Baby eczema

Many parents worry about baby eczema. This condition appears on the face, upper chest, scalp and neck in the first months of life. Later on it may occur on the forearms and shins. There are a number of facts regarding baby eczema that parents should be aware of. Parents should notice if there occur tiny blisters which may open and leak some fluid or if the baby’s skin is very dry overall. In the worst of cases baby eczema could extend to the entire body skin. Generally speaking such manifestations do not involve the area around the mouth, the nose or the diaper areas that are usually free of eczema. If the areas of skin on the forearms and shins are thickened between the ages of twelve and eighteen months, parents should not be worried since this happens due to babies’ crawling a lot.

Eczema or dermatitis, with baby eczema included, are terms used to describe some skin conditions recognized by symptoms such as very itchy and dry skin, reddening, swelling, cracking or scaling of the skin. Even if eczema may appear almost anywhere on the body, in babies it mainly appears on the scalp, chest, and forehead as well as around joints. In very severe cases, baby eczema can be so annoying by the itchiness that it will cause discomfort during sleep and keep the baby awake and crying. Very many babies get the condition known atopic eczema but this usually occurs because of a genetic predisposition. This condition tends to occur and develop somewhere around the age of two or three months. Atopic eczema results from an oversensitivity of the immune system that involves reactions to the allergic reactions to the environment in conditions normal for other people. Whether babies develop eczema because other members of the family suffer from atopic conditions such as asthma, hay fever or eczema it is still not very clear and certain. Another possibility for babies to develop baby eczema results from the prolonged exposure to a specific allergen.

Regarding the treatment of baby eczema it must be pointed out that there is no specific catch-all treatment, unluckily, since it is an allergic condition. Fortunately several therapeutic solutions have been developed and so far they’ve been really good at alleviating eczema symptoms. Although improperly called remedies, there are all sorts of preventive measures that will keep baby eczema away: careful bathing habits, the use of cotton clothes only, proper skin moisturizing, careful diet choice and avoiding animal contact. Besides, parents should make sure they keep the baby’s environments dust free, and always cut the baby’s nails short to reduce scratching.