Health and Fitness ? Treating Eczema In Kids ? Health and Fitness

Eczema is a term that is broadly applied to a number of various skin conditions that are characterized by red and irritated skin which occasionally ends up as tiny fluid-filled bumps that ooze liquid. In children, the most common cause of eczema is atopic dermatitis, also called infantile eczema. It occurs in both infants and older children.

Children who have from eczema usually have family members who suffer from allergies such as asthma and high fever. Some experts believe that these children are genetically inclined to have eczema. Nearly half of children who get eczema will develop high fever or asthma themselves in the future. However, eczema in kids is also set off by environmental triggers such as excessive heat.

Eczema Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms and symptoms usually appear within a few months after birth, often before the age of five. Fortunately, more than half of the children who have eczema today will not have it anymore by the time they reach their teens.

Eczema symptoms are hugely varied in its early stages. Kids between the age of 2 and 6 months develop dry, itchy, red skin. Small bumps may appear on their forehead, scalp and cheeks. Sometimes the rash can spread to your baby?s hands, legs and trunk. Round, itchy, scaly, slightly raised rashes may develop on the back of the wrist and ankles, behind the knees or on the bends of elbows. Crusted or open lesions may also develop on affected areas. The rashes get less watery as children get older. The rashes become scalier and extremely dry and itchy. Eczema symptoms have a tendency to get worse before improving on time. Flare ups also do occur from time to time.

It is difficult to tell just how long eczema lasts. In several cases, eczema goes into remission and its symptoms vanish completely for several months or even years. Eczema symptoms are also known to improve for a long period of time only to resurface during the start of puberty. This may be due to hormones, the use of harsh skin products and cosmetics, stress as well as other factors that experts are still trying to pinpoint. Also, some kids who develop eczema may get some level of dermatitis as adults and experience itching and have dry, scaly skin in some areas.

Eczema is not contagious as some people might think so you need not keep you child away from a sibling or other family member who has eczema.

Treating Eczema

There are a number of treatments available that can be used to cure eczema and/or alleviate its symptoms. The most widely used are topical corticosteroids. Corticosteroids -also called cortisone or steroid ? are creams or ointments that are used to locally treat a number of inflammatory skin problems including eczema. Topical corticosteroids for eczema typically contain hydrocortisone which is similar to corticosteroid cortisol that is naturally-occurring. Topical corticosteroids do not actually cure eczema since they do not affect that actual underlying cause of this skin disorder. Rather, they curb the inflammation in the skin that triggers eczema flare-ups and as thus, alleviate other symptoms that include itching and redness.

However, it is important to consult your pediatrician before applying corticosteroid to your baby?s skin. It is also crucial to use corticosteroids for as long as your doctor recommends. Corticosteroids come in varying strength and applying a fairly strong corticosteroid may damage your baby?s sensitive skin.

If your baby has sensitive skin, there are non-steroid medications out in the market right now.

Debbie Williams is a child care expert consultant on a non-government organization promoting?environmentally friendly cleaning products?and eco friendly cleaning.

BabyGanics is the manufacturer of natural baby products made with all-natural ingredients for effective and?skin care products.

Source: http://medicaltips.biz/2011/09/20/treating-eczema-in-kids/

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