Baby Eczema Treatment

Baby Eczema affects 10 to 15 percent of infants in the United States. Eczema is a skin disease that occurs in early childhood. It is characterized by dry, red, and itchy skin. Many kinds of baby eczema are present, but atopic eczema is the most common one among babies. Atopic eczema is a chronic recurring intensely itchy inflammation of the skin usually starting in early childhood. Also known as atopic dermatitis, it occurs mostly on the scalp, face, arms or legs.

Causes of Atopic Eczema:

Genetic, immunological, as well as skin barrier defects are important factors for its cause. Barrier function of the skin is less effective which allows more water loss from the skin. An increase in skin bacterial infections especially by staphylococcus aureus can be seen.

When a baby has poorly moisturized skin, is exposed to certain substances or types of clothing washed with harsh detergents, or eats certain foods. Extreme temperatures may also trigger eczema. Also early substituting another baby food for breastfeeding milk can cause eczema. Some commonly implicated foods are milk, eggs, wheat, fish and peanuts.

Medical Treatment for Baby Eczema:

Natural, organic and drug therapy exists for the treatment of baby eczema.

Natural and Organic Cures for Baby's Eczema:

These therapies avoid the use of chemicals while trying to heal the disease.

Aromatherapy:

  • Aromatherapy proved helpful for the eczema. Herbs like bergamot, chamomile, lavender, Melissa, neroli, eucalyptus, geranium, and juniper can relieve symptoms and speed healing when applied topically to the area. Other herbs like cleavers, nettle, yellow dock, or red clover tea or tinctures are also useful.

To alleviate itching, bathe affected areas of your body with lukewarm or cold chickweed infusion. For cracked, dry, or painful skin, use a salve made from calendula flowers and St. John's wort leaves. Goldenseal applied externally may also be helpful.

Hydrotherapy Treatments:

  1. Juices that may speed healing are black currant and red grapes; carrot, beet, spinach, cucumber, parsley, and wheat grass juice.
  2. Helpful supplements Vitamin A and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), an omega-6 essential fatty acid found in high quantities in evening primrose oil, have both been shown to improve the symptoms of eczema. Vitamin E. Other useful supplements for preventing and reversing eczema include vitamin B complex, vitamin B6, vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc.
  3. Applying evening primrose oil directly to the affected area can help. Applying a paste made from ginkgo and licorice root extract may also improve eczema symptoms.

Phototherapy:

This is useful in cases of stubborn, chronic atopic dermatitis. UVB combined with emollients and tars have certainly been helpful. There is the problem of the increased risk of skin cancer after discontinuing the therapy.

Oral Treatment:

    Possible oral treatments for eczema are antibiotics, antihistamines, corticosteroids, and cyclosporine A (Neoral.) Oral antihistamines have been helpful in reducing itch. The sedating antihistamines appear to give the best effect. The use of topical antibiotics such as Bactroban or Fucidin have shown some benefit but are not as easy to use compared to the systemic approach when the eczema is extensive. Cloxacillin, erythromycin or cephalosporins may be needed for a few weeks. Short courses of oral prednisone are occasionally used in severe intractable cases. Systemic steroids in the form of IM Triamcinalone can be very effective in stubborn cases. The FDA has approved two drugs known as topical immunomodulators (TIMs) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe eczema. The drugs, Elidel and Protopic, are skin creams that work by altering the immune system response to prevent flare-ups.

Moisturizers for Eczema Skin

Moisturizers have been found to help restore the skin barrier providing a protective layer on surface of the skin to trap water and prevent the penetration of irritants and allergens. An emollient cream is superior in trapping the moisture within the skin.

Baby Eczema Cream

Learn more about Baby Eczema Cream.