baby dry itchy scalp

[babylayla]

My daughter has eczema on her body.  Now her scalp is very dry and itchy which keeps her up at night.  I tried puttying baby oil, cetaphil cream, and hydrocortisone on her scalp, and nothing worked.  Her pediatrician prescribe betamethasone lotion to put on her scalp twice a week since this is a stronger dose of steroid.  I tried that and still her scalp is very dry, flaky like dandruff, and itchy.  Do you know what else I could try to help get rid of the dry and itchy scalp.  It keeps her up at night and very uncomfortable, and keeps me up at night too.

Thanks

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I can understand your concern for these disturbing symptoms. 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. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate symptoms 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). Also use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin.

If still the symptoms do not improve then please get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.
Hope it helps. Take care and regards.