Watching your child struggle with eczema is heartbreaking. Unfortunately, this painful skin condition is common in babies, affecting at least 2 in 10 kids. The good news is that there's something you can do to soothe eczema flare-ups and help your baby's skin heal.
## What is baby eczema?
Baby eczema is a common skin condition that affects many newborns and young children. It's characterized by red, itchy, and inflamed patches on the skin. Eczema can appear on the face, scalp, or anywhere on the body.
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## What causes baby eczema?
A combination of genetic and environmental factors causes baby eczema:
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Skin irritants and allergens: Various factors in your baby’s environment can irritate your child’s skin. If your child has an allergy, symptoms of eczema can flare up on the skin. Common environmental irritants and allergens include soaps, detergents, fragrances, essential oils, fabrics, and certain foods or plants.
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Skin barrier dysfunction: Babies with eczema often have a compromised skin barrier, allowing moisture to escape and irritants to enter, leading to dryness and inflammation.
- Genetics: If there's a family history of eczema, asthma, or allergies, your baby may be more prone to developing eczema.
## How can I prevent baby eczema?
As various factors can contribute to eczema in your baby, it's impossible to entirely prevent the condition. However, you can minimize the likelihood of your baby experiencing symptom flare-ups:
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Avoid triggers, irritants, and allergens: Avoid scented or fragranced soaps, lotions, or detergents. These can cause eczema to flare. possible, always opt for natural products over chemical-based ones.
Your healthcare provider might also conduct tests on your baby’s skin to identify if they’re allergic to certain substances they come in contact with in their regular environment. If you’re able to identify what causes your baby’s eczema triggers, avoiding those triggers helps your baby’s skin heal and prevents future eczema flare-ups.
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Use moisturizer or ointments on your baby’s skin daily: Keeping your baby’s skin hydrated will reduce symptoms, soothe their skin, ease discomfort, and prevent flare-ups. Be careful about what you are using! Only use products that are fragrance-free and do not contain essential oils. The best time to apply moisturizers to your baby’s skin is after a bath and a couple of times throughout the day when their skin appears dry.
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Give your baby baths: Always use warm ( never hot!) water and limit bathing time to 5 - 10 minutes.
- Opt for soft, breathable fabrics, such as cotton, to prevent further irritation.
## What can I do to treat baby eczema?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for eczema, but there are treatments available to help your baby’s skin heal and make their symptoms go away. In some cases, baby eczema will naturally resolve as your child grows into adulthood, but they may still experience skin sensitivity or minimal symptoms of eczema throughout their life.
By using our guide above “How can I prevent baby eczema?” most flare-ups can be avoided. If flare-ups don’t go away or develop into infections, you should definitely visit your healthcare provider.
## Should I use steroids to treat baby eczema?
Doctors often prescribe corticosteroids to treat baby eczema. While effective for short-term treatment of flare-ups, prolonged use of steroids will affect the body's ability to produce collagen, the main structural protein in the skin. This may result in very thin skin as well as poor wound healing, easy bruising, broken blood vessels, and stretch marks. Some of these symptoms aren't reversible.
We recommend trying mild and natural ointments before opting for long-term corticosteroid treatments. Eczema treatment is a long-term battle, and if a natural ointment can work on your baby’s skin, this will be a significant benefit in the journey to healthy and symptom-free baby skin. Aranyaa has helped many babies and adults with severe forms of eczema to get their condition under control. Check out our Skin repair baby balm and we hope it works on your baby too:
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