Eczema in Infants

Eczema is a kind of common skin problem, which when occurs in babies and small children, is often referred to as atopic dermatitis. This is a form of skin rash that usually appears in the first year of the baby. Initially, the rashes of eczema are found in the forehead, scalp and cheeks, but later it spreads to other parts of the body, like the arms, legs, chest, etc. Eczema is not contagious in nature. Eczema in infants occurs more on sensitive and dry skin.

Causes

The exact cause of eczema in infants is not clearly known but in most cases it has been found that the child inherits it from parents. It can be triggered by some allergens present in baby's diet. If the infant is breastfeeding, then the allergens of mother's diet can also cause eczema in the infant. Other causes are dry skin, heat, change in temperature. Certain irritants like chemicals present in soaps and detergents, lotions when comes in contact with the child's skin can cause eczema.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of eczema in infants are reddening of the skin and continuous itching. Rather, excessive itching is the first sign of eczema. This kind of irritation get aggravated with direct contact with clothing and bedclothes. When the child start scratching the skin, then the growth of skin rashes take place. Severe eczema results in excessive scratching of the skin. In such condition the skin loses its natural preventive qualities and the skin tend to remain damp all the time. As a result, it becomes prone to bacterial infection. Rashes of eczema look like dry thick scales on the surface of the skin. Sometimes, they appear in the form of small bumpy rash which tends to ooze and get infected.

Treatment

The first step towards treating eczema in infants is application of lotions and creams that can reduce the itchiness, inflammation and dryness of the skin. For this hydrocortisone creams are prescribed by doctors for this purpose. Oral corticosteroids are also administered. In case of severe eczema, medicines like antihistamines and antibiotics may be required to control itching and infection. However, these medicines cannot be used for a long time due to their side effects.

Home Remedies

The disadvantage of medicinal treatment of eczema is that the symptoms can relapse once the medicine is discontinued. For this reason, people look for methods that can help to keep the symptoms in check. Here are some of them:

• Direct application of cold compression of the itchy skin with the help of a cold washcloth is the best way to provide relief to the itchiness of the skin.
• Bath your child in lukewarm water. Avoid hot or very warm water as it will aggravate the symptoms. In the bath water, add a cup of table salt to soothe up the rashes. Long baths are absolute no-no in this condition.
• Try not to use any soap while bathing your child. If necessary, use mild soaps that have high moisturizing content and are unscented.
• Skin has to be kept in a well moisturized condition. For this, petroleum jelly is the best. Apply it immediately after bath when the skin is still in moist condition. It should be applied at least thrice daily for best results.
• In order to prevent you baby from scratching the skin, keep the nails in a well trimmed condition. Covering the affected part or covering the hands with mittens will also prevent the rashes from getting scratched.

Unfortunately, there is no permanent cure for eczema in infants. Most of the time, the symptoms disappear as the child grows up. In other cases, it remain throughout the life. However, the condition can be treated and its recurrence can be prevented with the help of proper skin care of the child.