Childhood eczema can be debilitating, uncomfortable, and sometimes even downright painful, for both parent and child.
The condition causes itchy, leathery skin that can lead to many sleepless nights aside from being quite unsightly.
Eczema-prone skin, aside from being dry and itchy, can also be susceptible to infections.
Thankfully, modern medicine has offered us many ways to treat the condition.
But before we get to the actual advice, here’s what you should know about eczema.
What Is Eczema?
Also known as atopic dermatitis, eczema is an inflammatory skin condition marked by itching and redness of the skin.
It is often caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Childhood eczema typically presents itself within the first year of a child’s life, and the symptoms often appear immediately when triggered.
There is no known cure for childhood eczema, although many eventually grow out of it as they age.
Many things can trigger an eczema flare-up.
Some common ones include detergents, soaps, certain types of fabric like wool, stress, sweating, hot weather, allergens like pollen and dust, and certain foods like dairy, soy and gluten.
Eczema may at times be confused with psoriasis due to the rashes they leave behind, but they are technically different conditions.
Psoriasis causes burning and stinging aside from itching, whereas eczema only causes itching.
Fortunately, there are ways to manage this condition to ensure a happy and comfortable life for your child.
How to Care for Your Child’s Eczema-Prone Skin
Follow the Doctor’s Orders
If you’ve already had your child diagnosed by a medical professional, chances are you already have a list of instructions on how to manage their condition.
This itinerary will most likely include oral and topical drugs (usually corticosteroids, antihistamines, and immunosuppressants), triggers to avoid, and lifestyle changes.
Follow them as directed and you should be golden.
The rest of these tips are simply home remedies that you can resort to to help alleviate symptoms.
Hydrate
A warm soak in the bathtub can greatly alleviate itching caused by eczema.
If you want, you can also add a quarter cup of baking soda into the water, which will help with the itching even more.
Then, it’s all a matter of letting them soak in the liquid for 10 to 15 minutes.
Alternatively, you can also use powdered or colloidal oatmeal, or oat milk.
Oat has anti-inflammatory properties similar to baking soda, and will help relieve some of the itching.
Ideally, your child should be taking 3 to 4 short lukewarm soaks throughout the day to keep their skin hydrated. But no more than 10 minutes.
Moisturise
After your child has finished soaking, dry them off with a towel and immediately moisturise them afterwards with a hypoallergenic cream or gel.
Don’t wait for your child to completely dry off; their skin needs to still be damp when you apply the moisturiser.
If you want to go ‘all-natural’, coconut oil is also a great substitute.
Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, coconut oil will not only moisturiser but heal and protect from infections.
Moreover, it is free from any chemical additives, preservatives and binders, making it 100% hypoallergenic.
Humidify
If you have air-conditioning in the house, then chances are you’re making your child’s eczema worse.
But then again, if your house is too hot, it may cause sweating which is equally bad.
So, how do you balance the two?
Ideally, you should invest in a humidifier.
Running both your AC and humidifier at the same time is the sweet spot for eczema sufferers. The increased humidity keeps your child’s skin from drying out, and the AC keeps them cool.
This is the best Goldilocks zone of eczema prevention when it comes to controlling environmental factors.
Go Hypoallergenic
Invest in hypoallergenic fabric for things like bedding, pillows, clothes, etc. Common hypoallergenic fabrics include cotton, silk and bamboo.
While you’re at it, make sure your soaps, shampoos, and conditioners are hypoallergenic as well. For both you and your child.
Any skincare, makeup, and perfume should also be hypoallergenic too.
Physical contact between parent and child is unavoidable. You will likely transfer whatever substance you have on your skin onto them as well.
So, you want to make sure that whatever you use is not allergic to them.
But be warned, not all hypoallergenic labels are trustworthy. So be sure to look at the ingredients list before purchasing anything.
Avoid Bad Ingredients
As previously mentioned, not all hypoallergenic labels can be trusted.
So, look at the ingredients to see if they have possible allergens.
Common ingredients that can cause flare-ups include fragrances, essential oils, urea, lanolin, retinoids, cocamidopropyl betaine, propylene glycol and ethanol.
Replace the Covers
Bedsheets are a haven for dust mites and other allergy-causing microorganisms.
It’s important to regularly switch out your child’s bedsheets every week to avoid a build-up of allergens in the fabric.
Dust mites are parasites that feed on dead skin cells. Their droppings, although microscopic, are one of the main causes of allergies in not only skin conditions like eczema but in asthma and rhinitis as well.
Rinse, Rinse, Rinse
Another common culprit for flare-ups is soap residue on clothes and bedding.
So, just to be safe, make sure you rinse your clothes twice in the washer before finishing the cycle. Just to get rid of any leftover detergent on the fabric.
This also goes for any new clothes that you get fresh from the store. These often have a layer of chemicals left behind from industrial processes.
Treat the Itch
If you’ve had eczema as a child, you know about that irresistible urge to scratch away at your skin.
As relieving as that can be, even momentarily, scratching at eczema patches can lead to oozing and inflammation.
If your doctor didn’t prescribe this already, try some calamine lotion. The main ingredient, zinc oxide, is a powerful but safe antihistamine.
If you’ve run out of calamine, try some baking soda mixed with a little water. It may provide some relief from the itching.
One important thing to note though is that because calamine itself can be pretty drying, immediately moisturise after applying it on your child’s skin.
Conclusion
Eczema can be challenging to manage, but it is not as serious as some other childhood conditions.
With the correct treatments, the condition should go away by itself, or at the very least no disrupt your child’s daily life.
Two out of three children eventually outgrow their childhood eczema by the age of 4.
Hopefully, with these tips, you will be able to alleviate your child’s symptoms at home.
If you follow these tips, their condition will clear up before you know it.
You’re doing great, parents!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
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