Eczema on penis

[PetrinaB]

My son (19mths old) has suffered from eczema since birth. It mostly disappeared by the time he was 1yo but flared up again by the time he was about 15mths old. It appears that he's now developed a mild case of eczema on his scrotum and around the base of his penis. It doesn't bother him during the day when his nappy is changed regularly but he does wake up sometimes during the night, clearly distressed by this and trying to scratch it. We usually can soothe it quickly with a nappy change and some zinc cream. The doctor prescribed Advantan and we have used it when he was waking up each night in tears. It stopped the pain/irritation immediately. However, this is such a sensitive part of his body I have been very nervous about what I am doing. Any suggestions on treating eczema on this part of the body? Thanks.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For eczema,wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites. You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin.
For mild-moderate eczema a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide) but seeing the age it is advisable to use mild steroids.

Eczema can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin.

If still the symptoms do not improve then pls get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.

[jagesh50]

Quite safe to use hydrocortione creme during flareup but return to zinc creme in a week or so.