Publication date Sep 14, 2007
Eczema can make your child’s skin itchy, red and sore. It can be distressing for you to see your child uncomfortable and scratching themselves. Fortunately, there are treatments that can relieve eczema symptoms.
Eczema is a condition that makes patches of skin become dry, red and itchy. But scratching the skin can make it bleed, and become thick and scaly.
There are several types of eczema. The most common is atopic eczema. If your child has eczema this is probably what they have. The information here is about atopic eczema, but we call it just 'eczema'.
If something is atopic, it means it's linked to an allergy. If you have an allergy, your immune system (the parts of your body that fight infection) overreacts to certain things that don't affect other people. Common things that trigger allergic reactions in children with eczema are pollen; animal’s skin, fur and feathers; some soaps and detergents; stress and sweating. But you may never know what causes your child’s symptoms.
Eczema can make your child's skin:
When you child’s symptoms suddenly get worse, your doctor may say they have a ‘flare-up’.
The places on your child's body where they get eczema may change are they get older. Babies often have eczema on their cheeks and chin. Children tend to get it on the inside of the elbows, behind the knees, and on the wrists, ankles and hands.
Eczema can cause your child's skin to get infected. If the skin becomes infected, your child may also get:
If you think your child’s skin is infected, take them to see your doctor. Infections need to be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics kill the bacteria that caused the infection and keep it from spreading.
One of the best things you can do is to rub plenty of moisturiser into your child’s skin every day. A regular skin-care routine can help your child's skin feel less dry and itchy. It can also stop eczema flaring up.
Moisturisers come as lotions, ointments, creams and bath oils. Doctors may call them 'emollients'. Moisturisers that you rub into the skin include aqueous cream, Diprobase and E45 cream or lotion. Others, such as Balneum bath oil and Oilatum, you add to the bath or shower. You can use as much moisturiser as you like on your child’s skin. The best time to apply a moisturiser is after a bath or shower because it helps to 'lock' water into the skin. Using bath oil in the bath or shower beforehand can help this process. Ointments are usually used when the skin is very dry.
Steroid creams and lotions are often used alongside moisturisers to help treat eczema and stop it flaring up. There is a good chance that using a steroid cream or lotion will reduce itching and inflammation caused by eczema. Steroids work for nearly everyone who uses them. They come in different strengths.
Your doctor will prescribe the lowest-strength steroid that works for your child. You need to apply a thin layer of the steroid cream or lotion to the affected skin. Put the cream or lotion on in the same way your doctor shows you.
Eczema tends to come back. So you might want to try using a steroid cream two days a week to prevent symptoms returning.
Steroids may sting or irritate your child’s skin at first. Some people worry that steroids can make skin thinner. But this only tends to be a problem with high dose steroids that are used for a long time.
Occasionally, If your child’s eczema is severe and doesn’t clear up after using moisturisers and steroid creams, your doctor may prescribe a cream called pimecrolimus (brand name Elidel) or an ointment called tacrolimus (Protopic). These treatments dampen down the immune system's response to the things that can trigger eczema. They can only be used in children over 2 years old. Pimecrolimus should only be used for a short time (not continuously). Tacrolimus is used for more serious eczema.
They are both quite new treatments. So doctors don’t yet know if they cause serious side effects. For this reason, they tend to only be used if other treatments haven’t helped.
These treatments may be used occasionally.
Wet dressings and bandages are sometimes used to help steroid creams and moisturisers soak into the skin.
Or your child may be prescribed antihistamine tablets. These might be used to reduce itching. Because some antihistamines make you sleepy, doctors think they can also help children sleep better and make them less likely to scratch themselves.
Ultraviolet light can be used on its own or with a drug called psoralen. This drug makes skin more sensitive to ultraviolet light, so the light treatment is more likely to work. The combination is known as PUVA, which stands for psoralen plus UVA (UVA means ultraviolet A, a kind of ultraviolet light). Psoralen comes as pills or as a solution that you add to the bath.
There are things you can do yourself to help reduce itching and keep your child’s skin moist. To learn more, see our information on what you can do to help your child if they have eczema.
About 6 in 10 children grow out of their eczema or have milder symptoms as they grow older. But sometimes eczema can come back when you are an adult, often on your hands.
Very bad eczema can be distressing for both you and your child. The National Eczema Society (www.eczema.org) may be able to put you in touch with other parents in your area, to find out how they manage. It also provides regular updates of the latest research on eczema.
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice.
If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.