Gabriella Ferlita
It’s horrible to see your little ones in pain, and one mum was distraught after her three-month-old daughter developed eczema which failed to go away with multiple recommended moisturisers.
Nola Harris-Rodrigues, who was safely born on 15 December 2021, was a healthy and happy baby, but her mum Emily Harris, 25, soon realised that her child did not have smooth skin like other babies.
Nola’s dry skin seemed to get worse until she was 12 weeks old when her scalp, face and body became completely covered in red, flaky patches and weeping sores, despite Emily trying multiple prescribed products and antibiotics for her poorly daughter.
She said: “I never thought too much of it at first because health visitors and midwives said it was quite common for babies to have dry skin.
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“But it gradually started to look more red and flaky. It was horrible,” Emily admitted of seeing her child in pain because of her skin.
She added: “It was so bad she had open sores which wept onto her clothes and we had to get antibiotics prescribed.”
The pain was so severe that Emily turned to covering her child’s hands in mittens to prevent her from heartbreakingly scratching and causing the area to bleed.
Emily said: “If she was ever naked or had any skin out she would be so frustrated and scratch herself to the point that she would bleed.
“I had to get these sleeves to put on her hands to stop her from scratching her skin.”
She added: “Even in the summer months, when it was really hot, she couldn’t have her skin out or she would just scratch and scratch.”
Nola’s skin condition caused the itchiness to flare up so much that she even had little interest in playing with toys.
“It was so upsetting because I was doing everything I could but she would get so angry and wound up.”
“I would try to make sure she had some time with her hands to play every day but she would only ever play for a few minutes and then immediately start scratching.
“We couldn’t even go to the baby sensory classes because she wouldn’t play with the toys, she was only interested in scratching.”
Emily added: “I just wanted her to do what the other babies were doing.”
It wasn’t until the Bristol-based mum came across a £7.99 over-the-counter cream - which is hailed as a ‘miracle’ product for eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and dry and sore skin - that her child’s skin began to improve.
Emily said of the product, Balmond’s Skin Salvation cream, which helped clear up her now nine-month-old daughter’s skin in a matter of days: “I was scared she would have that skin for the rest of her life but her skin is completely smooth and clear now.
“She finally has baby soft skin, like she should have.”
After buying a 30ml pot of the cream for just under £8, Emily carefully applied a small amount to Nola’s cheeks.
Emily said: “I was so cautious so I just applied a small amount to her cheeks and the next day, it already looked clearer.
“For the first time, it stopped looking red.”
After applying the cream all over Nola’s body, Emily became emotional at the rapid improvement to her daughter’s skin.
“Within a few weeks, her skin had completely cleared,” she said.
Balmond’s advises testing a tiny amount ‘behind the ear or in the crook of your elbow’ between 24 and 48 hours before using it on the rest of your body to test for allergies or skin reaction.
Do not use Balmond’s Skin Salvation if you are allergic to any of the ingredients.