Allergy Childhood Allergies
Why did my child get eczema?
Somebody in the family probably had eczema before your child had eczema. A common cause of eczema in early childhood is food allergy, and one of the things that people would work out is, "Is this a milk allergy? Are there certain foods that should be avoided? Is this a manifestation of some other immunologic disease?" For this sort of a thing, a paediatrician or a paediatric allergist might be helpful in sorting it out. Children are not just little adults; they are different and they have different diseases and this is true in their allergic development also. They haven't been exposed to things. A three-month-old who's never seen a cat probably isn't allergic to cats, but they still have the same sort of symptoms that someone who has cat allergy has. Children are different than adults and should be treated differently.
How is eczema treated for children?
Eczema is treated for children by first trying to establish if you can, the cause of the eczema. You often can't. Eczema is often idiopathic, by that I mean it just happens, we can't nail down a cause for it. But sometimes we can. Sometimes it's food allergies, sometimes it's a contact to the soap or the detergent that the child is using, sometimes it's something that is associated with a general systemic disease.One treats children or eczema with certain avoidance of the harsh chemicals that occur in certain detergents, and certain laundry detergents, in fabric softeners, in certain soaps that are harsh. And then one also gives a lot of moisturizers, a lot of soap substitutes, a lot of medication that is applied directly on the skin. Antihistamines can help the itching, and there are other specific medications that are stronger and used for children if necessary.But children are not just small adults, they have their unique systems, their unique diseases, and they should be treated uniquely. Infant eczema is a tough problem, and it's especially tough on parents because they feel so frustrated because they have this child, this baby who is itching, and scratching, and flaking, and they can't do much about it. Get some help.
