June 6, 2010

A Case of The Itchies

My little kiddos have eczema that seems to flare up in the heat. Will has it on the back of his legs and Em on her tush. A mixture of heat, increased allergens in the air and more time outside make a recipe for itchy skin and a red rash. Will is especially miserable when his eczema is flared up.

So what do you do when your kids have eczema?  At home it's important to keep their skin clean and dry when ever possible.  Heat in the summer creates sweaty little kids and the sweat irritates the skin.  At the same time, keep their skin moisturized at least once a day.  Use a hypoallergenic lotion such as Cetaphil.  Using dye and aroma free detergents help also if it irritates your child's skin.  Most major brands have a "free" detergent now so we aren't limited to Dreft anymore.

If you do all this and the eczema continues to flare up, Hydro-cortisone cream can be used once a day.  This will significantly reduce the redness and inflammation.  This can be used on older children all the way down to infants.  If the eczema continues to be a problem there are prescription steroid creams that can be used. 

3 comments:

  1. JDaniel has trouble with this too. His little behind looks like it has chicken pox.

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  2. My son has eczema. We have been told to soak him in the evening and then grease him up with Aquaphor. Seems to help at least a little.

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  3. Tyler has this issue on her face and legs. The summers are horrid! Even sensitive skin sunscreen hurts so we have to stick to water babies sunscreen and limit her sun exposure (hard to do when she's on the swim team and during family River Trips!)

    We frequently switch between aquaphor and eucerin because even they irritate her skin after two or three days of use.

    We found last year that long and steamy showers/baths make it worse so cold showers is another fun item on her summer skin care routine.

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