After the birth of Ding Ding, the whole family was overjoyed and took care of him every day. But before the full moon, some red bumps appeared on Ding’s face and some yellow scabs on the top of his head, so his mother wondered what was wrong with him.
At the child health clinic, the doctor gave a diagnosis of eczema.
What is eczema?
Eczema is a common inflammatory skin disease of the epidermis and superficial dermis that is generally thought to be related to allergic reactions. Its clinical manifestations are symmetrical, exudative, pruritic, polymorphic and recurrent. It can occur at any age, but is most common in infants and children. Infantile eczema mostly occurs in infants 2 to 3 months of age, with a small number having it within 7 days of birth, gradually decreasing after 1 year of age, and most can heal on their own after 2 years of age, but a few can extend into toddlerhood or childhood.
Why does eczema occur in babies?
(A) Genetic factors
Eczema in infants and children is closely related to genetic factors, especially in immediate family members who have eczema or other allergic symptoms are most common.
(ii) Environmental factors
Environmental factors are an important reason for the increased prevalence of eczema. Environmental allergens, including.
1, clothing: artificial fabrics, artificial leather products, and clothing-related printing and dyeing agents, bleaching agents, moth-proofing agents, anti-mildew agents, softeners, etc.
2, food: fertilizers, pesticides, artificial feed, feed additives for food production, preservatives, mineral oxidizers, spices, pigments, ripening agents, thickeners, etc. for food processing.
3, living environment: man-made building components, chemical coatings, plastic products, rubber products, artificial fibers, adhesives, waterproofing agents, electromagnetic radiation generated by electronic equipment in homes and offices, room cleaners, pesticides, etc.
4, pets: all kinds of fur animals, water animals are also the triggering factors of eczema in infants and children.
(C) infection factors
Some eczema is associated with infections from microorganisms. These microorganisms include Staphylococcus aureus, aerogenic fungi, etc. Therefore, some severe eczema is treated with topical anti-infective drugs.
(iv) Dietary factors
The most important factor for infants and children is still diet. Common allergens include milk, eggs, nuts, beans, seafood, etc.
Symptoms and classification of eczema
Most rashes are on the cheeks, forehead, between the eyebrows and head, and in severe cases there can be rashes on the forehead, back and extremities. The initial rash is erythematous, and later it is a small raised rash with spots and papules, which itches, and the rash can break and bleed out fluid, which dries to form a scab.
Infant eczema can be divided into: dry type, seborrheic type and exudative type.
(1) Dry type: eczema is manifested in red papules, which may have redness and swelling of the skin, with bran-like flaking and dry nodular scabs on the papules, and is very itchy.
(2) seborrheic type: eczema manifested as flushed skin, small papules on the oozing yellowish fatty liquid covering the rash, later formed a thick yellow scab, not easy to remove, to the top of the head and between the eyebrows, next to the nose, behind the ears, but the itching is less pronounced.
(3) Exudative type: Mostly seen in fatter infants, the red rash has water sores and erythema between them, and there can be swelling of the skin tissue, itching, and yellow plasma exuding or bleeding after scratching.
Most of the drugs used to treat eczema contain hormones. However, infants have a thin skin stratum corneum, and the use of such drugs may cause rapid hardening of the skin, pigmentation, redness, and inconsistency in color with the surrounding skin. Therefore, infant eczema medication should be used very carefully and not for a long time. Removing the trigger is the main treatment, and if the child is found to be allergic to a certain protein, it is important to stop the intake of this protein. Breast milk is one of the least allergenic proteins, so do not stop breastfeeding completely just because your child has eczema. It is important to weigh the pros and cons and to evaluate the need to stop breastfeeding with a medical professional and the parents.