'Doctors said my son may have a milk allergy, weeks later he looked like a burns victim'
by Greta Simpson · Manchester Evening NewsA mum whose baby "looked like a burn victim" due to his severe eczema has urged parents to give natural products a try before committing to long-term steroid treatments.
Samantha and Daniel Hamson saw first hand how their son Lake began struggling with the condition at just six weeks old, developing a rash on his torso. An initial visit to the GP saw Lake's condition diagnosed as 'milk spots', small white bumps that form underneath the skin, PA reported. But things took a turn for a worse when he had his first round of vaccinations at eight weeks.
Over the following days, the rash continued to worsen, covering almost all his body, and Lake became very “unsettled” and was “constantly crying”. Feeling “overwhelmed”, the couple, who have another child called Arlo, four, took Lake back to the GP around a week later for further advice.
Samantha said she was told the rash could be related to a milk allergy and she was advised to monitor his symptoms for the following two weeks. However, with his condition “escalating within hours and days”, she called the GP practice and was told to go to their local A&E department, where it was confirmed he had severe eczema at just nine weeks old.
“They looked at him and said, ‘Yeah, we think he’s got a milk allergy… eczema can be a symptom of a milk allergy, and this eczema looks like it’s infected’,” she said.
Exploring all possible angles, Lake was switched to an amino acid-based milk formula, taking out any possible dairy, and prescribed a steroid cream, hydrocortisone, along with an ointment.
Samantha said she “smothered” his body in the Vaseline-like ointment and applied the hydrocortisone cream, which improved his symptoms almost immediately – but as soon as she stopped using the steroid, the eczema returned.
As the rash worsened, Samantha, 37, an administrator, and Daniel, 33, an aerospace inspector, rushed Lake to A&E, which led to a severe eczema diagnosis at just nine weeks old and a suspected milk allergy.
Over the next few weeks, Lake was given antibiotics and prescribed ointments and topical steroids. His formula was also changed to hydrolysed – lactose-free – milks under doctors’ supervision.
Speaking of the severity of his condition, Samantha told PA Real Life: “His skin was red raw and weeping and there was pus everywhere – it was literally the worst I’ve ever seen.
“His face was bright red. He literally looked like he’d been in a fire, like a burn victim. It was horrific. It was really upsetting to see him like that.”
She said Lake was prescribed stronger topical steroids, which “showed immediate improvement” – but within a week or two of stopping use of the steroids, the eczema kept returning and worsening each time.
“We went back to the doctors a few times, and they said, ‘There’s nothing we can do, we can just prescribe stronger steroid creams’, and that’s all I ever kept hearing from anybody,” she said.
“I just started looking into things and then I came across topical steroid withdrawal and it started to scare me. I thought, ‘If we just keep going stronger and stronger and stronger every time, where do we end?’.”
According to the NHS, eczema affects people of all ages but is most common in young children – and although it cannot be cured, treatment can help manage the symptoms.
After several cycles of using steroid creams and then stopping, Samantha decided to seek natural alternatives and tried giving Lake normal milk again in case the suspected allergy was incorrect.
She said he had no reaction to normal milk and, after doing her own research, she started applying coconut oil and olive oil to Lake’s skin, along with other over-the-counter products and creams.
While some showed minor improvements, it was not until a friend recommended MooGoo, which specialises in natural solutions for skin and scalp issues, that she noticed a drastic change in Lake’s condition.
She first used the MooGoo Eczema Cream and the MooGoo Sensitive Skin Balm, and within three days, she said she could see “huge improvements”.
“I didn’t hold out much hope… but I was absolutely gobsmacked, and I literally told all my friends and said, ‘Oh my God, if you’ve got children with eczema, please try this’,” Samantha said.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes and I literally cried. I said to my husband, ‘I can’t believe it’s working’.”
Having used the products for around six months, Samantha said Lake is now “99% eczema free”.
She occasionally applies coconut oil and a steroid cream, and Lake sometimes experiences a flare-up, but otherwise he is only “getting better and better”.
She would advise other parents to do their own research and perhaps try more natural remedies before committing to long-term steroid use for eczema.
“I never appreciated how severe eczema can be, to the point where Lake’s skin was literally coming away from his body, it was so raw and weeping,” she said.
“I spent my days and nights just researching. I was literally glued to my phone… and I feel like I’m an expert on eczema now.
“I think it’s just important to remain strong and do your own research and trust your instinct because there are other remedies out there.”
“Before I had Lake, I thought eczema was just dry skin – you put some moisturiser on and get on with it – but when you experience it yourself, you realise how severe and debilitating it can be.”
She added: “For other parents, I’d just say trust your own intuition and do what you think is right.
“If people are happy using steroid creams, then each to their own… but definitely try more natural remedies before you go straight to the steroids as it doesn’t cure anything, it just masks over the problem.”