While the immune system is involved in some way, the exact cause of eczema is unknown. Normally, something in the person’s environment will cause the skin complaint to occur almost immediately they come into contact with it. Baby eczema is first noticed as a reddish scaly rash on the baby’s face which gradually worsens to the point where it becomes irritated and cracked. The situation is relatively serious with figures of anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of babies affected by this condition.
generally before the child has reached their second birthday. Unfortunately in a few children do not get over this problem and continue to suffer with it when they are adults. Almost anyone can be affected by this problem at any time in their life but it is babies that are most likely to suffer. About one-third of all patients develop symptoms before their first birthday, and almost all develop symptoms before five years.
The most common type in babies is atopic eczema and this type of baby eczema is characterized by itching, and red, scaly skin on the scalp, face, arms or legs. While atopic eczema is often found in family groups, a child can often have this condition flare up when their skin has not been kept moisturized. In some babies, wearing clothes that have been washed in certain detergents or treated with fabric softeners may trigger the condition. It would also seem that breastfeeding has preventative properties as a link between baby eczema and mothers who wean their babies early has been found.
Other medical conditions, such as respiratory infections, may also act as triggers. It has also been found that if the baby’s mother has asthma, they are more prone to suffer with this condition but other contributing elements include food allergies and allergic rhinitis. Food allergies are thought to account for up to 30 percent of childhood cases,discovering the foodstuffs responsible should be a relatively simple matter, which once this is done, can be removed from the diet completely. some of these groups are mentioned below:
Marine foods including shellfishMilk Products with milk as an ingredientWheatProducts containing eggsFoods containing peanuts
Baby eczema is often the result of antibiotics given to the baby when it is born, as many doctors will attest. Bathing a baby with this complaint requires care as their skin is so sensitive which means the water must be at a comfortable temperature using creams that will not irritate their skin.After washing, a baby needs to be dressed in natural fabrics such as cotton, To stop a baby form scratching the irritated skin it is important to ensure they have their nails short and wear mittens which should help stop further infection. For more sever cases of baby eczema, the pediatrician may suggest the use of antihistamines which can help relieve itching,when required it is not uncommon for the child to have steroid cream applied to the affected area but this cannot be done for very long. While this may be a common complaint around the world, at the present time, easing the symptoms of the condition is the best we can do.