What is the best thing to do about excema and how do children get it?… by tnycourtn
My daughter and son have excema, but my daughters is the worst. She bathes in dove, and uses a cortosione cream. It helps sometimes but for example, tonight her face was really dry. it was burning her. she put the medicine the doctor gave her for her face on it and it burned….what is the best way to treat excema?
Best Answer:
While eczema cannot be cured, most cases can be controlled by:
Making lifestyle modifications to prevent flare-ups
Seeing a dermatologist for treatment
Using medication as prescribed
The primary goal of treatment is to relieve discomfort by controlling the signs and symptoms. Since eczema is usually dry and itchy, most treatment plans involve applying lotions, creams, or ointments to keep the skin as moist as possible. The treatment plan also may require lifestyle modifications and using medication as directed.
A topical (applied to the skin) medication may be prescribed to help relieve itching and inflammation. Another way to treat the itch is with a non-sedating antihistamine. If itching is severe, a sedative antihistamine may be recommended. Skin infections caused by bacteria, such as staphylococcus aureus (staph) or streptococcal (strep), are treated with an antibiotic. Some antibiotics are applied to the skin; others come in pill or liquid form. An antiviral is prescribed to treat an infection caused by a virus. The antiviral medication may come in topical, pill, or liquid form. It also may be given as a shot. An infection caused by a fungus is treated with an antifungal medication.
Certain types of severe eczema may be treated with phototherapy. Stronger systemic medications, such as corticosteroids and cyclosporine, may be prescribed to treat severe eczema that has been unresponsive to treatment.
Since so many factors affect why a person develops eczema, a treatment plan that works for one person may not effectively control eczema in another person. Sometimes it takes a bit of detective work to find an effective treatment plan.Occasionally, the eczema is caused by an allergic reaction to food or foods in the baby's diet. In general, breast milk is tremendous for controlling eczema (in fact, 6 months of nursing can actually prevent eczema in some children). In some cases, if the nursing mom is consuming dairy products, nuts, eggs, seafood, or possibly other foods (which vary from individual to individual), the baby will be negatively affected. Foods children directly consume that can make eczema worse include cows' milk, egg whites, citrus (such as tomatoes, strawberries, oranges, and lemons), chocolate, and nuts. If you are using a cows' milk-based formula, you may want to try using a soy formula or another hypo-allergenic formula.
The first step in treating eczema is to identify the precipitating event or trigger and avoid it if possible! You may not see an immediate improvement, but if you are going to successfully treat eczema, it is important to break the cycle! Here are some tips:
Avoid situations that will make your baby sweat — don't pile on blankets or put her in a blanket sleeper.
Cut cows' milk, eggs, citrus fruits, and peanut products from her diet.
Wash her clothes in a laundry detergent made for sensitive skin, such as Dreft Laundry Detergent.
Avoid dressing your daughter (or yourself for that matter) in wool or any other harsh material (cotton is excellent).
To keep skin healthy, it is better to avoid long baths. We once thought that cutting down on all baths was important. Now we know that long baths and soaps are the problem for most children. When the skin prunes, this disrupts the moisture-retaining layer of sensitive skin.
Aim for frequent, brief baths, in lukewarm water, and use a small amount of very mild cleanser, such as Dove or Neutrogena, or better yet, don't use any unless she is particularly dirty. These brief baths will hydrate the skin, not dry it out. A few children with eczema can't tolerate baths at all and need to be cleansed with Cetaphil, a water-free cleanser for people with sensitive skin.
Apply a moisturizing lotion to the affected areas as least twice a day. Apply the moisturizer immediately following her bath, while she is still damp. Use a product like Eucerin, Lubriderm, Alpha Keri, Moisturel, Aquaphor, Curel, or Vaseline. This will keep the skin moist and help protect the skin from other irritants. A humidifier for the room can also help prevent the skin from getting too dry.
In the midst of an inflamed cycle, cortisone cream can be very helpful. It is not recommended for everyday use. Use the mildest form of cortisone that will break the cycle. On her face, an over-the-counter strength cortisone cream, such as Cortaid or Hydrocortisone, will usually be sufficient. Do not use anything stronger than the over-the-counter cortisone, unless prescribed for her by her pediatrician. Once the cycle is broken, gradually reduce, then stop, the cortisone over one week to prevent rebound.
You can help minimize inflamed patches of eczema, but her skin will remain sensitive until she outgrows the condition. A rash on your baby's face invites you to look beyond the shallow covering of the outer layer of skin to see her true beauty that lies beneath.
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