Baby Oso

Oct 27 2008

Infant Eczema

You have to know about baby’s eczema because baby can’t tell you.

Most people outgrow eczema completely during adolescent and early adulthood. By the age of 2 years, 50% of infant eczema sufferers would have developed immunities to the condition and 85% will be free around the age of 5. People outgrow eczema at different times in life. This naturally means that of the people in the world that are afflicted with eczema, the vast majority are babies and infants. The amount of babies affected by eczema is high with as many as 20%-25% of all babies worldwide being affected by this condition.

The first place eczema usually shows are on the cheeks, foreheads, or scalp of infants two - six months of age. It appears as scaly red patches that are very itchy. Atopic dermatitis is another name for this damaging rash, which can also spread to the other parts of his body. You might find instead that the rash instead of beginning as scaly red patches, it began as dry, thickened, scaly skin, or even small red fluid filled bumps which are very itchy and ooze when broken. However how it begins, one thing will be common; the itch, which when scratched only leads to more intense itching and further skin damage if the scratching is not stopped.

You should expect that your baby will probably be most irritable and upset during the night when it is likely that they will experience the most discomfort. If you find that the rash has a lot of pus it is time for you to get further care. The pus is telling you that the rash has been infected with bacteria, and that you probably should see a doctor to help you get the infection under control.

Another incident you might recognize is that your infants’ skin if not tenderly cared for can become thick all over, especially on the knees and legs when he begins to crawl. You may also see a lot of scratch marks, which you should give attention to as these areas are open and susceptible to infection and can make the eczema worse.

With infants, the mouth area is also a concern. The eczema scratch itch cycle begins with an itch that comes from dry or irritated skin. When your baby dribbles the area around his mouth is wet with saliva which can lead to skin dryness and irritation. Prolonged exposure to water is not good for human skin.

It is unknown what causes eczema, but it is known that there are links between eczema, asthma, and hay fever that are spread through family blood lines. Children with this condition are also good candidates to be bothered with the other diseases (asthma and hay fever) as well. These people are also more commonly disturbed by other allergies beyond these diseases as well.

How do I treat my baby’s eczema?

Eczema is characterized by dry skin. The first thing you need to do is be zealous about keeping his skin moist. It should not be wet, but moist. Consider the complete moisturizing procedure.

His baths should be in warm, not hot water. Hot water will contribute to the activity of the eczema by releasing histamines which will make him itch. Use special cleansers that contain no soap, and do not let things like shampoo, bubble bath, or any type of fragranced skin product be in his bath water. All of these are skin irritants and will work against what you are trying to achieve.

In many instances, children complain about their skin stinging them when they get into bath water. This may also be true for your baby who is not yet even able to tell you this.
The way around this is to bathe him with our bath salt good for eczema treatment. It will not only take away the stinging properties of the water, it will also strengthen his skin, reverse the inflammation, and reduce the number of possible infections. The treatment can be applied and re-applied as the need arises. During my last bout with eczema, I found that two baths a day kept the intense itching away.

Baths should not be very long. If you leave him in the water long enough for his skin to begin pruning that is too long. When the skin begins to prune is a sign that it is being damaged. Even when treating him with our bath salts good for eczema treatment, the bath should be complete in about 15 minutes. When taking him out of the water, pat (do not rub) him dry and moisturize his skin right away with (a good moisturizer.) For best results, the moisturizer should be applied within the first 3 minutes of having taken a bath.

Bathing

When bathing your baby, you need to be very careful that the bath water does not dry out his skin. Get your hands on products that are designed to for sensitive skin. These products you use should clean him while leaving his skin moist.

Be careful to use lukewarm water and not hot water. He also should not be in the tub for longer than 10-12 minutes. Take him out before his skin begins to prune. Pat him dry immediately and apply a moisturizer to lock in moisture.

After keeping him moisturized you should also become aware of common eczema triggers.

Quickly get into the habit of keeping your baby’s skin moisturized; at the same time you can begin to become aware of the more common causes/irritants of eczema flare ups. Once you know what they are, they can be avoided.
• Bubble baths
• Harsh soaps that have perfumes and fragrances added
• Bath products that contain fragrances
• Perfumes
• Cosmetics which contain alcohol
• Lotions can irritate sensitive skin.
• Laundry detergents and fabric softeners, (give new clothes a thorough rinsing before using them.)
• Household cleaners
• Finger paints
• Gasoline
• Turpentine
• Wool
• Animal fur
• Juices from meats and fruits
• Plants
• Jewelry
• Dust mites
• Chlorine in swimming pools

It is likely that your baby may be affected by different irritants than another baby does. You may also have more or a lesser number of eczema triggers while another sufferer may be bothered by only one or two.

Avoid sudden temperature changes.

A sudden change in temperature is enough to trigger eczema. A temperature change for heat or cold can do it. In a temperature change that goes cold, the colder air can dry out his skin which will lead to itching and the itch/scratch cycle. A change to heat can make him sweat, which again is a catalyst for eczema. Consider the information found on our preventing eczema flare ups page.

Dust mites are tiny relatives of the spider.

When dust mites are the main aggravator in eczema cases, if you were to use protective bedding barriers, you can get rid of more than 90% of the cause of his eczema. If your child has asthma the same applies. Dust mites are tiny relatives of the spider, are unnoticeable to the eyes, and their fecal matter is a major irritant for people with eczema and asthma. They live on the discarded or dead flakes of human skin, the majority of which will be found in your baby’s bed.

Use a mild detergent on your baby’s clothing.

Dress your child in loose-fitting, breathable clothes. Cotton materials fit this description. The goal is you want a material that does not stick and scratch, and which will not cause him to become overheated.

Wool and other materials that feel rough to the touch are often irritants to skin and can trigger flare ups. Cotton and cotton-blend clothes usually make skin feel better.

Before wearing them, consider giving new clothes a thorough rinsing, which should get rid of any extra chemicals, colors etc used in the manufacture of your new clothes.
Use a laundry detergent which has no fragrances and a neutral pH.

Breastfeeding?

The best way to use breast feeding to fight eczema is to do so (breast feed) before you notice the first outbreak.

If you can breastfeed your baby with nothing else except your own milk for the first quarter of his life, you will help protect him against many problems, eczema included. There is sufficient support to suggest that breast feeding will help prevent eczema it in babies whose parents have the condition. If your baby already has eczema, there is nothing to say that breast feeding can be used to get rid of it or reduce its frequency. However, from the natural scope of things and point of view, it is expected that breast feeding will not adversely affect our intended outcome.

Could my baby’s eczema be caused by a certain food?

When combating baby eczema food allergies, it is a good idea to avoid all dairy products, and the food stuffs that trigger off eczema in adults. These include products which come from wheat, soy, peanuts, fish, and eggs.

If you are breastfeeding, you should avoid these, and if baby is eating solids these foods should be avoided.

You can take some comfort in the fact that foods are not the primary causes of eczema. Eczema that is caused by food allergies are a small occurrence and the eczema is usually caused by other factors.
It is more important that you focus on providing excellent skin care.

What if the rash gets worse?

If the rash does not clear up with the treatments described, you should see your doctor. Still an infant, your baby can have a lot more serious consequences from smaller issues than if he were an adult. So please be careful with his skin care, he can’t even talk, so he needs you to think and understand for him.

Your doctor will probably prescribe an ointment or cream to help with the condition. An ointment would be better because ointments contain no water like creams do. A doctor might even recommend a course of treatments which might be able to help your infant respond to the treatments you are presently having problems getting to work.

What causes eczema flare ups?

Flare ups are caused by the allergies and anything that promotes dry skin. Overheating and sweating however the cause that spurs most eczema flares is. So at all costs, you should keep your baby from getting overheated. A good way to do this would be to dress your baby in layers, and depending on the temperature changes, you can remove or add a layer of clothing as necessary.

Dry skin has to be avoided. Dry skin is susceptible to itching. With eczema, once itching begins you must be careful that you do not begin the itch/scratch cycle.

Things that stick and rub and scratch the skin should be avoided. As an example, the materials that clothes and bedding are made from can be “sticky” like wool, etc. Clothing tags can also “stick” and begin the itch scratch cycle. So these type conditions need to be paid attention to.

Keep his fingernails short

Keeping his fingernails short will reduce the damage done to his skin if he has to scratch. Put mittens on his hands to help preserve his skin if it becomes necessary.

Steroids for my baby’s eczema?

In the most severe eczema cases, it may become necessary that your doctor prescribe heavier medicines like steroids to help bring the condition under control.
There are side effects associated with powerful steroids that doctors prescribe. The common problems are skin thinning and a vicious return of the infection if the treatment is stopped before it is completed.

Once steroid use is stopped, it is expected that his skin will return to its correct thickness so that should not be a problem. But you must complete any treatment that you have begun even if it looks like the condition is clearing up. If this type treatment is stopped before the entire infection is gone, the problem can quickly resurface and with more intensity than the first time. This means that all instructions have to be carefully followed.

If the steroid you are using is a creme, or other treatment that is smeared onto the skin, do not apply another moisturizer over it until at least half an hour has elapsed since using the prescribed treatment.

Learn more about this… download some free eczema ebooks now. Click here http://www.eczemabathsalts.com

Broyde McDonald is an experienced writer on the subject of Eczema Treatments

Tags: babies, baby, Eczema, Infant, Infant Eczema