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Eczema / dry skin home solutions?

  1. #9
    MRC
    MRC is offline Registered User
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    Eczema in children and babies is very common and fortunately most babies/children grow out of it. Some children and adults do not grow out of it and will have it for life. No one is sure what causes eczema or why most children grow out of it but it seems to be linked to an overactive immune system and runs in families with Asthma and Hayfever.

    There is no cure for eczema but if you treat the symptoms it will help relive the itching, limit the spread of eczema and help prevent infection. Hong Kong’s climate is quite good for Eczema most of the year (as the humidity helps keep the skin moist) but Hong Kong summers are very tough (as heat and sweat are often a trigger for eczema)

    Here are some general rules that can be used for babies and children:

    Lubricate the Skin
    - use a bath oil to lubricate the skin and help leave a protective layer (QV Bath Oil from Ego is very good).In summer I prefer to use bath or shower oils over moisturiser as they don’t make you sweat.
    - do not use soap, washes or detergent (as it drys the skin and removes the oil layer making eczema worse
    - Use a simple fragrance free thin lotion as a moisturiser in Hong Kong. A thin moisturiser lotion is preferable to a thick cream as it does not make you sweat. Put on the moisturiser in air conditioned room 15 mins before they go out (as Hong Kong is hot and humid and the moisturiser tends to make children sweat in heat so put on early). In Winter you can use a thicker mositeriser which wil help lubricate the skin more
    - if your child gets infected eczema then you will need to see DR as your child may need Steroids and/or Antibiotics (see below). At home you can use QV Flare Up Bath Oil or Pinetarsol in the bath to help reduce itch and control infections (both are good at reducing the itch and help limit or reduce infections which are very common in the height of summer)

    Washing Clothes, Sheets and Towels
    - Clean fresh sheets and mattress protectors can help if your child has allergy to dust mites (and wont do any harm)
    - Use an extra rinse with your washing as some people have reactions to the concentrated enzymes of cold water detergents. A hot wash and an extra rince makes sure all detergent residue is removed. If you want to test your washing, put your clothes through a warm wash with no detergent, if you see any bubbles or residue then you should use less detergent and consider a baby friendly or hand wash solution (such as Lux or Woolite) which can be used in machines and have limited enzymes.

    Stop the scratching:
    - watch our for your child’s triggers and try avoid them, some children are sensitive to detergents, some are sensitive to pet dander & dust mites, some are sensitive to heat and sweat and some just get eczema for no apparent reason. If you can avoid or limit the trigger you will help reduce the symptoms
    - be careful about linking eczema and food allergies. While it is true that some children have an allergic reaction to certain foods in most cases this is pretty obvious and many children have food removed for no reason or because they had a reaction at one point in their life (which they have grown out of). The skin tests are of limited use though they can show immediate and clear reactions to things like pet dander or detergents. If you plan on removing food products from your children’s diet remember that you need to re-introduce those foods to test whether the child is allergic to them. This means that you will need to remove a food (eg wheat) for 3+ months and if an improvement is noted, re-introduce that food for 3+ months to test whether the problem gets worse again. After 2-3 years you will need to retest this as children’s allergies change a lot eg my daughter was allergic to eggs at 6 months but fine by 12 months
    - if you cant stop the eczema stop the scratching, for medium to severe eczema (eg child scratches till they draw blood or scratches in their sleep) consider thin cotton gloves at night. You may also want to discuss antihistamines with your doctor (as these can help if your child has other allergies

    Steroids & Antibiotics
    - if your child develops eczema then your Dr will proscribe topical steroids to stop your child scratching and reduce damage to skin caused by eczema. While Steroids can thin the skin overtime the damage to your skin from your child scratching is far worse than not using steroids. Most Drs will start with 1% hyrdo cortisone, which is a very mild topical steroid that you can buy over the counter, with stronger steroids for medium to severe eczema
    - As someone who has suffered with eczema throughout my life I have zero tolerance for parents who refuse to use steroids on children with eczema. Topical steroids help reduce the itch, they reduce the inflammation and they help prevent long term damage to your skin. For your child the steroid cream will help make eczema manageable and make them feel they are in control

    UV Treatment
    - For medium to severe eczema in children or your adults some DR will use UV exposure which helps reduce eczema.

    inkmink and recurring like this.

  2. #10
    carey is offline Registered User
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    This is great infomation as my four month old has Eczema.


  3. #11
    trttrt is offline Registered User
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gataloca View Post
    trttrt, have your baby done any allergy test?
    Hey Gataloca, we recently brought her to a doctor as her skin flared up after she arrived in hk. The doctor was recommended by a friend who is an eczema sufferer. The doc advised for me to bring my child for allergy testing at about 3 as the tests for 2 year olds are v limited. Once they reach three, the tests are more extensive and accurate as often they outgrow their allergies when v young. Do you have any advice for me? I am open and would like to try out any possibilities. Thanks so much!!

  4. #12
    Gataloca's Avatar
    Gataloca is offline Registered User
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    My baby is currently 13.5 month old, and he has eczema since he was 1 month old. Some doctor suggested that it might be something on his diet that might have triggered the condition. As I was breastfeeding, some suggested me to stop (as it might be something on my diet), and feed the baby some soy formula. I didn't do it, cause by that time, my baby has already started solid anyway... and since they really didn't know IF he was really allergy to anything, i didn't want to stop breastfeeding just to give it a try (he even had a skin test, and he didn't have any reaction to any of the food tested).

    Few weeks ago, we took him to a delayed food allergy test (http://www.hkbiotek.com). We just got the result, and he came positive (mild reaction) on few foods: bamboo shot, carrot, whey, milk, wheat, egg. We will now try to take those food out of his (and my) diet, to see if his skin would improved.


  5. #13
    carey is offline Registered User
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    Hi Gataloca,
    Can they run test for a 4 month old too? My son has also eczama and is exclusively breastfeed so far. If so, perahps I could take him there for a test too. Let us know if his skin conditions improve after you change your diet.

    Have you try adding Omega-3 in your diet, like taking supplements? I read in DR. Sears book that that might help but I never try, as we just found that that he has eczama.


  6. #14
    carey is offline Registered User
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    There is very good info here to manage ecmaza on babycenter.

    http://community.babycenter.com/post...043826144&pd=1


  7. #15
    Gataloca's Avatar
    Gataloca is offline Registered User
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    Hi Carey. According to the web site: "In general, infant after 6 months starts to produce its own antibodies. Thus, kids age after 6 months and start eating solid foods can take the test."

    Actually I am taking Omega-3 supplement. And I started taking it,not because of my baby eczema, but because I was hoping that it might help with my "baby brain" condition, lol!


  8. #16
    carey is offline Registered User
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    What brand are you taking? and where do you buy it. I have been thinking to take it too. Thanks.


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