Eczema… The Itch That Rashes

Eczema. It’s awful, dry, red, scaly, and often extremely itchy.

In babies, it primarily appears on the face and the outsides of the elbows and knees.

This common skin condition affects about 1 in 10 children around the world while 31.6 million Americans still have some form of eczema that they developed during early childhood. I know about this condition all too well as my daughter suffered from it for a long time.

Why does it happen? Eczema is associated with food and environmental allergies, and it develops due to a weakened skin barrier.

Babies who suffer from eczema typically have a problem with their skin barrier which causes moisture to escape from the skin, resulting in skin dryness and cracking. Skin becomes more permeable. Irritants and allergens can penetrate the skin which initiates inflammation in the skin.

What can a mom do to help her child with eczema?

First, identify and get rid of all potential allergy triggers

Second, begin strengthening the babies skin barrier.

One easy way you can do this is by switching to 100% all natural skin care products that are water-free. You might be thinking, how does this help? Well… moisturizers with water contain chemicals. Which means that the product is up to 90% water and there are chemical preservatives inside.

These chemical preservatives are very bad for adult skin, and even worse on baby’s skin! They strip off natural oils of the skin, change the skin’s pH level, affect developing hormone systems, and more!

Not to mention, chemical preservatives weaken the skin barrier function. The outermost layer of your skin, also known as your skin barrier, defends your body against pathogens, chemicals, and allergens. When the skin barrier is weakened from chemical preservatives, it makes eczema WORSE!

So, when it comes to the health of your baby, this is probably not something that you don’t want to ignore. Especially because your baby’s skin absorbs chemicals and toxins more easily than an adult’s skin.

What’s the best approach as a mother? Look for products that are baby-safe and water-free. These products don’t contain chemicals that harm your child, and can actually help to heal eczema. Only water-free topicals can be chemical-free.