5 Best Practices for Managing Your Child's Eczema

When something affects the largest organ in the human body — the skin — life can have challenges, which is the case with eczema.

This skin condition, also known as atopic dermatitis, affects 16.5 million adults in the United States, alongside nearly 10 million kids.

As a pediatric practice, the Neighborhood Pediatrics team, headed by board-certified pediatricians Dr. Rachel McConnell and Dr. Sharon Lucas, focuses on the younger populations affected by eczema, which typically first presents itself in childhood.

Since there’s no cure for eczema, dealing with the skin condition comes down to management, and here are some best practices.

Get the right eczema team in your corner

Your first order of business is to have us fully evaluate your child’s eczema so that we can tailor a treatment plan to their unique needs. Having the right medical team in your corner is essential as we can ensure you have the tools and resources to keep your child happy and comfortable.

We can also investigate whether your child’s eczema gets triggered by certain substances, circumstances, or events, which allows us to put a preventive plan together.

Keep bath times under 15 minutes

With eczema, your child’s skin is extremely sensitive and delicate, so you want to keep bathing times short. Perhaps more importantly, you should avoid using hot water, which can damage your child’s skin. Instead, bathe your child in lukewarm water only.

Use only products designed for sensitive skin

Just as hot water can damage or irritate skin, so can products that touch your child’s skin, such as soaps, laundry detergents, and moisturizers — especially those with harsh cleansers and fragrances.

A great practice is to use products with a Seal of Acceptance from the National Eczema Association. Since 2008, this Seal is only allowed for use on products that meet rigorous skin safety and gentleness standards. To review a complete list of these products, click here.

4. Apply moisturizer after each bath

Now that you know which products are safe for your child’s skin, we want you to use them frequently. Dry skin is the biggest problem with eczema, so frequent moisturization is critical — at least three times a day.

You should apply moisturizer right after bathing your child to lock in some of the moisture from the bath.

Use only natural fabrics

Finding an approved laundry detergent is essential, and you should dress your child in only natural fabrics like cotton and wool. This also applies to any fabrics that touch your child’s skin, such as their bedding.

Synthetic fabrics like polyester can be scratchy and abrasive on sensitive skin, and this effect only gets magnified when eczema is present.

Between your care at home and our oversight here, we’re confident that we can help you and your child navigate their eczema more comfortably.

To learn more about managing your child’s eczema, we invite you to contact us at our Shenandoah, Texas, office at 832-843-2049. You can also use the online booking feature to schedule an appointment today.