My son, eczema free!
My son was about a year old when we first discovered his eczema. My sweet little baby developed rough looking red spots in the creases of his pudgy little arms and behind his knees that caused him to scratch himself until he bled. In our case, his pediatrician didn’t seem concerned,. She agreed that it appeared to be eczema, gave us some lotion samples and sent us on our way.
The lotion did nothing to tame the rash for our poor little guy. So I set out on a mission to figure out 2 things: What was causing my son’s eczema? And what could I use to treat it?
Possible Causes:
There are a number of factors that can contribute to or cause eczema in babies according to pediatrician, Dr.Alan Greene. Some of the most common culprits are:
Allergies:
It doesn’t seem fair that those who are more susceptible to allergies and asthma are also more likely to suffer from eczema, but this is the case. And as with allergies and asthma, parents with eczema are more likely to have babies with eczema. There are many different allergens that can cause eczema to show up in babies. A few common allergens are:
Dust
Wool
Pet Dander
Harsh chemicals in soap or detergent
Cigarette smoke
Overheating and excess moisture:
Many babies are more susceptible to an eczema outbreak when they are hot and sweaty or wet and drooling. The excess moisture on their sensitive skin can act as a breeding ground for the rash causing it to be more irritating and itchy to baby. Baby scratches, the skin breaks, the healing causes more itching, and the vicious cycle continues…
Food Allergies:
In some cases an allergy to a food in baby’s diet is the cause of eczema. Some foods to consider cutting out to determine if it’s causing the rash are:
Cows milk
Citrus
Eggs
Nuts
Chocolate
Treatments:
The best way to treat baby’s eczema is to eliminate the cause if possible. But in the meantime, these treatments suggested by Dr. Greene may help provide some relief to an itchy baby:
Lotions, creams, and ointments made to treat eczema
Change diet to pinpoint an allergy
Avoid overheating
Change soaps and detergents to something mild and fragrance free
Opt for short, frequent baths with a small amount of mild soap
Apply fragrance free lotion frequently
Determining the cause of the baby’s eczema and avoiding it is obviously the best treatment option out there. However in some cases, like ours, this may not be possible. After exhausting every other option, we determined that our son’s skin was simply sensitive to sweating and overheating. His eczema was nowhere to be found during the cooler months. But as soon as warmer weather showed up and he began sweating outside, his eczema was back with a vengeance. Luckily, after trying every cream and ointment out there, we found that his rash is very responsive to a 1% Cortisone Treatments
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