Eczema is a common skin disorder. This problem can become unbearable for you if your child is suffering from it. About ten to twenty babies have this problem in their first year. Many of these improve and don't have this condition by the time they are two years old.
In this condition the skin itches continuously and since the baby isn't able to communicate its pain it only cries. It is characterised by periods without symptoms followed by further outbreaks of differing severity. Children with dry skin have more chances of getting eczema. This disease can also help trigger asthma, hay fever etc.
Nobody knows the causes of eczema, but for three quarters of sufferer's infantile eczema, asthma or hay fever run in the family. The rash is normally dry, but the skin can be infected with bacteria (impetiginized eczema) in which case the eczema will begin to produce pus. This is a vital signal, and you should not waste anytime if you see these developing.
From the start till about when the child is one-and-a-half to two-years old, the disease will follow a set pattern, with the rash appearing behind the knees and in the bends of the arms, wrists, ankles and neck. Among adults, the typical symptoms are a variant of the pattern found in children. The baby eczema, dry on a base of thickened skin, normally appears on the torso and is often infected with skin bacteria. Since the children can't be told that scratching will worsen the problem, so they are prone to do it in which case mittens could be a useful option. Regular application can also be helpful in soothing out mild cases of eczema.
