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Archive for the ‘Baby Eczema’ Category

Most forms of eczema can be treated using simple and safe home remedies. While a medical professional should handle any severe cases, there are a variety of things that you can do to try to help your child with his or her eczema.

Bleach Bath

Bleach may sound like a scary chemical to soak your kid in (and it is), but studies have shown that a very mild bleach bath can help reduce eczema. The best way to use this home remedy is to fill a standard bathtub with warm water (not hot). Then, thoroughly mix a half-cup of bleach in the tub water. Allow your child to soak in the tub for five or ten minutes two times a week.

Rinse Carefully

After every bath, be sure to carefully rinse your child’s skin. Allowing soap or shampoo residue to remain on the skin may cause irritation.

Wash Gently

The best types of soaps and shampoos to use are those that are natural, fragrance free, or designed for sensitive skin. You should also use baby detergent or fragrance-free detergent to wash your baby’s bedding and clothing in.

Moisture, moisture, moisture

The best way to fight eczema and keep your child’s skin healthy is by keeping it moist. A high-quality moisturizing cream, applied often will keep the skin fresh and moist, helping to fight the dryness that contributes to and is caused by eczema.

Cool compresses

For particularly intense eczema flare-ups, try to keep your child from scratching affected areas. Instead, apply a cool damp cloth to the affected areas.

The most common and recognizable form of baby eczema is called cradle cap. Many infants have a bout with this form of eczema at some point during their lives. It is characterized by dry, flaky, or oily, patches of skin on the head. It is not caused by anything that the parents are doing wrong. It’s a simple, non-serious condition that will soon go away.

Understanding Cradle Cap

Cradle cap is actually a nickname for a specific form of eczema called seborrheic eczema. It is caused by overproduction from the baby’s sebaceous glands (oil glands). When the cells produce excess oil, they prevent dead skin cells from shedding, instead creating a buildup of skin cells, which turns into the familiar crusty patches on the baby’s head.

Treating Cradle Cap

Do not try to pick at the patches on your baby’s head. While gentle brushing after a bath may help, actually removing the patches can prevent worse problems. Softening the scalp with vegetable oil, mineral oil, or petroleum jelly is another way to prepare the head to shed the excess skin cells. It is fine to use shampoo on a baby who has cradle cap, but make sure that you are using a fragrance-free, gentle formula baby shampoo. Stay away from medicated shampoos or dandruff shampoos.

Beyond Cradle Cap

Most babies outgrow cradle cap within the first year of their life. If you notice that cradle cap is increasing, affecting the eyes, face, and even the chest and arms, it may be that your baby has atopic eczema. This is not a life-threatening condition, but should be closely monitored and treated using home remedies or medicine in severe cases.

The good news about baby eczema is, first, that it will most likely go away sooner or later, and second, that there are things you can do to treat it. Usually, simple home remedies can treat eczema. In more serious conditions, doctors will prescribe medications.

Topical steroid creams.

Sometimes, doctors prescribe steroid creams to eliminate the inflammation caused by eczema. Some mild steroid creams can be purchased over the counter, but you should not use these on your child without first asking your doctor. Sustained use of steroid-containing medications may over time weaken the skin and cause other harmful side effects.

Antibacterial medication

Serious eczema is complicated by bacterial infection. In cases where the eczema develops pus-filled blisters or oozing lesions, an antibacterial medication can fight the infection. This type of treatment may use either an oral antibiotic or a topical cream.

Immunomodulatory drugs

Some new medications actually impact the body’s immune system, allowing the body to reduce the inflammation produced by eczema. The most common form of immunomodulatory medicine is called Elldel, and is applied in a white cream on the affected area. Only in rare cases is it used on children under two.

If your baby has eczema, you’re not alone. In fact, one out of every five babies has eczema to some extent at some point in their infancy or childhood. Of those who do experience eczema, over half of them will experience it within the first twelve months. If someone develops a form of eczema later in life, there is a 90% likelihood that they had it as an infant.

Some Complicating Factors

Scientific research informs us that the major reason for eczema is hereditary. Families who have a history of eczema will probably continue to have a history of eczema. Interestingly enough, eczema seems to be a phenomenon in industrialized countries, particularly Western nations. While that raises yet-unanswered questions, there are some things that parents can do as precautions to protect their children against eczema, and if their children do have eczema, to prevent it from becoming worse.

Things to Watch For

• If the mother is breastfeeding her baby, she should make sure that she avoids allergen-causing foods. Sometimes it is possible to identify certain foods that may irritate the baby or cause a fresh outbreak of eczema.

• The right kind of fabric. Wool, nylon, or other synthetic or rough fabrics should not be used as the baby’s clothing or bedding. The constant contact and friction with these and other materials can cause or worsen eczema. The best option for both bedding and clothing is high-quality cotton that is soft and breathable.

• Plenty of moisture. One of the best things you can do for your baby is keep his or her skin moist hydrated. A proper diet is the best way to keep the skin moisturized, but occasional application of baby oil or moisturizing cream will help as well. Dry skin is a major cause of eczema and baby discomfort.

• Watch the chemicals. Some chemicals can cause eczema. If you notice an outbreak of eczema after using a particular soap, detergent, or lotion, try to avoid it. It may be a factor in your baby’s eczema.

• Stressed out. Believe it or not, babies can get stressed out. Obviously, they don’t experience stress for the same reasons or in the same way as adults do, but sometimes their bodies may react to stressful situations. Eczema may result from stressful conditions. Stress may be caused by tension or conflict in the home, a constantly disrupted schedule, and any form of physical or emotional abuse.

Some Hope

By the time a child reaches the age of two, his or her eczema may clear up. This is the case for well over half of all children who have eczema.  Although it’s an inconvenient and sometimes distressing condition for a baby to have, it doesn’t have to interfere with their having a normal life.

Although nobody remembers it happening to him or her, birth is a traumatic experience! Regardless of how one comes into the world, it is a big change from the warm, cozy, home where life began. When a baby is born, hundreds of changes take place nearly instantly. With all the changes, it’s no wonder that babies develop various skin problems like baby acne and baby eczema. As a parent, it’s important to know if your baby has eczema. Here are the symptoms of baby eczema.

Location

Baby eczema most commonly occurs on the face and head. Eczema that concentrates on the scalp is called “cradle cap.” Often, eczema can spread over the baby’s torso, the buttocks, and even the arms or legs. In older babies and toddlers, eczema usually occurs in the inner joint of the arm, leg, and wrists, and may also include the neck.

A red rash

Babies will develop rashes, but a persistant red rash on the cheeks, spreading to the forehead, and aggravating the scalp is one of the major signs of eczema.

Itching

Often, the eczema is accompanied by itching. The symptoms of eczema tend to worsen when the baby is tired, and may cause irritation or crying especially at night.

Dry skin

If the baby has particularly dry skin, especially patches of crusty or flaking skin, it is also a possible sign of eczema.

Blisters

Many times, eczema appears as red blisters on the skin. This is usually in more severe or advanced cases of eczema. If these blisters begin to fill with pus, it is a sign that the eczema has developed an infection (impetiginized eczema), and should be treated by a doctor.

Babies comprise the largest group of individuals who suffer from eczema. As a daddy of two little girls, I know that it can be heart breaking to see babies with an unsightly medical problem, especially when they can’t do anything about it. The fact that eczema is often itchy simply complicates the problem. As a parent, you are naturally concerned about baby eczema, and understanding it is the first step in accurately handling it.

What is Baby Eczema?

Also known as infantile eczema, baby eczema is the outbreak of dry skin, with itchiness, redness, and often peeling or oozing pustules.

How is it Caused?

Like other forms of eczema, baby eczema is prompted by genetic factors. If any other members of the family have experienced eczema, any of the children will be at increased risk of having it. Eczema is genetically related to other hereditary conditions, which means that those who experience baby eczema may also develop asthma, allergies, or hay fever later in life. Dry skin aggravates the problem, and sometimes allergens in the baby’s diet, excessive heat on a particular area, or irritating soaps or detergents may also prompt the outbreak of eczema.

What will happen?

Most incidents of baby eczema are handled by using skin softeners and lotions. Any drugstore carries plenty of baby lotions and emollients that will help alleviate baby eczema. If the condition worsens, a doctor may prescribe a topical steroid cream, antibacterial medication, or an immunomodulatory drug. Thankfully, 85% of babies outgrow their eczema.

Is there anything to be worried about?

Baby eczema is a common condition, and most cases are very mild. However, if the baby develops pus-oozing blisters, it’s time to call a doctor. The outbreak of pus indicates a skin infection, which can worsen over time.