My first born suffered from eczema from 5 months old.  We tried the natural way first using Grahams and Medihoney and found that in her case they did moisturise but did little to help the eczema. (however cleared up my contact dermatitis beautifully).  At 7 months we were prescribed Hydrocortisone acetate ointment which also didn't help and so at 8 months we were prescribed both Elidel and Elocon .  As my daughters eczema covered most of her body, we used the Elidel as we were concerned with the thinning of the skin that occurs with the steroid creams such as Elocon.  But after discovering the possible risk of cancer with the Elidel we started using the Elocon very sparingly and began a regimented skincare program.  By using QV bath oil in the bath (bathing once per day and for no longer than 10 minutes) and QV Kids balm afterwards and up to 4 times per day we were able to keep the skin moisturised so that we would only have to use the Elocon a couple of times a week and the Elidel only on her face, neck and hands.  If we missed the bath oil or didn't use the QV kids balm at least twice a day, the eczema would flare up.  We now know that the eczema is related to an egg and nut allergy.  She is now 2 and her eczema is really controlled by diet and continuing with the bath oil and kids balm once a day and using Elocon on the flare ups and Elidel if we can catch it before a full flare up and also on the face.  Elidel is definately a great product if used appropriately for your situation.  Do be aware of the possible cancer link already mentioned in another review. 

The Elidel cream relieved my baby's eczema straight away. I couldn't believe the difference! I also used cetaphyl in the bath and the moisturiser afterwards and it does the world of good.

We were prescribed this straight away for my 3 month old from our GP who didn't mention the cancer links so I was not impressed because I didn't find out until much later. At the time I was happy because it was steroid free. However the risks are minimal and are not yet founded so its up to your own decision. At the time (March 2007) I was told it was ok to use on babies.



Elidel worked brilliantly and only took a little while to take effect and we didn't need to use much. Afterwards we only used it when absoluletly necessary. At the time it was a lifesaver for my little ones eczema on her face and it was safe to use on her eyelids.

We were prescribed this cream because we didn't want to use the steroid creams. We used it a few times and it was very good at clearing up the eczema on our 4mth old. We then looked at the Elidel website and read the product information - it is an immuno-suppressant cream. The website itself (www.elidel.com) says "The safety of using Elidel Cream for a long period of time is not know. A very small number of people who have used Elidel cream have had skin cancer or lymphoma. However, a link wth the use of Elidel has not been shown. Because of this, do not use Elidel cream continuously for a long time. Use Elidel Cream only on areas of your skin that have eczema. Do not use Elidel Cream on a child under 2 years of age.

That warning was enough for us - we stopped using it straight away and went back to a different doctor and she said that we shouldn't have had that prescribed and that the steroid creams should be used. At least we know their side effects and they are a lot smaller compared to possible cancer. The steroid creams and lots of moisturiser have worked at controlling our little ones eczema. Your doctor should make you aware of the risks before prescribing it. I don't want my child to be the guinea pig of a cream that has possible links to cancer.

We asked our GP about Elidel after a friend recommended it, as the steroid-based cream we were using wasn't helping control our 9-month-old's chronic eczema on face, chest, elbows & knees. Elidel is expensive, but we did get some refund from our private health fund, which helped. More importantly, the Elidel did help treat our daughter's eczema, keeping it under control much better than the old cream (although not eliminating it completely in all areas). You only need to use a little at a time & we were very happy to have it there as it definitely helped. We're lucky not to have needed it since our daughter turned 2, but would recommend anyone to discuss it with their GP if their current treatment isn't working effectively.