How To Treat Baby Eczema Flare Up

Whats The Difference Between Dermatitis And Psoriasis

Psoriasis and dermatitis can appear similar. Both cause patches of red skin. However, in psoriasis, the scales are thick and the edges of those scales are well-defined.

Discuss with your healthcare provider your questions about which type of skin condition you have. You can have more than one skin condition at a time. Treatments for one may not work for the other.

How Does Baby Eczema Differ From Dry Skin

Dry skin is a symptom of eczema. Your pediatrician can diagnose eczema by examining your baby’s skin. He or she may send you to a pediatric dermatologist for confirmation and treatment if the condition is severe.

In general, dry skin can be handled at home with some moisturizer and isnt as bothersome as eczema. However, babies with darker skin tend to have drier skin than those with lighter skin making moisturization even more crucial.

Drink Plenty Of Water

Keeping your body hydrated can help keep your skin hydrated. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day. This will help moisturize your skin. Those eight glasses can include cups of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or your other favorite warm winter beverage.

Slice up lemons or other citrus fruits and add them to the water for a mild flavor.

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Causes And Triggers Of Baby Eczema

The causes of baby eczema are unclear, though it is generally agreed that the conditionstems from a mixture of genetic and environmental factors. Knowing what triggers babyeczema can be useful in keeping the condition under control. Common triggers include:

• Dry skin: When the skin becomes too dry it becomes susceptible to rashes and flare-ups of eczema.
• Moisture on the skin: From sweat, milk, saliva or wet diapers.
• Chemical irritants: Natural or artificial chemicals found in everyday products canmake an outbreak of eczema more likely. These chemicals can be found in products such asshampoo, soap, laundry detergent and disinfectants or surface cleaners.
• Dust mites: Some research shows that prolonged exposure to dust mites increases thelikelihood of an infant developing eczema. Further research in the area suggests thatreducing the number of dust mites in the home makes little difference to the frequencyand severity of eczema flares after the first diagnosis.
• Stress: Babies can become extremely irritated by eczema which can in turn exacerbatethe condition further.

How Is Eczema Treated

There is no cure for eczema. But treatments can help with symptoms. The doctor will recommend different treatments based on how severe the symptoms are, the child’s age, and where the rash is. Some are “topical” and applied to the skin. Others are taken by mouth.

Topical moisturizers. Skin should be moisturized often . The best time to apply moisturizer is after a bath or shower, with the skin patted dry gently. Ointments and creams are best because they contain a lot of oil. Lotions have too much water to be helpful.

Topical corticosteroids, also called cortisone or steroid creams or ointments. These ease skin inflammation. It’s important not to use a topical steroid prescribed for someone else. These creams and ointments vary in strength, and using the wrong strength in sensitive areas can damage the skin, especially in infants.

Other topical anti-inflammatory medicines. These include medicines that change the way the skin’s immune system reacts.

Medicine taken by mouth. These can include antihistamines to help itchy kids sleep better at night, antibiotics if a rash gets infected by bacteria, and corticosteroid pills or other medicines that suppress the immune system.

Other types of treatment can include:

• wet wraps: damp cloths placed on irritated areas of skin
• bleach baths: bathing in very diluted bleach solution

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What Is Childhood Eczema

Eczema is a skin condition which, broadly speaking, causes sufferers to have dry, red and itchy skin.

The exact cause of eczema is unknown but research shows that its the skins reaction to external factors. Allergens in the environment trigger the immune system and cells over react, causing the skin to flare up.

Eczema will generally appear in the first five years of a childs life if they are susceptible to it.

Atopic eczema is heredity so if someone in your family has eczema, asthma or a food allergy, that could contribute to your child developing the skin condition. It is not contagious so your child cant catch it from anyone else.

Should I Worry About Using The Topical Steroids Prescribed By My Healthcare Professional

No, you dont need to worry, as long as you follow your healthcare professionals specific instructions. Topical steroids are first-line treatments for babies with eczema. These creams have been used to treat eczema for more than 50 years, so there is a good understanding of how they work.

If you dont treat the eczema promptly and adequately, skin damage is far more likely to occur through scratching into the deeper layers of skin.

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Will My Baby Grow Out Of Eczema

Sadly, it is impossible to predict whether your baby will have eczema for life or for just a short time. So far, there is no cure for eczema. Eczema is a chronic condition with periods of flare and periods of remission, and most people with a history of eczema still have problems with dry and itchy skin. If your child has a difference in their filaggrin gene, they will not grow out of it. Even if your baby appears to grow out of their eczema, it may return during the teenage years or in adulthood.

When Should I See A Doctor About Baby Eczema

If you suspect that your baby has eczema, speak with your childs doctor. Remember, early treatment can help prevent your babys eczema from getting worse. While eczema can often be managed by a pediatrician, seeing a pediatric dermatologist might be in the cards. Its also important to reach out to your childs doctor if your kiddos eczema has caused any little breaks in their skin, which paves the way to infection. Call your doctor if you notice:

• Yellow or honey-colored crusting or scabbing

• Oozing, weeping, or blistering skin

• Fever or acting otherwise sick

• Rash that isnt improving with treatment

Dealing with eczema can be stressful , but your provider can help you come up with a treatment plan to keep your kiddo comfortable in their skin!

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What Is An Eczema Flare

Eczema is the medical term for certain skin conditions in people with dry, sensitive skin that tends to get very itchy and develop rashes. Eczema usually comes and goes. When it becomes active, it’s called a flare-up.

A flare often occurs in response to a trigger, which may be an allergy, irritant, emotional state, or environmental condition. The itching can be very intense, making it hard not to scratch, but scratching makes it worse. The itch-scratch cycle can lead to skin damage or infection and make you miserable.

Will My Baby Have Eczema All Her Life

In some babies with atopic dermatitis, the condition stays put. But, fortunately, eczema clears up in many babies by the time they turn 4 years old.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

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How Can I Help My Child Live With Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis has no cure. But it will usually get better or go away as your child gets older. There may be times when your child has few or no symptoms. And he or she may have times when symptoms get worse. This is called a flare-up. To help prevent flare-ups, make sure your child:

• Stays away from triggers. Common triggers include irritants such as wool, soap, or chemicals. Other triggers include allergens such as eggs, dust mites, or pet dander. Stress is also a trigger.

• Doesnt scratch the skin. Try to keep your child from scratching. It can cause symptoms to get worse. It can also cause infection.

• Always has short fingernails. Trim or file your childs nails to keep them short and prevent scratching.

• Takes baths or showers with warm, not hot, water. Air dry or gently dry the skin afterward.

• Uses moisturizers. Put creams or ointments on after bathing.

• Wears soft clothing. Dont dress your child in wool or other rough fabric.

• Keeps cool. Try to keep your child as cool as possible. Getting hot and sweating can make him or her more uncomfortable.

• Doesnt get the smallpox vaccine. Its not a common vaccine, but people with atopic dermatitis should not get the smallpox vaccine.

Talk with your child’s healthcare provider about other ways to help your childs skin condition.

Do You Strap A Newborn Into A Pram

A baby who is riding in a pushchair, buggy, stroller, or a pram needs a safety harness. This will prevent him from tipping himself over the side, or toppling out when you steer the pushchair up or down a steep kerb. It is best to buy a pushchair with a five-point safety harness, rather than a three-point version.

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Does Baby Eczema Go Away On Its Own

Baby eczema needs treatment to go away completely. The best treatment is using moisturizer daily or several times each day to keep your babys skin hydrated.

Most cases of baby eczema clear up by the time they start school, around age 4 or 5. Sometimes eczema can go away or reduce in severity as your child reaches adolescence or by the time they turn into adults. As your child grows, they may have sensitive skin or flare-ups of eczema symptoms throughout their life.

Relieving Itchy Painful Eczema

While your child is on a journey to address their eczema flare-ups, we know there may be moments when their skin is uncomfortable and unmanageable in the meantime. All they want is some relief!

Here are some ideas for how to soothe and nourish your childs skin at home when their eczema is making them uncomfortable.

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First Of All What Exactly Is Baby Eczema

The term âeczemaâ is really an umbrella term for various conditions that cause the skin to become red, itchy and inflamed. While there are many types of eczema, when we refer to âbaby eczemaâ we are most commonly referring to atopic dermatitis. This is a recurring inflammation caused by an overactive immune system. In other words, something in the childâs environment triggers their immune system and the skin has a reaction to itagain and again and again.

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Other Conditions Can Mimic Baby Eczema

Since eczema causes dry, itchy skin in babies, you might confuse the skin rashes with other conditions like cradle cap , which is less irritating and itchy . Cradle cap often appears on the scalp, eyelids, and eyebrows, while baby eczema usually affects the cheeks, arms, and leg joints. According to MedicalNewsToday, it’s much milder than baby eczema and often comes with thicker, shinier patches of scaly skin than the dry ones that usually appear with eczema.

Other skin conditions like psoriasis can also mimic the symptoms of baby eczema, even though infant cases of psoriasis are rare. The condition often appears in the baby’s diaper area and comes with nail pits and small depressions in the toe and fingernails, says MedicalNewsToday.

Finally, a type of fungal infection called ringworm can appear similar to eczema. Its main symptom is a rash with a red, raised border that may appear on the scalp, forehead, or anywhere else on the body. The rash may be itchy and scaly in appearance. Babies might experience small patches of hair loss. The patches can appear pink or red on lighter skin and brown or gray on darker skin.

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Can Baby Eczema Be Prevented

Theres no surefire way to prevent eczema in babies. But keeping your babys skin well-moisturized by applying cream or ointment at least twice a day can help. In fact, research suggests that applying petroleum jelly on high-risk babies from birth may help prevent eczema from developing. Theres also some evidence that exclusive breastfeeding for a babys first 3 to 4 months may decrease the incidence of eczema in the first two years.

How Often Should I Bathe My Baby If They Have Eczema

The National Eczema Association recommends taking a short bath every day to help minimize eczema symptoms. But, as mentioned earlier, hot water and extended soaks can worsen this condition. Make sure to keep your babys baths lukewarm and watch the clock while bathing them. Try to keep their time in the tub under 10 minutes. Afterward, apply a quality moisturizer, such as our Stelatopia Emollient Cream, within three minutes of getting out. This timeframe will help prevent further drying.

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Baby Eczema: How To Spot And Treat Eczema In Babies And Children

Everything you need to know if your baby or child has eczema

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If you have eczema , the chances are your children will too thanks to the hereditary nature of the condition.

Eczema is frustrating at the best of times, and eczema in children is especially difficult as they dont understand why they are experiencing such irritating symptoms. There are no proven cures but there are plenty of tricks you can try to soothe the itchy, sore skin.

What Causes Eczema In Toddlers

Before you panic that your child will have lifelong bouts of itchy rashes, its important to remember that some kids are just prone to eczema because of their unique skin makeup. And even thats not always fixed or permanent.

Theres no way to predict what will happen in the future, but lots of kids outgrow their eczema when they reach their preschool years.

Your child is more likely to have eczema if they also have:

• a family history of eczema

Food allergies dont cause eczema, but they are related.

According to a , other conditions that may be related to eczema may include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

For the most part, though, environmental triggers are the biggest cause of eczema flares. Common triggers include:

• excessive heat or sweating

Although eczema is bothersome and often hard to treat, you can take some steps to get your toddlers eczema under control.

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How Does Baby Eczema Affect My Childs Skin

Baby eczema makes your babys skin dry, itchy and sensitive. This happens because your babys protective barrier on the outermost layer of their skin is weak and doesnt work as expected. Their symptoms can last for a couple of weeks each time theres a flare-up of symptoms.

Baby eczema is a chronic condition, where it can come and go unexpectedly. Some children grow out of the condition when they reach adulthood but will still experience symptoms of dry skin or mild flare-ups throughout their life.

Will Baby Eczema Go Away

It depends. Some children outgrow eczema by the time they reach 4. But others may be dealing with eczema longer…and possibly into adulthood. Your child may go through periods when their eczema flaresand periods of time with the condition recedes . Children with eczema tend to experience the most flare-ups in the winter, when the air is cold and dry.

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Where Do Symptoms Of Eczema First Appear

Eczema most commonly appears on the face, neck, behind the knees, between the elbows, wrists, ankles, and fingers.

Depending on the age of your child, the appearance of eczema can occur in different places of the body. For example, infants have eczema on their face and scalp. As the baby gets older they may experience breakouts on their trunk, arms, legs, and neck.

How To Treat Your Babys Eczema

This article was co-authored by Lydia Shedlofsky, DO. Dr. Lydia Shedlofsky is a Resident Dermatologist who joined Affiliated Dermatology in July of 2019 after completing a traditional rotating internship at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduation, she moved to Beira, Mozambique, and worked as a research assistant and intern at a free clinic. She completed a Post-Baccalaureate program and subsequently earned a Masters Degree in Medical Education and a Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. This article has been viewed 5,980 times.

Eczema or atopic dermatitis is a frustrating skin condition. If your baby frequently has dry, scaly, itchy, cracked and red skin, they may have eczema. You should monitor your babys skin in your health journal, including any irritants, new symptoms, or allergens. You may want to put together an action plan with your doctor, which should address the amount and type of bathing, moisturizers and topical treatments.

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What Causes Baby Eczema

A combination of genetic and environmental factors causes baby eczema. These factors include:

• Skin irritants and allergens: Several things in your babys environment can bother your childs skin. If your child has an allergy, symptoms of eczema can flare up on their skin. Common environmental irritants and allergens include fabrics, soaps and certain foods.
• Immune system reaction: Your babys immune system defends against foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses that can make your child sick. If your baby has eczema, their immune system can overreact and confuse healthy skin cells and small irritants in your babys environment as a foreign invader. As a result, your babys immune system will attack your babys skin cells which can cause symptoms of eczema.
• Genetics: During conception, the egg and sperm cells meet to give your child the building blocks of their body, which are their genes. Sometimes, changes to your babys DNA happen , which can affect how your babys body functions and develops. An eczema diagnosis could cause a lack of proteins in your babys body that are responsible for maintaining their skins protective barrier. If your childs protective barrier in their skin isnt working as expected, they could experience symptoms of eczema.