Eczema is most common in children and will often present itself before the child’s first birthday. Eczema in children can be particularly distressing since it’s hard to explain that itching is going to make things worse. Here are our top tips for helping your child to cope with eczema.
Keep a diary
By keeping a diary you will hopefully begin to see a pattern emerging. If you are able to pinpoint some of the triggers you should also be able to start to avoid them. These triggers may be food related or even impacted by the weather or stress.
Encourage self-care
It is hard but at an early age it is helpful to start the discussions around looking after your skin, particularly by not itching. Itching the affected areas can damage the skin and encourage further eczema to occur.
Clothing
Clothing can play a big part in looking after your child’s skin, allowing healing and preventing damage. ScratchSleeves make a product similar to a cardigan which is very hard for a toddler to remove but has been really carefully developed with eczema in mind. Their labelling is on the outside to make sure it isn’t irritating to skin and the material is super soft
silk and cotton. As your child grows the ScratchSleeves can be put under dungarees or other clothing to make it harder to remove. They also make pyjamas! With over 2,000 reviews and a 5 star rating on Trust Pilot it is well worth taking a look at ScratchSleeves eczema clothing.
Emollients
Speak to your pharmacist or GP about obtaining an emollient or eczema cream. It may be a case of trial and error to find the one that works best for your child. Make sure to use it even if your childs’ eczema is not in a flare up. If your child goes to childcare make sure they are given a pot to apply during the course of the day. You will need to include a permission slip and details of how and when to apply.
Hard water
Why would water be an issue for the skin? Surely water hydrates right? This is where many people overlook a key trigger of dry skin and exacerbating eczema. In the UK, 60% of homes are supplied with hard water and this is the issue. Hard water contains harsh minerals that are picked up as it passes through the ground. These minerals remain in the water supply and you’ll notice if you have hard water by limescale forming around taps, kettles, appliances and more. But the point when this becomes a skin issue is when bathing and showering in the water. These minerals combine with soaps and shampoos as you wash to leave behind scum on your skin. The scum is difficult to rinse off and as it dries on the skin, it strips out your natural oils and clogs pores causing irritation and dryness. To avoid hard water contributing to skin problems in your home, install a water softener that will remove the minerals. The result will allow more lather to form with less soap and it will rinse off the skin better allowing the skin to retain its natural oils to alleviate eczema.
Irritants
Soap can be an irritant and as such it is important to find one that is kind enough to be used by eczema sufferers. Handwashing is encouraged a lot with children, and again, if your child goes to a childcare setting you may wish to provide your own to reduce the risk of irritation. Make sure it is labelled clearly.
Ensure that if your child is staying with family or friends you provide your own hand soap, bubble bath and shampoo to help prevent a flare up.
Speak up
For your child’s emotional and physical health it is important that you inform the school or childcare setting of your child’s eczema. They have a duty to work with you to eliminate the triggers they may face while not in your care. Communication is key.