it will give me a clue....but I'm thinking the same thing as you. There are so many types of rashes/skin irritation things and I am afraid that if I put something I have on it, it will get worse! I kind of want to take him to the ped. I do have some yeast cream but I'm afraid of making it worse somehow too

i was going to post about this too


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

I did a search and found this post - we are facing the EXACT same problem with our 14 month old. Tonight after tomato sauce, it got horribly worse - very dark red. So I think it must be food related on some level. He's also got a red, red butt. My son, however, is teething very badly lately and seems to always be chewing on something. So there's all sorts of confounding factors in there...

Via the search, I also found that many people recommend calendula cream. I'm going to get some tomorrow and see if it works...

I'd like to hear what works for other people as well. If it doesn't get better by Tuesday, I'm definitely taking him in to the doctor. Our family practitioner is very crunchy and cool, so I'm positive there will be no antibiotics or harsh things involved. She'll probably tell me to use calendula cream, ha.


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## 425lisamarie (Mar 4, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flyingspaghettimama* 
I did a search and found this post - we are facing the EXACT same problem with our 14 month old. Tonight after tomato sauce, it got horribly worse - very dark red. So I think it must be food related on some level. He's also got a red, red butt. My son, however, is teething very badly lately and seems to always be chewing on something. So there's all sorts of confounding factors in there...

Via the search, I also found that many people recommend calendula cream. I'm going to get some tomorrow and see if it works...

I'd like to hear what works for other people as well. If it doesn't get better by Tuesday, I'm definitely taking him in to the doctor. Our family practitioner is very crunchy and cool, so I'm positive there will be no antibiotics or harsh things involved. She'll probably tell me to use calendula cream, ha.

I'm ok with neosporin, I don't know if you are, but it seems to work. It's so weird that 2 other people are going through this too, at least I'm not frustrated alone









I rubbed calendula on it a few times a day for a couple days and it didn't get worse but it didn't get better. Today I rubbed neosporin on it 2 times and it seems to be a little better. I don't know if it's just me wishfully thinking, looking at it like it's better, but I'll know more maybe tomorrow.

I'm kind of wondering if I should just stick with Calendula instead of neosporin. I don't want to experiment on him though, and the neosporin may be working. I think if it doesn't look at least improving a little after 2 more days I'll take him in.

ETA: DS is 2.5, and I'm sure it's not food related in him because it never seems to look worse after anything in particular.


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

Well, I did a little search (I'm a librarian, a nerd like that)

Here's what impetigo looks like. That's not what we're dealing with here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/photogallerie.../images/06.jpg

Here's what Dr Sears says, and it sounds like this:

Quote:

Facial rashes - virtually all infants and young children will get a rash around the mouth and cheeks at some point during their childhood. It usually appears as flat patches, or slightly raised patches, with tiny red bumps scattered around the mouth and chin. This type of rash can be cause by drooling, pacifiers, allowing smeared food to remain too long on the face, or rubbing face against parent's clothes. This rash will often remain for weeks at a time. Just when it seems to finally clear up, something irritates it again and it returns for another few weeks. In time, this will clear up for good, and no treatment is really necessary. If its appearance bothers you, you can try applying Aquaphor healing ointment, lanolin ointment (used for sore nipples during breastfeeding), or hydrocortisone 1% cream twice a day until clear. But be warned, it will probably come back.
I think I have some lanolin ointment around here somewheres...

But there is other rash info on the website here:http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T082900.asp

I do know that I'm not always the best with cleaning off his mouth after he eats. Or rather, USED to be. From now on, I'll be watching that.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Ever since this started, I've been really good about keeping his face clean and dry, so I don't think it's from food staying smeared, and it doesn't look worse after he eats. It could, however, be his dairy sensitivity turning up again. It never manifested this way before, and I thought he was over it - but I wouldn't be surprised if that's causing it.

He also has another rash on his neck that looks similar, but more eczema like. I don't think what is on his face is eczema, though - eczema doesn't have little pimply things, does it? DD had mild eczema as a baby and it never looked like this.

Thankfully, my ped is pretty crunchy too (I left my last appointment with extra cloth diaper covers she'd had in her desk since her daughter pottylearned last year







That doesn't happen at most doctors!), so I'm pretty confident that if she recommends something medical that it will be warranted. I'm concerned about trying too many things, because I'm worried about making it worse - or hurting him, like the TTO did. If it's yeast, wouldn't neosporin or lanolin make it worse? I'd also sort of like the ped to see it as it is without it being messed with too much, so she can get a better idea of what we're dealing with.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

flyingspaghettimama - you said it got worse after tomato sauce tonight, but what did it look like before that? Sometimes acidic foods like tomatoes will inflame the skin temporarily, but it isn't a true allergy - just sensitive skin. DS also had a reaction to hummus when he was around 10 months old, where every place it touched turned red and made him cry. This looks a lot different than that, though. I wonder if you're dealing with two different things at the same time.


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

My son's looks like your son's in the picture, but in a smaller area (circle shape, directly beneath his lips on the chin, in the middle of his chin). After the tomato sauce, it looked almost bloody, it was so dark dark red. I felt awful. He didn't seem bothered by it. But yes, you're right, it was probably just the acid in the sauce, I'm not sure he's actually allergic.

Does yours seem bothered by it (itching, etc?).

Here's a pic of eczema. It looks sorta shiny and wider.
http://www.femail.com.au/img/eczema_baby.jpg

Hey, let's play doctor at home!


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

You can also do a search of yeast via google images. I won't post a link because most of them are of diaper areas. They look horribly wicked though, and more red and widespread. Of course, the photographed ones are probably the worse off, eh?


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## huskermommy (Jun 14, 2006)

ya know, i'm a little scared of TTO to tell you the truth. it specificlly says NOT to put on children and pets. Even diluted and just seems like not a good idea. i do however use it in my last wash w/my dipes w/no problems... anyway, that was kinda off topic.

i agree w/the sears info. Grace's binky is what was doing the irritating. and then tomato sauce, dairy, ect. would really get it going. we tried lots of stuff. aquaphor helped protect it and neosporin looked like it kinda helped. one thing that really worked for us was the Arbonne baby oil. Grace gets eczema patches when she has dairy and we use it for that too. It really really helped the rash go away, not to say it wouldn't come back when it got irritated again, but it did help alot.

Wish i had a ped like you guys...







oh well! he's against circ, is ok w/no vaccines, and doesn't hand out antibiotics like candy like most md's so i guess we really cant complain. super sweet guy as well!


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

bumping for MumofNic


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## naerae_30 (Mar 12, 2005)

That picture could have been of my dd! She is over 2 yrs and has the rash on the exact same spot! I tried breastmilk first. It looked better at first, then came back with a vengenence. I am trying to keep her chin dry, but she is licking her lips and drooling a bit, so there is always slobber on her chin. I tried lanolin for a few days. Nothing. Today I am trying calendula and neosporin. <<sigh>> She doesn't have a diaper rash though and she has several other patches on her that look similar, but they are not near her mouth. I am thinking that the slobber and the food are irritating it.

This thread has been very helpful! Thanks for the pics!


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

my dd gets a similar rash on her face coupled with body exema from : oranges, kiwis and watermelon.. so far those are the only foods that i have identified as problem foods and since cutting those out of her diet 100% she hasn't had a flare up. i started her on no wheat, airt, sy when it first started but to no avail ( it was xmas time and she was eating mandarin oranges by the box full..) then i realised it was oranges because we ran out and the rash started to heal then she had another one a fw days laterand instantly her face got very red.


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## ~Demeter~ (Jul 22, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eclipse* 
bumping for MumofNic

Wow that tidbit from Dr. Sears really eased my mind.. not that I really thought anything else. The lanolin definitely helps my ds and he's already pretty clear today. He gets it from using his sleeve to wipe his face I'm sure of it. I think the TTO would be just a bit too harsh on little ones sensitive face skin. I like that the lanolin stays on for awhile too and provides something of a barrier against more irritation. Like I said in my thread it is something you have to be on top of and constantly reapply. I recall going through this with ds2 as well but not as long and not usually as pronounced and stubborn to get rid of. I hope the rest of you find something that works for your little ones.. for me if all else fails I usually fall back on the lanolin.. I used to call it miracle cream.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Well, I have an appointment for thursday afternoon, so I'll let you know what the ped says! I would try lanolin, but I'm still a little concerned that it's at least in part due to yeast, and I know lanolin can make yeast worse. Once I know for sure that it's not, I'll go hog wild with the lanolin - it's the only thing that helps the crusties behind DD's ears!


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

another thing..

my naturpath says that the reason my dd gets exema is because she has an over growth of staph and strep which in turn is affecting her liver function..that could be the case with your child...its not so much a food allergy as the bodies inability to deal with them.
we have been using homeopathy and bio-resonance with great success.


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

Well, we used vaseline on his chin, kept it clean even while eating with a damp cloth, and lo and behold, it's mostly cleared up. So I'm chalking ours up to "mysterious teething rash."


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Well, I saw the ped (not mine - she's on vacation, so I saw a nice but way less crunchy doctor in her practice) this afternoon, and the rash is eczema, made worse by the enzymes in a teething toddler's drool. He looked at the rash on his neck and said that was eczema too, but didn't look as bad because it wasn't getting drooled on and rubbed all the time.

He said he wanted me to use hydrocortizone and vaseline on it, but I told him no way. I told him that I'd heard hydrocortizone would just suppress it and make the reaction worse elsewhere, and he said there was "some debate" about that, and he was fine with me not using it (um, not that he really gets a vote







), but that it might take longer to clear up. I also told him that I wasn't comfortable with vaseline, especially near his mouth and asked if lanolin would do the same job (basically to provide a barrier against the drool that's making it worse and give it a chance to heal) and he said that was probably even better, but most parents already have vaseline (do most parents really put that stuff on their kids? The thought gives me the willies!). He said it could be a recurrence of his dairy sensitivity, or that it could have been triggered by a host of other things, including the numerous viruses he's had in the past couple of months. If it doesn't clear up quickly, we need to go off dairy again.

Anyhow, just wanted to update!


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## LadiSadi (Oct 26, 2014)

*Thank you ladies!!!!!*

_It's not kiddo related but with the info you have shared, I think I may have finally found what my skin issue is around my mouth.. I have horrible allergies, every tree and grass in NC, pets, tomatoes, potatoes, corn syrup, and I thought it was just allergies alone.. from what I am seeing in the photos, it may be excema ... Gonna be confirming with doc .. again thank you. It's been months that this hasn't gone away.. So glad I found your thread 
-Jessica :grin:
_


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