Eczema is frustrating and exhausting for anyone who has it, but especially for children. As a parent, it can be difficult to watch your child struggle with the painful skin condition. In this blog, we will provide you with some tips on how to manage childhood eczema and keep your child happy and healthy in their skin.
Learning about your child’s triggers is a great place to start, but it can be a challenging process. As you begin to look for triggers, identify things that could potentially lead to irritation like skincare, lifestyle, and environment. While it can be a daunting task, the best way to go about this process is by recording the triggers every time your child has a reaction. After some time, you should be able to narrow the list down. Now that you know the trigger, avoid them!
Symptoms for Childhood Eczema
Depending on age, eczema can show up in different patches and on different parts of the body. For babies under 2 years old, eczema will develop soon after birth. Typically, the first sign is dry, scaly skin. The earliest patches will likely develop in the creases of the body and then travel to cheeks, forehead, and legs. For children older than 2 years old, eczema will be seen as red, dry, and flakey skin especially on skin folds, joints, and forehead. Over time, the skin may become leathery, oozy, or crusty.
Tips for Managing Eczema
Eczema does not have a clear cause, so finding a cure is quite difficult. However, having a good skincare routine, adjusting your lifestyle, and being aware of your environment will help reduce the severity and frequency of flare-ups.
- Skincare – Bathing frequently will help keep the skin clean and moisturized. Use only warm water and keep bath time short. Once done, pat the skin dry and apply a moisturizer along with topical medication if prescribed.
- Lifestyle – Itching will only aggravate the skin more, so it is best to avoid scratching by keeping fingernails short and smooth. When it comes to clothing, choose soft and loose-fitting clothes. Use a detergent made for sensitive skin and always be sure to wash clothes before wearing them.
- Environment – Analyze the environment to help identify triggers. Irritants like dry skin, stress, soap, fabrics, heat, and smoke can all be factors in causing eczema, so it is best to avoid these. If sleeping is an issue for your child, keep their room cool and humid for a more comfortable sleeping environment.
Knowing what to look for and tips for managing will help keep your child healthy and comfortable in their skin. More often than not, as children grow older, eczema goes away. But symptoms are different for everyone. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Complete Family Dermatology to have a check-up for eczema or any other skin condition. You can contact us at 403-423-1111 or at https://www.completefamilydermatology.com/.
