There are many cases of babies having skin conditions, and one of most common is eczema. Although this skin condition is very stressful for both the mother and child, it can be treated.
If you have a baby who is currently suffering from eczema, you will learn about the background, symptoms, and characteristics of eczema and some ways and methods that you can do to help your baby’s condition.
Eczema—Background, Symptoms and Characteristics
Eczema is often used interchangeably with dermatitis, which literally means “inflammation of the skin”. This skin condition is generally characterized as intensely itchy, reddish skin rashes. This is common to some children but don’t panic because this condition can be treated simply by eliminating the triggers.
Before we discuss about several eczema conditions, let’s get to know more about inflammation. Inflammation is a complicated and dynamic process in which the body’s natural defenses attempt to handle attack by allergens, irritants or germs. Some examples of natural defenses are like a host of chemicals, hormonelike substances, antibodies, and special cells. That is why you notice signs such as redness, heat, pain and the diminished ability of affected areas to function normally when inflammation occurs.
Some types of eczema conditions are listed down below:
Atopic Eczema
Also known as atopic dermatitis, it is a chronic itchy skin condition that most commonly develops in early childhood which may be due to family history or genetics. It tends to be variable, with children suffering from dry skin, which flares up with sore patches from time to time, often for no apparent reason. For most children, eczema is relatively mild, although still irritating. But for others, it can be more severe and continuous.
When the infant is between two and six months of age, he or she may have intense itching, redness, tiny blisters, oozing, and crusting in areas which are typically appear first on the cheeks, forehead, scalp, and later extend symmetrically down the chest and back and onto the arms and legs.
Pityriasis Alba
In this condition, you will notice numerous abnormally lightened patches of skin develop on the child’s face, neck, back, upper chest, and upper arms and legs. The condition can be even more all over the place. Usually covered with a fine, powdery scale, lesions vary in size from half inch to several inches in diameter, and the borders of each are hazy.
An interference with the normal processes of pigment transfer and tanning within the epidermis in response to sunlight may cause depigmentation.
Ichthyosis Vulgaris
This condition is by far the mildest and most common of a group of inherited scaling disorders. Somewhere between 1 in every 250 and 1 in every 1,000 infants is born with this tendency according to an estimation. You will see platelike, fishlike scales which are found on the outsides of the arms and especially on the legs.
What To Do When Your Baby Has Eczema
We gathered some useful information based on the books, “The Eczema Diet: Eczema-safe Food to Stop the Itch and Prevent Eczema for Life” by Karen Fischer and “Baby and Child ’s Health” by DK to minimize the discomfort of your baby and reduce symptoms:
- While you are breastfeeding, you can customize your diet to change the nutrient composition in your milk so it is rich in anti-inflammatory and histamine-lowering nutrients. You can also avoid consuming the foods that are known to exacerbate eczema. So, eat eczema-safe foods and avoid all other foods for approximately three months and take the recommended eczema supplements.
- Remember and make sure to consume plenty of eczema-safe vegetables, protein, grains, vitamin-C rich
- If your baby is drinking an infant formula, consult first with your pediatrician about changing your baby’s milk to a low-allergy, non-dairy formula.
- Try giving your baby some probiotics.
- Start your baby on solids after four months of age, unless advised otherwise by your pediatrician because recent research proves that delaying the introduction of solids for more than six months can increase the risk of allergy and eczema.
- As much as possible, avoid giving some commercial baby foods to your baby as those products may contain ingredients that worsen eczema symptoms. So, if you still use some commercial baby food, take note and check that all the ingredients are safe.
- Keep your baby’s skin well moisturized with emollients to keep his or her eczema under control. But if these are not sufficient and there are any signs of infection, seek the help of your doctor immediately. The doctor usually prescribes a low-dose steroid cream or ointment. The steroid is usually applied at the first sign of a flare up, until the skin looks normal again. The application of the product is once a day, 30 minutes after applying the emollient. When the skin has infection, a steroid and antibiotic may be applied in the affected areas.
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You may not sure what to do to avoid eczema for you baby. If so, consult with your doctor always. They will give some advices for you.
SUMMARY
Despite the challenges and problems that babies may suffer, the most important thing is for mothers to be optimistic and remain positive at all times. Remember that your baby is still beautiful and healthy. Don’t ever think that eczema is some kind of a deadly disease or a handicap.
Although it is not an incurable disease, you may have to try various ways and methods to treat your baby’s eczema.
