 Anyone who has suffered with allergies and asthma knows eczema rounds out the immunologic trifecta, and adds a whole new dimension to an already distressing condition. I have wondered if perhaps Job of the Bible had a form of eczema; believe me, I know what’s like to seek relief with some abrasive object when fingernails no longer do the trick.
Those of us who have experience with eczema know it can be debilitating. The dry skin, incessant itch and rash can be maddening. The more you scratch (and scratching is unavoidable) the more painful it gets and worse the rash becomes. At one point, I had huge dark, leathery patches on my legs that went from dry and crusty to wet and “weepy.” It was terribly embarrassing and ugly. People unfamiliar with the condition and its symptoms, shunned me; wondered what it was and whether or not it was contagious. Fortunately, it is not.
If you have or know of an infant with eczema, you know the baby is inconsolable because the pain is excruciating. She is unable to tell you what she’s feeling, has no fingernails to speak of and lacks the dexterity required to reach, scratch or pick up something to scratch with. And worse of all, it will probably spread.
The medical term for eczema is atopic dermatitis. According to the medical dictionary at Thefreedictionary.com, atopic pertains to, “a hereditary tendency to experience immediate allergic reactions such as asthma… because of the presence of an antibody…in the skin and sometimes the bloodstream.” Dermatitis means swelling of the skin.
Eczema is mostly a childhood issue but it can continue into adulthood. Out of the blue, your baby may have a flare up and in a matter of days or hours it could clear up. It can appear anywhere on your baby’s body but tends to appear where skin gets moist like the neck, inside the elbows, behind the knees and on the feet and hands.
Because it is an allergic response, there is any number of triggers for infant eczema. The underlying causes however, seem to be the combination of heredity and environment. And as was the case with me, babies with eczema generally tend to experience hay fever and asthma. They seem to come as a package deal.
Relief from eczema in your baby is usually as simple as isolating the cause. However, isolating the cause may not be so simple. You may find that your baby has more flare ups of infant eczema when she comes in contact with particular soaps or perfumes. The culprit could be her favorite toy if wool or a manmade material were used in construction. Cigarette smoke, dust and various foods are major offenders. We discovered when pork was eliminated from my diet, the rash cleared up. But the primary dietary causes of eczema in babies are egg, peanut, milk, fish, soy and wheat products. Dust mites, mold, pollen and pet dander add to the usual suspects of eczema triggers.
Your baby’s frustration can make the eczema symptoms worse, as can skin infections, temperature, and climate. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Always use enough hypoallergenic lubricants on your baby after a bath; moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
- I have read that drier climates may make eczema worse.
- When the humidity is low during winter months your baby could experience more flare-ups. You can use a humidifier to arise the humidity level in the home if nature isn't providing enough humidity to keep your baby's eczema under control.
- Keep your baby’s bathing time short and use lukewarm water
- Never allow your baby to experience the extremes of going from sweating to being chilled
- Watch out for bacterial infections in your baby.
A note of warning: the US Department of Health and Human Services suggests children with eczema should not get the smallpox vaccine.
It is important to note that while as a rule, breastfeeding strengthens your baby’s immune system, if you are allergen sensitive, breastfeeding alone may not help in preventing your child from getting eczema. However, an article published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI), states the prevalence of eczema during early childhood is greater in babies given “formulas of intact cow's milk or soy protein” compared with babies fed breast milk.
The article goes on to say that, “exclusive breast-feeding should be encouraged for at least 4 to 6 months in infants” whether at high or low risk of eczema and whether the mothers have a history of asthma or not. This is because the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh the disadvantages.
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