Newborn Eczema
4 min readWritten by Pradeep
What Is Baby Eczema
Eczema is a skin disease that occurs as rashes in newborns and usually occurs before their first birthday. Newborn eczema can cause the baby’s skin to be itchy, warm, red and tender. It can be quite an uncomfortable situation for a little baby and could make you worried. Atopic dermatitis or atopic eczema are other names for eczema.
When infected in the first year, eczema rashes mainly appear on cheeks, scalp, forehead, hands, and neck, but it can spread elsewhere on the body. After the child becomes a year old, eczema is most likely to appear in the inside folds of the elbow, the wrists, on the ankles and on the back of the knees. Atopic dermatitis can improve or go away an as the child grows older but the skin can still remain dry, scaly and irritable. The good news associated with eczema is it’s not a contagious disease which means you can’t spread and catch it from others. Though the red patches on your little one can make you feel scared, be assured that it is as treatable as it is common
What Symptoms Are Associated With Newborn Eczema
Newborn Eczema is a chronically relapsing skin disease which is two times more prevalent in girls as compared to the boys. The main symptoms of eczema include severe skin itching resulting in inflamed swelling, blisters, redness, cracking, weeping, crusting and scaling. The affected area is often sensitive, warm and tender because of scratching. The baby can appear distressed due to constant itching, and scratching can make the skin scar and thick. You should seek the advice of your doctor in the event your baby develops any of these symptoms. Though there is no sure shot way of knowing when your baby will outgrow eczema, yet you it should be noted that it lessens with age. Most children outgrow eczema by the time they turn 5, while some carry it to adult age.
What Are The Causes Of Newborn Eczema?
The causes of eczema are still not known but there are certain genetic and environmental factors that trigger eczema in babies due to which some babies are more prone to eczema than others. There are about 10% to 15% of babies who get eczema worldwide. Some common factors that can cause baby eczema are:
- If you have a family history of eczema, hay fever, and asthma, your baby is likely to have eczema
- Genetics also plays a major role in determining who will be more prone to eczema
- In many children, the skin is not able to hold moisture very well due to the fact that their bodies make too few ceramides. Because of this, a protective layer on the skin is not formed and the skin gets very dry and allows irritants to get in very easily
- The immune system of babies having eczema overacts more towards the irritant or any allergen due to which their skin becomes redder and itchy which makes eczema worse
What Allergens Can Be Responsible For Baby Eczema?
Eczema is basically an allergic disease which can get triggered by various kinds of allergens present in the environment, few of them are stated below:
- Environmental allergens include – dust mites, pollen grains, mold spores, etc
- Excessive heat or sweat can also trigger baby eczema
- Food items – In babies sometimes having a cow, soy or any other milk can also trigger the eczema
- In Breastfeeding babies- eczema can occur due to certain products in mother’s diet like eggs or dairy products
- Others chemicals which can also act as allergens are soaps, alcohol-containing shampoos, perfume, detergent, skin oil or lotion, fabric softeners, wool and tight clothing’s
Treating Eczema In Babies
The first thing that you should do if you think your baby has got eczema is to take him Newborn eczema usually follows the below-mentioned line of treatment depending upon age, symptoms and general health.
- Healing the itchy, blistered skin and then maintaining it
- Preventing further growth of eruptions
- Treating them as soon as they appear, so that the condition does not reach to the worst condition
Medications for atopic dermatitis include:
- Corticosteroids skin creams or ointments that control skin itching and swelling
- Antibiotics to treat infections
- Drugs to suppress the hyperactive immune system
- In a few cases, light therapy is also given
- Baby moisturizers containing ceramides which will help the baby’s skin to retain moisture
Tips To Help Baby Eczema At Home
Below are mentioned some important tips which can help you in treating eczema in infants:
- It’s important to bathe your baby with lukewarm water twice a day as eczema causes skin dryness or water loss. Just pat the area with a clean and soft towel. Don’t rub the skin
- Immediately apply emollient to their skin in order to keep the moisture lock
- Use gentle baby soaps and shampoos
- Avoid bubble baths
- Change your detergent especially if you are using a perfumed one
- Always keep your child nails short
- Use cotton clothes for your baby. Keep them loose and airy
- Don’t let your child scratch blisters. Scratching can make it worse, and further lead to infections
- Refrain from overdressing your baby, keep away from embellished clothes
- Keep your child away from cigarette smoke
- Seek treatment promptly as soon as you see any infectious condition. Prescription treatment is always better than OTC medications
When Does Baby Eczema Go Away?
In most of cases eczema improves with age and often gets resolved as they grow older. However, the important understanding part about eczema is that – it’s a chronic relapsing disease that means it can return again if proper care is not taken.
Pradeep,
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