The most common area for children to develop eczema rash is on the folds of their limbs where the sweat irritates and skin gets hotter due to movements.
We received a query from a concerned mother who has been trying to manage her daughter’s stubborn eczema, and prefers to avoid dependency on steroids medication if possible.
She has visited the GP who prescribed steroid creams. It used to work in the past but recently her eczema got worse. She heard of the side effects of steroids cream and decided to find an alternative solution. She tried mixing essential oil like pure geranium and lavender oil in her conventional moisturizers but it didn’t seem to help. She tried Suu Balm moisturizer which helped to relief the itch a bit she still scratches and her skin is now broken.
“Now that her skin is broken, she complains that it stings when I apply moisturizer.”
“I have used the steroid cream only sparingly in the past because it was mild. But in the last half a year or so her eczema got progressively worse so I have been using it more. In the last 2 months maybe once every 2-3 days until I got scared and stopped using it. Then it really got worse. So yesterday I put again. Because she was crying and I don’t know what else to do.”
How to treat broken/wounded skin rash?
Once the skin is broken, you should avoid applying conventional lotion or moisturisers directly on the wound. Only moisturisers that are made from natural oils or specially-formulated ointments can be tolerated by wounded skin.
We advise to apply Argasol silver gel as the first antiseptic layer on the wounded red areas or broken parts. After it absorbs, apply a thin layer of Pure emu oil which acts as a mild natural moisturizer that can aid healing and inflammation.
These products can be applied together with creams prescribed by your doctor. However, take note that if your prescription already contains antibiotic properties, then you can skip the application of silver gel.
Can I use normal kids wash on the flareup skin?
During flareup, it is advisable to use specially-formulated wash or eczema, such as QV Flareup Bath range to treat the flareup areas. Since the area of rash is quite specific to only two parts of the body, I would advice to use QV Flareup Foam Wash for 2 weeks.
Once the rash calms down after 2 weeks, you can switch to the maintenance cleanser which is suitable for children eczema example Ezerra Gentle Cleanser or equivalent. Normal kids wash or cleanser which is not suited for dry skin may dry up the skin further, especially those that bubbles or forms a lot.
How to prevent scratching and breaking the skin, especially children who cannot control their scratching at night?
Once the flareup starts to subside, it may get drier. Dryness can cause itching. Apply a moisturizer that helps to calm the redness further like Ezerra plus cream which helps to treat the dry skin and help with itch from inflammation.
To prevent the skin from breaking again, the child can wear the eczema bamboo gloves at night so that the rash and skin does not break if she scratches unconsciously. It also helps to prevent bacteria from the finger nails from coming into contact with the rash.
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