Eczema is a skin condition that can be severe or mild depending upon the person. There are many types of eczema and a physician should diagnose knowing which type you suffer from. Atopic eczema is thought to be hereditary. Most who suffer from atopic eczema are sensitive to allergens in the environment. This hereditary condition is an excessive reaction by the immune system to produce inflamed, irritated, and sensitive skin, while other types of eczema are typically a result of chemicals and detergents.

Eczema can appear in anyone, at any age. Eczema makes the skin feel itchy, look red, and can have red irritated bumps. More severe cases of eczema can cause the skin to crack around these raised bumps and even bleed.

While there are many things you can do to prevent eczema if you already have a case you should seek a physician to treat it because most off the shelf products will not cure you. Below we will look at eczema in children and some preventative measures.

Children have naturally sensitive skin; while they may grow out of eczema the cases that appear may be frequent. You can prevent eczema in children by keeping their skin moisturized on a daily basis, giving them proper baths, and knowing there allergies. As stated above many cases of eczema are a result of allergens in the environment.

If a child is allergic to the moisturizer you are using chances are the eczema they experience will not go away until you remove the infecting agent. When your child has a case of eczema you may need to enlist a teacher or nurse’s help in applying the treatment during school hours.

There are three types of common treatments. An emollient, which is a cream you apply to the infected area. This is often a stronger cream than you can purchase on the shelves and used for mild cases of eczema in children. The emollients are safe to use and require clean hands to apply the cream to prevent further infection or adding other infectious agents.

The next type of treatment is used for a more severe case of eczema. A topical steroid applied to the skin on the irritated patch can help reduce the inflammation. With children you need to be careful to apply the topical steroid in a thin layer over the infected area only. If you apply on other areas or thickly it can have an adverse affect.

Usually a topical steroid is used twice a day, morning and evening. If you have a young child with eczema you should be aware of the harmful affects if swallowed. Speak with a professional about your concerns regarding topical steroids for young children. You may be able to switch to a less common treatment such as bandage wraps instead to cover the infected area.

The third type of treatment is an antihistamine. An antihistamine can help the child sleep at night while working on their eczema. With children antihistamines often cause drowsiness so they will use other forms of treatment during the day. Most often antihistamines are used when a child also suffers from asthma.

Children have sensitive skin and may grow out of the effects of eczema. It is important to seek a professional for treatment with children because many other things found on playgrounds or around other children can infect the infected areas. Many shelf products many not work on the severe cases of eczema and therefore should not be tried without a doctor’s consent with children. Eczema may also be hereditary and these cases tend to move through childhood into adulthood.