Baby's dry skin

Fine, dark hair on my daughter's back

My child suffers from severe eczema

My son has lots of warts

Question
My one year old has extremely dry, itchy patches on her skin.

She developed them during December 2005. I have taken her off of cows' milk and meat and now feed her soy based formulae and lots of legumes.

Is there something else I can do to reduce the itching and patchiness? The patches are very light and look horible.

Answer
There are several measures that can be undertaken to help childhood eczema.

To begin with, ensuring your daughter's nails are cut short and not sharp and giving her mittens to wear at night will reduce the risk of scratching, especially when asleep.

The use of emollients, such as Aqueous cream and Diprobase cream, two to three times daily will help to moisten the skin and relieve the 'itch-scratch' cycle.

It is a good idea to avoid biological detergents and soap, avoiding pure woollen clothes and nylon.

Oilatum or Oilatum plus for the bath will prevent the skin from becoming too dried out in the process of washing.

Parents tend to shy away from the regular use of steroid creams in childhood eczema and I would applaud this attitude on the whole. However, there are occasions when a mild steroid cream (eg 1% hydrocortisone) applied sparingly twice daily to the worst affected areas can be the most effective form of treatment.

There may also be occasions when the need for antibiotics arise owing to the eczema becoming infected. Stronger steroid treatments may be needed in the management of acute eczema flare-ups, to gain control before stepping down treatment.

Antihistamine treatments can be of help overnight occasionally to relieve irritation and aid sleep.

You have already manipulated your daughter's diet in an effort to control her eczema. It is difficult to judge the outcome of such manoeuvres, especially when there are so many other things going on and possibly several foods could be implemented.

Elimination from the diet of a particular substance for around four weeks is usually sufficient to make a valid decision as to whether it has had an impact on the condition.

Yours sincerely

Dr John Pillinger, GP

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