The exact reasons for eczema remain a puzzle despite all our medical knowledge. Typically, contact with some external allergen triggers an allergic reaction, leading to the typical skin symptoms and changes seen in sufferers. Although eczema can occur on many parts of the body, with baby eczema, it is usually first noticed on their face. Although the problem is widespread around the world,

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 two. Not every child is so lucky and it can follow them into adulthood when the condition may even become severe. Almost anyone can be affected by this problem at any time in their life but it is babies that are most likely to suffer. As many as a third of all sufferers developed the condition before they were twelve months old,

Baby eczema is most likely to be most common type (atopic eczema) and is normally found on the arms, legs, face and scalp as a red rash that itches and has a scaly appearance. This type, atopic eczema, tends to run in families and is often triggered when the baby’s skin isn’t moisturized correctly. Often the trigger mechanism is either the detergent or fabric conditioner used to wash the baby’s clothes and this can also be the trigger for the condition in adults as well. It has also discovered that baby eczema was more likely if the mother gave up breastfeeding early which could mean that breast milk may contain something that protects the infant.

Other medical conditions, such as respiratory infections, may also act as triggers. It has also been found that if the baby’s mother has asthma, they are more prone to suffer with this condition but other contributing elements include food allergies and allergic rhinitis. Food allergies are thought to account for up to 30 percent of childhood cases,however, if this is the situation, there is no longer any reason why the child should have it its diet once the problem food has been confirmed. 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:

Sea-FoodMilk Products with milk as an ingredientWheatFood prepared using eggsPeanuts

Often, the cause of baby eczema is attributed to antibiotics given to the child when it was born. Treating babies requires a little more thought as they cannot tell us what irritates them so only bath them in lukewarm water and use fragrance free, hypoallergenic creams. using only fragrance-free products, can also help. Baby’s often scratch themselves so keeping their nails short is the way to prevent inflamed skin becoming infected from scratching. 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.