Does your child have Eczema? Eczema is the name given to a group of conditions that causes the skin to become itchy, inflamed and red. There are various types of Eczema – Atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis is also known as “cradle cap”, and contact dermatitis which affect the children.
Eczema in babies, especially atopic dermatitis appears mostly in the first 6 months to 5 years of a child’s life. Although Eczema is not contagious, one cannot catch it from anybody else.
What is Eczema?
Eczema is a condition of the skin which makes it dry and itchy that affects up to 1 in every 5 children. It is very common for the kids before 2 years of age. But, the good thing about it is that children who have Eczema grow out of it by the time they enter their teens. Although Eczema can’t be cured, it can be surely controlled with the right amount of care and treatment.
Eczema is also called as atopic Eczema which means that your kid has inherited the tendency to develop conditions like asthma Eczema or hay fever. The end result for all these conditions are almost the same with the red, techy, dry and cracked skin. It also sometimes leads to blood oozing out of it. Face, hands, neck, a bag of knees, elbow are areas in the baby which are mostly affected. Having Eczema means the baby’s skin is more prone to infection and allergens as they can enter the skin easily and worsen up the condition.
How Does a Child Get Eczema?
The exact cause of Eczema is still unknown however it has been proven that genes have a major role to play. Allergic conditions including asthma, Eczema and hay fever have seen an increase in the last few decades.
The skin flare-ups are the worst effects of Eczema. When your child’s skin has red dry and itchy patches, on most of the skin, your little one has Eczema in which the area can worsen up and become inflamed. This is the major cause due to the little one’s immune system overreact to substances that the child could be allergic to. The baby might require some medical treatment and attention.
Eczema flares up sometimes can be even triggered because of the skin irritation caused by Chemicals such as shampoo, detergent, washing powder on fabric softener. Bubble bath as well causes allergies. You must use bath emollients rather than the other available soaps and detergents from the market. One can also try changing the washing detergent to a non-biological component such that if it improves the baby is Eczema you know the cause.
Eczema can be extremely difficult and distressing in babies making it very uneasy and difficult to resist scratching. The more the area is scratched, it leads to infections. There are cases of Eczema which can disturb your child’s sleep which can, in turn, affect a lot more.
What Does Eczema Look Like on a Child?
Eczema especially atopic dermatitis might look and behave differently as your kid grows older. Hence it is important to understand what type of Eczema is the kids suffering from and their symptoms and triggers so that you can do better to manage to ask the child grows and changes. The only way to be sure about that is to take an appointment with the doctor.
Between the age of 2 and 6 months, the kids with Eczema usually develop dry, itchy, red patches, and small bumps on the forehead, cheeks or scalp. These rashes restaurant down into the body like arms, leg are trunks or back of the knee, leading into a red crusted skin or open lesions that may appear in the areas which are infected and affected. That would be many another circular slightly raised itchy rashes behind of the knees or elbow or on the back of the wrist and ankles. As your child grows older, the rashes usually turn scalier as compared to when it had begun. These symptoms also worsen up with further infection periodically with some flare-ups.
Itching the affected area feels relieved but worsens up eczema causing infection easily. Anything which is within the reach of the hands, kids try to itch. That is why Eczema is called “itch that rashes” rather than “rashes that itch”.
For most Types of Eczema, Managing it Comes Down to the Below Basics:
- You must know your child particular trigger to avoid any further exposure.
- You must implement daily breeding along with a moisturizing routine to protect the skin and help to lock the moisture.
Use OTC and prescribed medicines continuously to curb any further symptoms.
How Long Does it Last?
In a few cases, Eczema goes into remission and the symptoms disappear gradually for months or even years. Communicate during the age of 5 or 6 it starts to improve but others may have flare-ups throughout early adulthood or adolescence. However, in some kids, the condition might improve but eczema shows up again when they enter their puberty due to hormonal changes, fresh and some irritating skin products or allergic cosmetics. Some people have Eczema to an extent into adulthood with few areas scaly and dry with an itchy feeling.
Also, we have already mentioned that Eczema is not contagious hence you do not need to keep your child away from siblings or anyone else.
Keeping away the allergens usually helps to prevent or improve the condition of Eczema.
- pollen
- mold
- skin that gets too dry
- dust
- animal dander
- dry winter air with little moisture
- few soaps and detergents
- fabrics (such as wool or any other coarsely woven materials)
- certain skin care products, colognes perfumes, etc. (particularly having a content of alcohol)
- tobacco smoke
- allergic foods (this on the allergy an individual may have, but dairy products and wheat, eggs, soy, and nuts, etc. can be the common causes)
- emotional stress
- excessive heat
- sweating
