Eczema: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Eczema is a common allergic skin disease in infants. It usually develops when the child is two to six months old and is more common in males than in females. In most cases, eczema resolves itself in infancy or at least by the time the child is five years old. A few children continue to have eczema after their fifth birthday. One-quarter of these still have the problem as adults and will probably have other allergies as well.

There are two kinds of eczema:

Acute eczema: It can make the child very uncomfortable. Red, swollen patches with watery discharge may develop on the skin. However, the problem is relatively short lined.

Chronic eczema: It also causes discomfort. It involves scaly, thickened and abnormally dark patches of skin that crack easily. As its name implies, chronic eczema tends to last, sometimes for years and in rare cases for life.

In infants, eczema usually appears on the cheeks, scalp, neck, back of the arm, front of the legs and trunk. In children over two years old, eczema usually appears in the knees and elbow areas, the neck, wrists and ankles.
The exact cause of eczema is not known, but factors that make it to develop are known. One is climate. Babies who are brought from warm countries to areas where the climate is cold are particularly vulnerable. Cold, dry air causes the skin to become dry and scaly. The dry, tough areas are easily irritated and become red and itchy.

Heredity is also involved. About one-third of children with eczema have parents or other close relatives who have asthma, hay fever or eczema. Just how heredity determines who will have eczema is not known.

Any skin irritants, such as rough clothing, soaps, detergents and scratching, can make eczema worse.

Some foods cause eczema, especially in babies. Infants who are given cow's milk formula are more likely to have eczema and allergies than those who are breast fed. However, foods are not as frequent a cause of eczema as other factors.
If your child has eczema, there are several things you can do to make him or her more comfortable. Here are some of the things you can do:

• Keep the temperature in the child's bedroom at 20 and humidity at 30-go per cent.
• Give your child antihistamines to prevent scratching at night.
• Be sure your child's fingernails are kept short so that he or she will not damage the skin with scratching.
• Buy cotton clothing for your child
• Protect your child's skin from cold weather by using oilated creams or emollients at bedtime and before the child goes outside.
• Wash your child's clothes with mild detergents and double rinse the clothes afterward
• Avoid over-using soap on the skin during any flare-ups of the eczema.

Treatment of eczema:

• If your child's eczema has been proved to worsen with milk or other foods, appropriate diets can be prescribed.
• For mild eczema cases, special creams may be used. These are often applied at least four times a day until the condition improves.
• For more severe eczema cases, special baths may be necessary. You may also be advised to use warm mineral oil to remove scales.

How easily your child's eczema is controlled depends in various factors. IF the eczema is mild, the problem will probably be resolved quickly and easily. Severe cases may take longer. Once of the causes of your child's eczema are identified, you can minimize exposure to them. This will greatly reduce the severity of the problem.