Atopic Dermatitis in Children: Treatments

The atopic dermatitis in children is very common. Dermatitis (known  also as eczema), is a skin condition characterized by flaky rash breakouts, which are the result of skin hypersensitivity.  This is a type of allergy that provokes inflammation in the area, along with other symptoms.  It is common in  children and babies.  At that age, it frequently disappears when the baby turns 3.

Causes that provoke atopic dermatitis in children

• Exposure to textile fibers like wool or synthetics
• Contact with water
• Creams or ointments with irritating ingredients for infant’s skin.  Applying too many creams, perfumes, powders, etc., to baby’s skin
• Dry skin
• Use of soaps or shampoos with irritating ingredients
• Disposable diapers
• Temperature changes
• Tense, anxious, or stressful emotional environment
• Emotional irritation
• Lack of beta-carotene in diet

Symptoms of atopic dermatitis

• Skin dryness
• Festering blisters
• Redness or inflammation of the skin surrounding the blisters
• Intense itching, formation of scabs, and flaky skin
• Skin turns thick and acquires a texture similar to leather.  In small children, skin lesions typically appear on the cheeks, the elbows and/or knees, which can spread to the neck, hands, feet, eyelashes, etc.

Natural solutions for fighting atopic dermatitis in children

• Keep baby or child away from highly contaminated environments and tobacco smoke.
• Avoid soaps and shampoos, and rub creams and ointments on baby that are not hypo-allergenic.
• Dress baby and children in natural cotton clothing, preferably organic.
• Mother’s milk: it has been shown that children who drink mother’s milk during their first year of life are less predisposed to suffer from this.  Especially if the nursing mother has not consumed cow’s milk in her diet.  If you are breastfeeding and your child has dermatitis, increase your dietary consumption of beta-carotene or vitamin A.  You can get this from fresh carrot juice and other foods, like seaweed.
• If the dermatitis is severe, avoid pharmaceutical medications and ointments at all costs.  These only aggravate the situation.  It is best to clean the area with a clean cotton towel, with mineral water or chamomile, and apply natural Alove vera gel or cream to nourish the skin.  Tepezcohuite cream could also work in some cases.
• After bath time, it is important to try to keep the area of the skin moist with natural vegetable oils, and cold pressed oils like castor oil, wheat germ oil, almond or rose oil.
• Avoid frequent contact with water, especially tap water that contains a lot of chlorine and that dries the skin out.  If it is a baby, it is recommendable to bathe them with bottled water, as this contains less chlorine.
• Try to keep baby’s environment warm and relaxed: avoid stressful noises or music.  If the mother is angry, anxious, or stressed, avoid contact with the baby.  The smaller the child is the more they absorb the emotional states of those that surround them, and a stressful or irritable environment promotes dermatitis.
• Including cow’s milk in the child’s diet could make them prone to suffering from eczema.
• If the child eats pretty much anything and has dermatitis, it is important to keep white sugar, animal dairy, peanuts, and packaged and fried foods out of his/her diet.
• You must give the child a glass of carrot juice every day to nourish and naturally rebuild his/her skin.
• Include foods like miso, fresh vegetables, and citrus fruits, which can help keep the body’s immune system functioning well.
• Parents or those that care for the child should avoid worrying too much about dermatitis, and trust in the body’s natural process of recovering and healing itself.  Excessive worry could lead to taking drastic measures, like applying ointments and medications, that only stunt the body’s self-healing capacities.  Paying attention to the problem only makes it worse, or feeds it.  You should take the necessary measures, and then take a step back from the subject.  You must remember that babies and children are just now strengthening and balancing their defense systems, but little by little, as they grow, their immune system is strengthened and will be less and less prone to getting sick.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 05/18/2018

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