The secret to properly care for the skin of babies with eczema

Newborn babies with eczema, or atopic dermatitis, are rough, red patches that appear on the baby's skin, usually during the first few months of life. Eczema is common in young children and infants, and treatment can help relieve symptoms.  

Baby skin is so moist, smooth and soft that you want to keep petting your baby forever. But then suddenly the baby's skin becomes red, rough, flaky, making him uncomfortable, fussy and crying forever. This makes you be confused about what your baby is doing and how to handle it? There is a high risk that your baby may have eczema. Fortunately, babies with eczema are not too dangerous, are not contagious, and can alleviate their symptoms.

With aFamilyToday Health, learn about the causes of eczema for babies, tips on how to properly care for children with eczema, and how to ease their symptoms.

Eczema in babies

According to pediatricians, about 20% of children and babies have eczema. This usually begins when the baby is quite young, 65% of patients develop symptoms in the first year of life and 90% develop symptoms before the age of 5 years.

In fact, many people confuse eczema (also known as infant eczema or atopic dermatitis) with seborrheic dermatitis (also known as buffalo shit ). Seborrheic dermatitis (buffalo shit) is usually less red, scaly skin surface and usually occurs on the scalp, the sides of the nose, the eyelids, the eyebrows, and behind the ears. Children with seborrheic dermatitis often have a sour smell. This usually goes away on its own after the baby is 8 months old.

Doctors use the term infants with eczema to describe two conditions that usually begin to appear when a baby is 2 to 4 months old:

Atopic dermatitis:  A typical, inherited chronic condition is more common in babies with a family history of allergies, eczema, and asthma.

Contact dermatitis:  A rash when the skin comes in contact with an irritant is the causative agent. The infant's contact dermatitis disappears when the cause of the disease is eliminated.

Signs of a baby with eczema

The hallmark of babies with eczema is flaky, red patches of skin that appear in easy-to-see places like the cheeks, behind the ears, on the scalp. If left untreated, the damaged skin can spread down to the elbow folds, behind the knees, and sometimes to the diaper area. There are even many babies with eczema, which makes their skin dry and itchy. As a result, infants often find ways to rub their cheeks on the pillow, shoulder or arm held to ease the itch, older babies will try to scratch the itchy skin.

Symptoms may vary from child to child, but they will have common features such as an increasingly reddened flaky area, while the pimples can be filled with fluid and burst. This can easily lead to infections that have serious health effects. If your baby scratches, it can make the skin thicker, darken or create scars, causing loss of appearance.

A pediatrician can diagnose eczema by examining your baby's skin. In addition, your doctor may also suggest that you take your child to a dermatologist for guidance on proper care and treatment.

Please read the article Children and babies have 4 skin types, do you know? to update more useful information about children's skin

Causes children and babies with eczema

Causes of babies and babies with eczema can be local, genetic. If you or your husband has eczema, asthma or allergic rhinitis, your baby is also at increased risk for eczema. In addition, skin problems such as the rapid release of moisture, the damaged surface of the skin that allows bacteria and viruses to easily penetrate can also cause flare-ups of eczema symptoms.

Eczema occurs when the body makes too few fat cells called ceramide. Ceramide is a special type of fat found mostly in cell membranes. Ceramide makes up 40-50% of the fat in the outermost layer of the skin, also known as the horny layer. The remaining 50-60% is cholesterol and free fatty acids. Ceramide plays an important role as cell signaling agent, playing an essential role in ensuring the functioning of the skin's protective barrier (the hydrolipid film) and maintaining the skin's essential moisture. If the body does not have enough ceramide, the skin becomes dehydrated and becomes very dry, increasing the risk of eczema.

Each baby can have eczema for a unique cause, but there are some common eczema triggers to avoid, including:

Dry Skin: Dry skin can make babies with eczema feel more itchy. Low humidity, especially during winter and dry air, is a factor.

Stimulants:  Wool (hats, shirts, towels), polyester clothing, perfumes, bath soap, and laundry soap ... can be triggers for eczema.

Stress: Babies with eczema may experience a flushing red skin when it is under stress. This can lead to itching, skin irritation and inadvertently aggravating the symptoms of eczema ...

Heat and sweating: This can make the itchy bouts of baby eczema worse.

Allergies:  Although there is no solid evidence, some experts suggest that eliminating cow's milk, peanuts, eggs, canned foods or certain fruits (citrus fruits) from children's diet or that of a nursing mother may help control eczema symptoms. Remember that your baby can come into contact with the foods you eat if you breastfeed. If the baby is allergic to cow's milk, the baby will onset very early, about 1-2 months old.

Please refer to the article How to choose a skin cream for children with very sensitive skin properly .

How to relieve the symptoms of eczema in infants and young children

Eczema is incurable and can last for many years, but most children with the disease decrease as they pass puberty, and some children can have it for life. These babies may have a period, even years of illness without symptoms, but their skin can be very dry.

To relieve your child's symptoms, you can do the following:

Moisturizer: A moisturizer that contains ceramide is the best option. This product is sold by prescription. In addition, a good moisturizer, an odorless cream or ointment such as petroleum jelly, coconut oil ... when used several times a day, will help your baby's skin retain its natural moisture. Apply immediately after bathing to prevent evaporation of the baby's skin.

Warm showers : A warm bath hydrates, cools the skin and also helps relieve itching. Make sure the water is not too hot by measuring or immersing your elbow in the water! Note that you should only bathe your baby for no more than 10 minutes. To soothe the itch, you can try adding oatmeal to your baby's bath tub.

Use mild, fragrance-free shower gel and baby soap : Fragrant soaps, deodorants and antibacterial agents can make baby's skin rough, increasing eczema symptoms. Therefore, if your baby has eczema, only offer mild, fragrance-free products. In addition, your baby's clothes, pillows, blankets ... need to be washed separately and use a detergent / laundry detergent for children.

Limit the use of soap when cleaning your baby: You should only use soap to wash your baby if your baby gets dirty when using the toilet. For normal cleaning, you just need to wash your baby with clean water and dry it.

Dry:  You should dry your baby's skin with a soft towel, avoid rubbing it hard because it can damage the baby's skin and make the symptoms worse.

Dress comfortably: In order to prevent your baby from being rubbed on the skin, causing irritation, you should wear loose cotton clothes.

In addition, with newly purchased clothes, always wash them before putting them on with laundry detergent or baby soap. Don't use scented fabric softeners to rinse your baby's clothes, only softener made for sensitive skin.

For your baby to be comfortable, you should not wrap the baby too closely, when the baby sleeps without thick blanket. This prevents your baby from getting too hot and sweating, which can trigger eczema symptoms.

What to do when your baby itchy because of eczema?

For young children and babies with eczema, try to keep your baby from scratching the itchy skin. Scratching the itchy areas can make the rash worse, lead to infection and thicken the irritated skin ...

Cut your child's nails often or put them on gloves. If gloves are easy to slip off, you can have your baby use long socks and pull them inside the sleeve so they don't slip off.

Some over-the-counter products, such as hydrocortison creams and ointments, help relieve itching and inflammation. You need to read the instructions carefully before giving any product to your baby, consult with your pediatrician and do not use them for too long as these products can thin the affected skin.

If you have taken home remedies but your baby's eczema has not been effective, your baby's doctor may prescribe specialized skin care products and medications for your baby. Your doctor may also advise your baby to take oral antihistamines to reduce itching and drowsiness. This helps the baby less uncomfortable, can sleep better at night.

Currently, Mustela has Stelatopia products that work to soothe itch and add lipids to the skin very well for children with eczema. Stelatopia products are odorless, reduce itching up to 95% effective, you can easily order the product through the website https://mustelavietnam.com/collections/da-cham-the-trang

When do I need to take my baby to the doctor?

Take your baby to a re-examination if his or her condition does not go away after a week of treatment, or when the baby's damaged skin has yellow or light brown scabs or blisters appear ... This may be Warning signs of bacterial infection require antibiotics.  

In addition, you should keep your baby away from people with cold sores or genital herpes. The reason is that having eczema puts your baby more at risk of spreading these germs. 

Mustela® - Skincare specialist for babies, babies and mothers for 60 years

As the world's leading dermatologist for over 60 years, Mustela® has invested decades in skin physiology research programs to create breakthrough skin care products for babies, young child, who is pregnant and about to be a mother. With 100% natural ingredients, Mustela® is committed to giving you healthy skin. All products are strictly tested, non-irritating, environmentally friendly and contain no harmful compounds such as parabens, phthalates or phenoxyethanol. Mustela® products are highly tolerated, whether used on sensitive skin, under special conditions such as a rash or simply used to maintain healthy skin for children. Mustela® delivers products that have been clinically tested and proven to give you complete peace of mind.

You can find out about Mustela® brand products, refer to price information, order products online very easily at: https://mustelavietnam.com/.