A family desperately trying to heal their son's extreme skin condition is turning to a doctor overseas for help. A 3-year-old Highlands County boy suffers from severe eczema, but now his parents are hopeful a new treatment could work.
With his huge grin and happy giggle, you'd never know 3-year-old Laric Oullette spends most of his life in tears.
"It hurts him to sit in the bath, it hurts him to apply his lotion, it hurts him to dress, to go in the heat, he can't go swimming," his mom, Camille Oullette, said.
Laric has an intense case of Eczema. He gets red sores all over his small body, and dermatologists haven't been able to control it. His mom remembers a flare up that landed them in the ER.
"When I took him to the hospital, they said it's worst case of eczema we've ever seen, but it's just eczema, and they just prescribed things we had already had and sent us home," Camille said.
But now, she has hope. A doctor based in South Africa and London is treating patients like Laric online. He said conventional treatments don't work for everyone.
"I use topical antibiotics, which is not widely recognized in the profession to clear the bacterial infection, and when that is achieved, then you can get extremely positive and rapid results," dermatologist Dr. Richard Aron said.
Dr. Aron said, despite the distance, he has hundreds of patients in the United States and others around the world. He dilutes steroids and antibiotics into a moisturizer for long-term treatment.
A Facebook group filled with his patients shares success stories, and he tailors creams to each patient's needs -- just like he did for Laric.
"This child's skin is very seriously infected, so I've put a higher dose of the antibiotic component in the mixture," Dr. Aron said.
He said results can start in 5 to 9 days, something that would let Laric live pain-free for the first time.
"I want that for him and all of us in our house; it would be life-changing," Camille said.
Dr. Aron works with a family's physician in the United States to fill prescriptions. You can find out more on his website.
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