My baby has scaly red patches on his skin that seem to be very itchy. He started having this before he's a month old until now. He was given cream by his Pediatrician twice already and it's keep on coming back. "What is this ugly rash?"I wondered.
Last week as we visited his pediatrician again for vaccination schedule, she gave a special cream for my baby and she said it treats ECZEMA.
Eczema is also called atopic dermatitis, a skin rash that often appears in the first year of life. Eczema usually shows up on a baby's forehead, cheeks, and scalp, but it can spread to the arms, legs, chest, or other parts of the body.
Your baby's rash might look like dry, thickened, scaly skin, or it might be made up of tiny red bumps that can blister, ooze, or become infected if scratched. Eczema isn't contagious, but because it's intensely itchy, scratching can be a problem.
What causes eczema?
No one knows for sure, but we do know that the tendency to have eczema is often inherited. So your baby is more likely to have it if you or a close family member has had eczema, asthma, or allergies.
Eczema is not an allergic reaction to a substance, but it can be triggered by allergens in your baby's diet — or in your diet if you're breastfeeding. The rash can also be aggravated by heat, irritants that come in contact with your baby's skin (like wool or the chemicals in some soaps, lotions, and detergents), changes in temperature, and dry skin.
How common is eczema?
About 20 percent of infants and young children have eczema. It usually starts in infancy, with 65 percent of patients developing symptoms in the first year of life and 90 percent developing symptoms before age 5. About 60 percent of cases persist into adulthood, although many babies with the condition improve by the age of 2.
What can I do to treat my baby's eczema?
Taking good care of your baby's skin is crucial. Here are some tips:
Try to keep your baby's skin from becoming too dry. Talk with her doctor about how often to bathe her. Many experts now believe that daily bathing can be helpful for babies with eczema. Just don't make the water too warm, because very warm water dries out the skin faster than lukewarm water.
Use a mild soap, and wash and shampoo your baby at the end of her bath so she isn't sitting in soapy water. As soon as you get your baby out of the tub, pat her skin dry (don't rub), then promptly apply a liberal amount of moisturizer or emollient — an ointment, cream, or lotion that "seals in" the body's own moisture.
"I recommend emollients for children of all ages," says Michael Smith, associate professor of medicine and pediatrics in the division of dermatology at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. Smith suggests trying an emollient for a short period of time to see whether it makes a difference and continuing it if it does.
Allow your baby's skin to breathe (and not become overheated) by dressing her in smooth natural fabrics, like cotton. Avoid wool and other scratchy materials, which can irritate her very sensitive skin.
Switch to mild, fragrance-free soaps and shampoos, or those made for sensitive skin. Use mild, fragrance-free detergent for washing your baby's clothes and bedding. Avoid fabric softeners.
Rapid changes in temperature can make eczema worse, so try not to let your baby get too hot and then cool quickly, or vice versa.
Help your baby avoid scratching. She may try to get relief by scratching with her hands or by rubbing her face against the sheet when she sleeps. But scratching and rubbing can further irritate or inflame her skin and make matters much worse.
Use the softest sheets possible in her crib, and keep her nails short. Put her to bed with cotton mittens or socks on her hands, if she'll tolerate them.
During a flare-up, you can try applying cool compresses to the area several times a day, followed by a moisturizer.
Comments
Post a Comment