Eczema - the bane of my existence

It may sound crazy, but of all the stuff we've been through with Carter surgeries and delays, I have to say, the most difficult thing to deal with has been his eczema. He's almost a year old, and we've been dealing with it almost his whole life. It's mostly on his cheeks, although he does sometimes have flare ups on his knees and elbows. We've tried every lotion, cream, soap, oil, etc. We've changed detergents and shampoos. We put gloves/socks on his hands to keep him from scratching his face and drawing blood. I cut and file his fingernails a couple times a week. And with all that, he still looks like this.



and this isn't even that bad. we don't take pictures on the bad days

Honestly, I think he would be the world's easiest kid if we weren't constantly dealing with the eczema. While falling asleep or if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he scratches his face raw. So while I could just let him self soothe, instead I have to stand near the crib and keep his arms tucked under the blankets or keep the socks off his hands (he's recently learned to get them off with his teeth). During play time and eating time, we have to constantly keep him entertained so he doesn't scratch. Anytime he's bored, tired, or grumpy, the first instinct is to scratch. And while trying to keep his hands away from his face, I regularly lose my patience and occasionally lose my mind.