3 things you can do when your child ’s eczema gets bad

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire It’s winter, and in many parts of the country that means cold, windy weather — and dry, chapped skin. For all of us that can be a problem, but for people who have eczema it can be miserable. As a pediatrician, I have lots of patients with eczema. Each one of them is different, of course, with different triggers for their eczema and different therapies that help. But when eczema gets bad — when parts of the skin get very irritated and scaly — there are three things that help just about everybody. 1. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! This may seem obvious, but I can’t overstate its importance — and helpfulness. When it comes to picking a moisturizer, think greasy when eczema gets tough. This kind of moisturizer is called an emollient. Even just petroleum jelly, or hydrated petrolatum, which are both widely available, can really help dry, irritated skin. And while they feel greasy when you put them on, usually the skin soaks them right up. Applying emollients two or three times a day can really help when things get tough — and can also help prevent eczema from flaring. 2. Bleach baths. This doesn’t mean sitting a child in a tub of bleach, which would be a bad idea. What it means is making the water in the tub kind of like the chlorinated water in a swimming pool. The bleach helps to kill bacteria on the skin, and also helps with inflammation. Add half a cup of bleach (regular household bleach, not concentrated) for a full tub of w...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs