Eczema

Eczema is a condition that tends to affect children at a young age and can cause serious distress to both the child with the condition and also to the parents who are often left to manage this condition. Eczema is a condition of the skin whereby you may notice that your child has skin that is red, sore, and itchy. Children will want to scratch these areas on the skin surface and when children want to achieve something such as this they tend to be successful. As a result it is common to see areas of skin that appear to be quite damaged secondary to the child scratching the affected area.

Another problem with scratching is that it creates breaks in the skin surface that bacteria can enter through. Also a child’s fingers are generally laden with bacteria and these can get through the broken skin and into the affected area to cause a secondary bacterial infection. It can be very distressing indeed to see your child suffer from this condition. In many cases the affected areas can appear grotesque to the outside observer and this can also be distressing for both the child and the parent.

While most eczema episodes clear up with no residual defect, it is not uncommon for scars to be left by severe episodes and so prompt recognition and treatment is of paramount importance. There are a number of treatments that are available to treat this condition and the number one most important thing is in fact to keep the skin well hydrated.

You can achieve this by using hydrating moisturizers in the form of creams, lotions, and ointments. As a general rule the thicker moisturizers that stay on for a long period of time are the most effective.

However these tend to be poorly tolerated by patients as they feel oily and can get on the clothing. Aqueous cream is widely prescribed by doctors, however this may not be the wisest choice as it does not stay on for very long and only offers a minimal degree of hydration to the skin. Fortunately you cannot overdose on moisturizers and so patients should be encouraged to lather them on as frequently as tolerated.


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The content on this page is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical advice. Patients should not use the information presented on this page for diagnosing a health-related issue or disease. Before taking any medication or supplements, patients should always consult a physician or qualified healthcare professional for medical advice or information about whether a drug is safe, appropriate or effective.