Children's Eczema - Antihistamines Can Help

The exact reasons for eczema remain a puzzle despite all our medical knowledge. Typically, this skin condition is the result of an external substance which causes the problem. With baby eczema, the skin becomes red, flaked and cracked normally on the child's face. In the United Sates of America, up to 1 in every 5 infants will be affected by this skin condition.

Despite the problems it causes the child and parents, this is only a problem for a couple of years as it has normally disappeared before the child reaches 2. A small percentage of children will not be this fortunate and will experience this condition when they are adults and it will sometimes become a chronic complaint. This skin complaint can affect anyone at any age but is seen most in babies and infants. Sufferers have generally had the condition since before their 5th birthday and almost 1/3 of sufferers before they were 1 year old.

Baby eczema is easily recognizable because the infant wants to scratch itself owing to the red, scaly skin on their face, arms and legs and is the most common form, known as atopic eczema. Whilst atopic eczema is often found in family groups, a child can often have this condition flare up when their skin has not been kept moisturized. A baby's skin is much more sensitive and it is not uncommon for washing powders and softeners to trigger an attack. A number of scientific studies have shown that baby eczema is linked to early weaning so continued breastfeeding may therefore be protective in some way.

Although asthma triggers could also include other respiratory problems and medical conditions. Studies have also shown that it may be more common in those infants who suffer from allergic rhinitis or food allergies, or whose mothers suffer from asthma. Food allergies are thought to account for up to 30 percent of childhood cases; discovering the foodstuffs responsible should be a relatively simple matter, which once this is done, can be removed from the diet completely. Although the process of diagnosing which food is responsible is often a case of trial an error, there are some that are often found as the cause including:

• Fish from either freshwater or the sea
• Dairy products, especially milk
• Foods containing wheat
• Any type meal prepared using eggs
• Foods containing peanuts

In some instances, baby eczema is the result of antibiotics being prescribed for the child when they are born. The treatment with babies involves bathing in lukewarm water, and proper skin lubrication with hypoallergenic creams. When they are dry, the use of fragrance free products is highly recommended and only natural fabrics like cotton for example. Keeping the baby's finger nails short is an important point not to overlook as they can inadvertently scratch inflamed skin making the situation worse. Often in more severe cases of baby eczema, a pediatrician may prescribe antihistamines to relieve itching; when required it is not uncommon for the child to have steroid cream applied to the affected area but this cannot be done for very long. This is a difficult medical condition to not only control but overcome despite being a common complaint.