Persistent Yeast Diaper Rash, Cured From Tea Tree Oil

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Persistent Yeast Diaper Rash, Cured From Tea Tree Oil

by by: Lorinda Jackson
(Alberta, Canada)

When my daughter was 8 months old, she developed a yeast diaper rash. I was given a prescription for hydrocortisone cream and an industrious barrier cream.

I used it faithfully every diaper change, after a bath, ALL the time. That rash was so persistent. The cream would hold the infection at bay but not completely cure it. I was doing the best I could with the use of the prescription, not contaminating the tube and applying faithfully. She cried so much and it was hard for me as a mother to watch her suffer. I used it for 6 MONTHS without a halt!!! It was also very expensive!!

THANKFULLY, in my most doubtful attempt, my mom-in-law told me to try the tea tree oil on the rash. I was a little scared as to how it would sting with open sores. We tried it anyway, knowing the healing effects of the plant. She didn't cry AT ALL when we applied the pure 100% essential oil right on the open sores. We used it sparingly at first and saw that she didn't mind the application so we covered the whole area. No kidding, that rash was completely gone in 2 days. It was a miracle! After just ONE application, it even looked better than the effects of the cortisone cream after 6 months!

I now use it on my son's diaper area, and his bum looks so amazing! I just use it occasionally on him after bowel movements, it smells so nice and it's disinfecting as well. I change other babies diapers and are amazed that all of the babies have red spots all over them and the parents aren't telling me they are concerned for their rash. My kids have had no rashes (more than a diaper change length of time) since using the tea tree oil. I want to use the tea tree on these babies but their parents are skeptical that it will irritate the skin, so I just leave them spotty.

Hydrocortisone has very dangerous side effects, including inducing asthma (which my daughter does have now, though not sure it it's the reason). If Tea Tree oil is gentle enough for a babies bottom with no skin irritation, I am sold for life.

I use it for everything I can think of and have other amazing stories as well.

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Persistent Yeast Diaper Rash, Cured From Tea Tree Oil

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Aug 22, 2010
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MRSA/Boils
by: Anonymous

My baby's eczema cleared up and I find it also works on his heat rash on the back of his neck. (We live in a very humid/tropical climate).

My baby has had 3 boils in the past 4 months and they all went away after I used Bactroban(antibiotic) cream on them straight away. However one of them I tried bactroban and I tried tea tree in the beginning but it got angry. I took him to the doc and I got a lecture about how it could have gotten worse and lead to septicemia:( It was bad but not really bad.

The doc put him on very strong antibiotics which are used for MRSA and he seems fine now. I put him on a course of probiotics to get him back on track:) I am wondering if he is prone to boils due to the climate we live in and the fact that he bottom shuffles(dragging him poor legs all over the place and ending up with cuts/scratches).

I am now treating all scratches straight away with Tea Tree Oil and haven't had anymore infections show up. It seems to work very well and fingers crossed he doesn't get anymore boils-poor bugger:(

Aug 22, 2010
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ALSO WORKS FOR MRSA
by: Anonymous

TEA TREE OIL CURES MRSA

Jul 21, 2010
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Eczema?
by: Jen

Not chicken pox or measles luckily. They seemed to appear after he was laying bare chested on my mother-in-law's new couch.

I am wondering if it was treated with dye or scotch guard or something that irritated his skin.

He also gets a rash on his legs from wiggling his legs on the grass on our front lawn!

I have had eczema, hay fever and asthma all my life and I am worried he will follow suit? I also have a mild cow's milk intolerance. Skim milk, yoghurt and cheddar etc are fine but whole milk and some softer cheeses give me severe stomach aches. I was hoping to keep him healthy with b/feeding, yoghurt, organic foods etc. I have thought about giving him probiotics but haven't actually done it yet.

I am a Canadian living in Australia so what you have available I may not. I saw an acidophilus combo capsule for babies over 3 months of age. I might go buy a bottle and see how he is?

He has had little red lines on the creases of his ankles since he was 5m/o and now scratches them regularly:( He will scratch his ankles until he bleeds if I let him. I put sorbelene or hempseed oil cream (from The Body Shop) to stop it form drying out and he always wears socks unless he is doing tummy time and can't reach his feet! If he scratches them, and it looks inflamed or weepy, I use tea tree Oil and it seems to take away redness and dry it out....then I start over again with the creams-lol.

Sometimes I wonder if he likes the sensation of scratching? When I hold him he scratches the back of my arm over and over with his busy little fingers!

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Jul 21, 2010
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Submitted by: Jen

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Not chicken pox or measles luckily. They seemed to appear after he was laying bare chested on my mother-in-law's new couch. I am wondering if it was treated with dye or scotch guard or something that irritated his skin. He also gets a rash on his legs from wiggling his legs on the grass on our front lawn! I have had eczema, hay fever and asthma all my life and I am worried he will follow suit? I also have a mild cow's milk intolerance. Skim milk, yoghurt and cheddar etc are fine but whole milk and some softer cheeses give me severe stomach aches. I was hoping to keep him healthy with b/feeding, yoghurt, organic foods etc. I have thought about giving him probiotics but haven't actually done it yet. I am a Canadian living in Australia so what you have available I may not. I saw an acidophilus combo capsule for babies over 3 months of age. I might go buy a bottle and see how he is? He has had little red lines on the creases of his ankles since he was 5m/o and now scratches them regularly:( He will scratch his ankles until he bleeds if I let him. I put sorbelene or hempseed oil cream (from The Body Shop) to stop it form drying out and he always wears socks unless he is doing tummy time and can't reach his feet! If he scratches them, and it looks inflamed or weepy, I use tea tree Oil and it seems to take away redness and dry it out....then I start over again with the creams-lol. Sometimes I wonder if he likes the sensation of scratching? When I hold him he scratches the back of my arm over and over with his busy little fingers!

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Jul 21, 2010
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Glad you went to the doctor again
by: Lorinda

Shoot, that sounds tough. I totally understand not wanting to remove the diaper. I remember my third scratching his lower back (the part covered with a diaper) so bad that it was bleeding through little finger nail scrapes. I can imagine an infection forming with that broken skin. Nothing came of it.

One thing I just thought of now is probiotics, higher concentration compared to what you would get in yogurt. I was told by my naturopath that often skin issues can be caused by an underlying gut imbalance. Especially if they have ever had a run of antibiotics in their life (which most kids get).

I started giving my scratcher son (we have four kids) probiotics and it helped with the eczema issues he was having. Hasn't itched or been dry since.

It didn't really help my fourth child's rash on his cheek. We tried everything on that rash and finally when the snow disappeared, his cheeks were exposed to the sun and that's what changed everything.

Perhaps you could take his diaper off and let him play in a small pool to distract him from scratching, then let him crawl/walk around in the sun. Only if you want him to have some time with it off. I realize its easier said than done.

Thank goodness those spots in his tummy are under control. Its good, that means what you were doing was working.

This may be a silly question, but are they chicken pox or measles? I suppose chicken pox are smaller and not as boilish and the doctor would know better.

LJ

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Jul 21, 2010
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Submitted by: Lorinda

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Shoot, that sounds tough. I totally understand not wanting to remove the diaper. I remember my third scratching his lower back (the part covered with a diaper) so bad that it was bleeding through little finger nail scrapes. I can imagine an infection forming with that broken skin. Nothing came of it. One thing I just thought of now is probiotics, higher concentration compared to what you would get in yogurt. I was told by my naturopath that often skin issues can be caused by an underlying gut imbalance. Especially if they have ever had a run of antibiotics in their life (which most kids get). I started giving my scratcher son (we have four kids) probiotics and it helped with the eczema issues he was having. Hasn't itched or been dry since. It didn't really help my fourth child's rash on his cheek. We tried everything on that rash and finally when the snow disappeared, his cheeks were exposed to the sun and that's what changed everything. Perhaps you could take his diaper off and let him play in a small pool to distract him from scratching, then let him crawl/walk around in the sun. Only if you want him to have some time with it off. I realize its easier said than done. Thank goodness those spots in his tummy are under control. Its good, that means what you were doing was working. This may be a silly question, but are they chicken pox or measles? I suppose chicken pox are smaller and not as boilish and the doctor would know better. LJ

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Jul 20, 2010
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Spots getting worse
by: Jen

So I went back to the doc and the spots on my sons tummy have almost disappeared. However he has 3 spots above his on his groin which have whiteheads and one on his bum which now looks like a boil.

The doc gave me bactroban (antibacterial cream) as well as a script which I haven't filled yet.

I put Tea Tree oil on the spots up top because the redness looks like it is going away. The boil thing on his bottom feels like a lump and I think it will eventually get bigger and get a head on it.

poor bugger.

Not sure 100% what it is and I wish I could figure out how to prevent it from happening again.

I put Bactroban cream on his bum-boil and am hoping it starts to get better so I don't have to give oral anitbiotics:( It is tricky because if I give him diaper free time he scratches and puts his hands down there which may have caused it in the first place(possibly dirty fingernails and scratching?)

Jul 19, 2010
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Could be yeast
by: Lorinda Jackson

I just read your comment about your child's rash. I suppose it is hard to tell by describing things over the computer but I think any rash that is spreading is something that is growing (so to speak). it is not just irritation, but something like a yeast rash that is 'growing'. And, therefore, Tea Tree oil should take care of it since it is an anti-fungal/bacterial agent.

My daughter's yeast rash did have white spots as well. Boys do get yeast rashes and I believe you can get it anywhere on your skin but most likely it occurs in those damp places.

What did the doctor say it was? It seems obvious to me that it is something. Something growing in a dark place! I felt stuck using steroids because it was sort of working. It would be nice to know what it is exactly.

I also wanted to note that I did have an issue with a staph infection on my second son which started on his arm as little red, slightly pussy spots and spread to his diaper area quickly because it is a damp dark place, and became open looking boils/sores. Tea Tree oil helped for the diaper area but I do recall it stung slightly possibly because the skin was more open than a yeast rash. I had to put a silver band-aid on his arm because he kept scratching that itchy spot and I was afraid it would spread elsewhere.

Hoping to support you or anyone else with diaper rashes!! Let me know what you do or come up with.
Lorinda

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Jul 19, 2010
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Submitted by: Lorinda Jackson

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I just read your comment about your child's rash. I suppose it is hard to tell by describing things over the computer but I think any rash that is spreading is something that is growing (so to speak). it is not just irritation, but something like a yeast rash that is 'growing'. And, therefore, Tea Tree oil should take care of it since it is an anti-fungal/bacterial agent. My daughter's yeast rash did have white spots as well. Boys do get yeast rashes and I believe you can get it anywhere on your skin but most likely it occurs in those damp places. What did the doctor say it was? It seems obvious to me that it is something. Something growing in a dark place! I felt stuck using steroids because it was sort of working. It would be nice to know what it is exactly. I also wanted to note that I did have an issue with a staph infection on my second son which started on his arm as little red, slightly pussy spots and spread to his diaper area quickly because it is a damp dark place, and became open looking boils/sores. Tea Tree oil helped for the diaper area but I do recall it stung slightly possibly because the skin was more open than a yeast rash. I had to put a silver band-aid on his arm because he kept scratching that itchy spot and I was afraid it would spread elsewhere. Hoping to support you or anyone else with diaper rashes!! Let me know what you do or come up with. Lorinda

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Jul 19, 2010
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Possible Yeast Infection on baby??
by: Jen

My 10month old son developed a couple of random red spots on his belly which turned into a groin spot and a bum spot and a few on his back.

I took him to the doc and was told it didn't look viral or bacterial and to use cortisone cream. I was also told it wasn't an allergic reaction to anything as it was localized and slow to spread.

Anyway after 3 days of cortisone he now has more spots on his privates and they are larger and have tiny pimples on them. I have been Googling for hours trying to see what else it could be and am starting to wonder if it is yeast?

He has a slight red ring around his bottom and the spots on his penis look a bit angry because they are covered up a lot. I used Tea Tree on eczema on his ankles and it seemed to help stop him from scratching and relieve the itch. I think I will try some on his groin spots to see if it helps.

Surely a dose or two of Tea Tree Oil is better than cortisone??

Wish me luck!!

PS- Can babies get yeast infections anywhere on their skin?

Jan 04, 2010
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Lavender Tea Tree Oil
by: dj's mom

My 4 mo old son has had a rash for weeks now. Every time I think its gone, it rares its angry inflamed head again! Its right around his anus and seems to be spreading. This time its all bubbly and last night I got fed up and reached for the my essential oils... decided its gotta be worth a try. The only one I have is a 60/40 blend or lavender/tea tree.

At his bedtime diaper change I doused my finger with the oil and applied it "neat", waited about 30 secs and slathered Vaseline on the area, then slept him in a very loose diaper... hoping for the best.

Well, this a.m. I can already see results. His skin has almost normal coloring again & the bubbles have flattened considerably too. I can't believe how soft and pretty his skin looks and feels already.

I'm very hopeful. Instead of his wipes, or even a damp washcloth, I dipped a couple cotton swabs in a strong apple cider vinegar/water solution, blow-dried the area and let him air out for a long while before diapering him the same way I did last night and now he's down for a nap.

Dec 29, 2009
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Is it a yeast rash?
by: Anonymous

Wow, it has been two years since I posted my original comment! I did not dilute the tea tree oil.... though I know it is quite strong and assume it would irritate baby's delicate skin.
For some reason, it did not affect my daughter's skin that way.

I don't really know but I think even small amounts of tea tree oil are effective and olive oil is a good choice for babies.

Are you sure the rash is a yeast rash? It could also be something else like staph infection which is much harder to get rid of.

When my son had a staph infection on his arm, it spread to his diaper area which was nearly impossible attack so I used silver band-aids, this way he could not scratch it and spread it around. It started healing right away (finally) and took about 2 weeks to be completely healed over.

I know you should not cover a staph infection because dark, moist areas are prone for growing it, but the silver band-aid seemed to be the answer for me.

I recall the tea tree oil irritating the staph 'scabs', this is why I was asking. Perhaps if I had used it diluted on a staph infection, it would have helped. Though I needed something to cover it so he couldn't scratch it. A gauze wrap that breathes?

Dec 28, 2009
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how do you dilute it?
by: Madina

Please let me know how you dilute the Tea Tree Oil,because if I apply it pure my daughter's skin becomes red.

I am miserable already.my daughter had diaper yeast rash for 5 months...now that I cured it from diaper area with Tea Tree Oil, with a concentration of 2:1(olive oil/TTO),the rash appeared on her chubby legs,but this concentration is very strong.

Nov 11, 2009
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Tee Tree is Great, caution with overuse in boys
by: Tarina

I love tee tree and all its uses. I use cloth diapers on my 2 month old boy. I use all Melaleuca products to clean my home. I use a variety of personal hygiene products for my family too, most of which have a tea tree/melaleuca base. However I would suggest just a touch of caution to that mom who first posted 'now she uses tea tree on her sons bottom after diaper changes' because of the links between prepubertal gynecomastia and LARGE concentrated amounts of tea tree and lavender affecting hormone levels in boys. There are many links to read about it, here is one... http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2007/niehs-31.htm

(TeaTreeWonders editors note: ( the study linking gynecomastia and tea tree oil was based on the experience of one boy, hardly a scientific result. The Australian Tea Tree Industry Association produced a detailed rebuttal You can download and read the entire rebuttal in PDF form here No other environmental or dietary factors were considered, including the possible link to pthalenes from the plastics the soaps came in. It is well worth reading!)

Use tea tree any way, and for everything. Just dont pour buckets of it on your lil boys for no reason! ( I have just finished changing my baby boys bottom and putting melagel on it for his rash)

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Nov 11, 2009
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Submitted by: Tarina

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I love tee tree and all its uses. I use cloth diapers on my 2 month old boy. I use all Melaleuca products to clean my home. I use a variety of personal hygiene products for my family too, most of which have a tea tree/melaleuca base. However I would suggest just a touch of caution to that mom who first posted 'now she uses tea tree on her sons bottom after diaper changes' because of the links between prepubertal gynecomastia and LARGE concentrated amounts of tea tree and lavender affecting hormone levels in boys. There are many links to read about it, here is one... <a href="http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2007/niehs-31.htm">http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2007/niehs-31.htm</a> <i>(TeaTreeWonders editors note: ( the study linking gynecomastia and tea tree oil was based on the experience of one boy, hardly a scientific result. The Australian Tea Tree Industry Association produced a detailed rebuttal You can download and <a href="http://teatreewonders.com/support-files/attiabreastreply.pdf">read the entire rebuttal in PDF form here </a> No other environmental or dietary factors were considered, including the possible link to pthalenes from the plastics the soaps came in. It is well worth reading!)</i> Use tea tree any way, and for everything. Just dont pour buckets of it on your lil boys for no reason! ( I have just finished changing my baby boys bottom and putting melagel on it for his rash)

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Oct 02, 2008
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I agree with your thinking
by: Lorinda Jackson

I am so happy the tea tree oil worked for you! I understand the frustration you had. There were so many days that I knew you couldn't use a cortisone cream for anything useful but I felt I had no choice. I aired our her bum as much as I could but it wasn't practical to do that all the time. As soon as I put another diaper on the rash would be awful all over again. Let me know how it works out for you in the long run. I am confident that you will be posting positive results. Tea Tree oil is a powerful healer!!! I wish that general doctors knew all of the remedies out there rather than steroids of different concentrations. If I were a doctor I would wonder why they arent' teaching me how to use plants as healers and I would study the drugs so I could learn to stay away from them.

Take Care

Oct 02, 2008
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When nothing else succeeded...
by: Elise Kieffer

When my son was about five months old he developed a yeast diaper rash. Within a few weeks he also developed a yeast skin rash in the folds of his neck. I treated faithfully with gentian violet, clotrimazole (Lotrimin), dietary modifications, apple cider vinegar washes, probiotics, and even a nystatin powder prescription. For over two months I watched it get better, but not completely, and then flair up again.

In desperation I searched one more time online for help. (I'd been searching periodically for the whole two months). I found this page and immediately ordered Teat Tree Oil to begin treating my son. My Mother reminded me that I already had Melaleuca oil so I began to use that twice a day. Today is Day 3 (He has now had four treatments) and EVERY AREA of infection is vastly improved. At the current rate of improvement I expect him to be 100% cured in just a day or two.

Thank you for sharing your story. It was an answer to prayer. I am truly amazed at how well it is working. I promised myself that I wouldn't be angry at the fact that I had the remedy in my cabinet all along. So now I am just grateful.

Dec 04, 2007
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i hope it works for me
by: Kara

I try to use herbal remedies myself, so i was excited to read your story. i am going to try tea tree oil tonight. my son has been miserable for a while now. thanks

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Persistent Yeast Diaper Rash, Cured From Tea Tree Oil

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Persistent Yeast Diaper Rash, Cured From Tea Tree Oil