Infant Eczema

Mild eczema in the form of skin rashes often affects infants between ages of 2 months to babies of 2 years old. It usually occurs on the forehead, and cheeks, though it can spread to any other body parts. But unlike in adults eczema in infants usually goes away by about 3 years of age. In contrast, adults usually have recurring eczema. In a small percentage of babies eczema continues as they grow into children or sometimes even into adulthood. These rashes might lead to dry and scaly skin or blisters. These are very itchy and painful for the baby.

Eczema in babies can be inherited from some family member, or can be caused by allergens in baby’s diet. Other factors which might aggravate the condition are synthetic chemicals coming in contact with the baby’s skin, like soaps, detergents, and man made fibers in clothing and toys.

Keeping the skin clean and moisturized is of foremost importance. Use of lukewarm water and a good baby-care product really helps a lot. Preferably use simple, loose clothing made of cotton instead of synthetic, tight-fitting fancy clothes. Also avoid any sudden temperature changes while bathing the baby. Animal fur is a known irritant, keep your pets clean to avoid this danger.

For small cases of skin rashes a home remedy and simple care is sufficient in the majority of times. For severe and/or persistent problems a child dermatologist must be consulted. Doctors might suggest the use of medicated creams containing mild topical steroids for short term use which will provide good relief from atopic eczema. All medication should only be taken if they are prescribed by your doctor. For more info see http://www.eczemacuretreatment.com/causes-prevention/eczema_types.html

Food is one of the biggest causes of eczema, and so any suspected allergies to good should be tested one at a time so it is possible to lock onto whatever is causing the problem. Each such test must be given a few weeks of time as it may take a few weeks to get the proteins from consumed food completely out of the mother’s breast milk and the baby’s system.

With due care and simple precautions you can often save your baby from any discomfort caused by eczema. Medications can be prescribed by your doctor if you are unable to resolve the problem yourself.

Fortunately most children will outgrow the eczema themselves by the time they reach their teens.

Amanda Fain
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/infant-eczema-135483.html