Did you know eczema affects 10 to 20% of children? I see many children in my Pediatric practice who are suffering from its effects. Not only is eczema a common condition, but it’s distressing and prone to complications (such as infection and bleeding). Children with eczema (and their parents) will also know that it is often associated with other difficulties such as poor quality sleep due to constant itching, scratching and bleeding.

These issues make life difficult and I believe both the community and health professionals understate the impact of eczema on children and their families. Affected children often scratch at night and therefore sleep poorly. This in turn can lead to impaired growth, development, concentration, appetite and even learning.

Our management of childhood eczema has been somewhat ‘light on’. We tell each other that he’ll grow out of it or its ok she won’t develop any scars. While this is true, what we should also be doing is working hard to treat the condition effectively, and ensuring that sleep and lifestyle are minimally affected.

We know the following are triggering factors for an eczema flare up:

·         Overheating

·         Dryness

·         An illness, like the common cold or gastro

·         Emotional stress

·         Sleep deprivation

·         Secondary bacterial infection of the skin

·         Irritants (such as soaps or nylon)

·         In some children, exposure to certain allergens

       such as egg, cow’s milk, wheat

All children with eczema respond differently, however I always recommend the following treatment guidelines:

·         Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize…paraffin or sorbelene are good

·        Keep your child cool. Try not to over-clothe them and, where possible,  keep their environment cool

·         Use bath oil rather than soaps

·         Avoid or reduce exposure to allergens if you can

·         Treat secondary bacterial infection aggressively with antibiotics (infection is suggested if the lesions have become weepy)

·         Don’t be afraid to use corticosteroid ointments (rather than creams) prescribed by your doctor. Better to treat the condition aggressively from the outset and then complications and chronic problems less likely to occur. Continue steroid ointments for 3 days after resolution of eczema inflammation.

·         Consider using wet dressings at night to for severely affected areas to reduce inflammation. This will keep the skin cool, moist and protected from scratching

If you are a parent with a child who has eczema you’ll no doubt be familiar with many of these suggestions. Other useful information can be found here. You may even have some of your own strategies that you could share? I’d love to hear.

While the outlook for childhood eczema is variable (children with multiple allergies generally have more severe and longer lasting eczema) the good news is most infants and children grow out of eczema by primary school. Also, long-term complications (such as scarring) are rare indeed. So hang in there everybody, there is light at the end of the eczema tunnel.