Eczema and atopic dermatitis are both common inflammatory skin diseases in young children. Symptoms of eczema and atopic dermatitis are easy to mistake, which makes the treatment go in the wrong direction and makes the baby’s skin condition worse. The article shares experiences to help parents know how to distinguish eczema and atopic dermatitis.
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Subject is susceptible to eczema and atopic dermatitis
More than 60% of babies develop eczema in the first 3 months of life, and the proportion of infants with atopic dermatitis is even higher. Eczema is a form of Eczema eczema, which can progress to chronic and recur by a certain age. Atopic dermatitis is also a form of Ezecma eczema, which occurs as a result of a baby’s skin dysfunction and the disease can also develop chronically.
Unlike atopic dermatitis that does not limit the age of disease, eczema only occurs in children from 2 months to under 2 years old. The disease accounts for about 15% of skin problems in young children. At the same time, both eczema and atopic dermatitis have similar symptoms and have limited effects on children’s health.
Causes of eczema and atopic dermatitis
Eczema and atopic dermatitis are both non-infectious skin diseases. Most causes of the disease are localized, and the disease is highly inherited if there is a family history of the disease. However, the identified causes of eczema and atopic dermatitis are distinct. Detail:
Causes of eczema
- Children with sensitive terrain: Eczema is more likely to occur in children with sensitive terrain, if the child has dry skin, it will create favorable conditions for eczema to appear.
- Resistance: Infants have incomplete resistance system, or due to lack of nutrition, lack or excess of micronutrients from breast milk also increase the risk of skin irritation in babies.
- Genetics: Genetics is also a common cause of disease. If the child has a parent with atopic allergy, the genetic ability is 50%, if both parents are allergic, the rate is 80%.
- Disorders in the body : If your child has disorders related to the secretory system, digestion, endocrine activity, nerve function, it will increase the risk of eczema in children.
Causes of atopic dermatitis
Eczema and atopic dermatitis have a common trait in their genetics. There are currently no accurate statements about the causes of atopic dermatitis in children, but only the factors that increase the risk of disease formation are identified as follows:
- Asthma: Infants born to parents with chronic asthma have a greater risk of inherited asthma, allergies, and atopic dermatitis from parents.
- Age and gender issues: Not only children but also adults, middle-aged or elderly people can develop atopic dermatitis. In which, the rate of women having the disease is higher than that of men.
- Allergen Contact : Infants may experience allergic dermatitis or irritation to chemicals, detergents, scented baths or shampoos … The younger the baby is, the protective film on the skin will not perfection should be more easily stimulated by these factors.
Distinguish the symptoms of eczema and atopic dermatitis
Eczema and atopic dermatitis are both common baby skin problems. The basic manifestations are red skin, papules, itching, blisters or pustules … However, if observed clearly, parents will notice that atopic dermatitis and eczema have relatively different manifestations. To identify the problem a child is having, parents should monitor for the following symptoms:
Symptoms of eczema in a newborn
In most common dermatological diseases are classified into acute and chronic groups. However, eczema is divided into 3 levels: acute, subacute and chronic. In each stage children will have specific symptoms such as:
- In the acute phase: Initially, young skin appears blisters, a pink rash in a cluster, the blisters may collect into oozing oozing bubbles.
- In the subacute phase: Symptoms level off and are confined to certain areas, scaly skin, itchiness, and are intermediate between acute and chronic.
- In the chronic stage: Children often fussy, insomnia, anorexia, frequent scratching and touching eczema, in darker pigmented areas. The skin surface has furrowed lesions, the skin thickens and becomes rough to the point of cracking and bleeding.
Symptoms of atopic dermatitis in the newborn
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic disease, but at first, symptoms appear only when there is a catalyst or due to the influence of temperature or the environment. Symptoms easily identified in atopic dermatitis include:
- The surface of the skin appears as erythematous, irregularly shaped, usually on the face, arms or legs. Symptoms initially appear in large areas of skin, then spread to related skin areas.
- The skin is dry and scaly, and the skin’s surface continues to be red with small blisters. These blemishes can rupture and discharge, and a painful sensation, after rupture, reveal a pink-red, shiny young skin.
- Similar to eczema, atopic dermatitis causes generalized itchiness, weight loss, anorexia, and a mild condition.
- If the inflamed skin is located in the joint area, the child may experience muscle pain and sleeplessness.
Dangerous levels of eczema and atopic dermatitis
Compared to the degree of danger, dermatologists rated these two diseases to be equally similar. If atopic dermatitis in a newborn is especially dangerous because the disease can turn into superinfection, a large-scale infection, eczema can result in physical poor development in the baby.
Atopic dermatitis causes inflammatory, itchy, and unpleasant redness. If not handled well, these areas are susceptible to infection. Infants do not have enough resistance to prevent the disease, the infected skin areas are especially dangerous.
Eczema usually does not cause the same effects as atopic dermatitis. The itchiness can go away on its own when you are younger than 2 years old. However, whether or not children can heal on their own, or leave scars or bruises due to eczema, depends on the parent’s care. The effects of eczema are often anorexia, weight loss caused by the discomfort of children from itchy skin.
Therefore, although eczema can resolve on its own, parents should be wary of the negative effects that symptoms bring. Whether a baby has eczema or atopic dermatitis, he or she always needs good initial care to keep the disease under control at a mild stage.
Treatment and care of eczema and atopic dermatitis in children
Eczema and atopic dermatitis are both chronic inflammatory skin diseases, the ability to recur many times during a child’s development. Treatment combines drug use that combines many factors, such as proper care and hygiene of the child’s body. There are general and specific treatment principles for children with these two problems that parents need to remember are:
General principles
- Local treatment using drugs with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, initial itch-relieving effects for the child.
- Eczema and atopic dermatitis are both diseases that dry out the skin, so it is most important for your child to get regular moisturizer. If your child has eczema and mild atopic dermatitis, a small extent of dry and red skin can simply use a moisturizer. Apply topically or bathe your body with a high humidity shower gel, 1 to 2 times a day.
- In case children have lesions of exudate, parents should use a water-based topical medicine such as Eosin 2%, methylene blue drug or clean the skin with a dilute lotus pink diluted purple liquid, combined with antiseptic pools. .
- Corticoid-containing anti-inflammatory drugs can be used as directed by your doctor. Corticoid dosage depends on specialist indications, topical corticosteroids help regenerate the protective skin barrier layer.
- Using topical corticosteroids in the form of ointment, children should use diflucortolon, dermovat, diprosalic or betamethasone, … 1-2 times / day.
- In case of young skin showing signs of superinfection from bacteria: Using systemic antibiotics, children under 2 years old can use macrolide because it causes less allergic reactions. Or use 1 generation cephalosphorin response to treatment within 10-14 days.
- In case of severe infections, especially staphylococci, streptococcus, topical antibiotics combined with oral use.
- Do not give children foods that cause allergies such as peanuts, seafood, eggs, and fermented foods. At the same time, limit exposure of children to skin irritants, respiratory allergens …
- Wash your child’s body with warm water, low-alkaline soap, and apply a moisturizing cream after drying the baby’s body.
- Put on gloves for the baby to not scratch or rub it hard on the damaged skin. Be careful to use topical or oral medication according to the instructions of the treating doctor.
Own treatment principle
- For eczema
Eczema will go away quickly if parents treat it with measures dedicated to this condition. The 1-2.5% hydrocortisone group is effective in treating eczema, but only used for the outer areas of the face. Large doses of corticosteroids can cause skin atrophy and darkening of the skin, especially in infants under 3 months old. The drug is not used when there is superinfection on the skin.
Oral antibiotics should not be used in a baby with onset of eczema. Mainly skin care and moisturizer. Note that high doses of topical drugs affect the adrenal glands and baby’s development.
- For children with atopic dermatitis
Children older than 2 years can use drugs with moderate activity such as desonid, clobetason butyrate. If the baby’s skin is already damaged, the skin is thin, sensitive, the use of a mild corticoid ointment, maintained for a short time. The skin is lichenized, the surface of the keratosis is used stronger steroids to reduce itching and inflammation.
Antipruritic drugs are used when a child has a lot of itch that affects sleep and activity. In which, the group of synthetic antihistamines has anti-itch and anti-allergic effects simultaneously. Dosage of drugs to treat atopic dermatitis due to allergies: Chlopheniramin (4mg) 2 capsules / day or vitamin C (0.10g) 10 tablets / day, Histalong 10mg 1 tablet / day.
– If the symptoms of acute dermatitis have just flared, the child should rest and limit exposure to polluted air. In addition, if the baby is still in the breastfeeding period, the mother must not use stimulants or irritating foods to preserve the quality of milk.
How to reduce itching for children with eczema and atopic dermatitis
Itchiness caused by eczema and atopic dermatitis are the most annoying symptoms that affect babies most when a baby has one of these two diseases. The more children scratch, the more the damaged skin spreads, leading to a higher chance of superinfection. The important treatment goal is to relieve the itching of the child, not only by taking the medicine but also in the following ways:
- Hygiene for the baby
Without proper hygiene, the eczema can be very itchy and the itch will continue to spread. Every day parents should clean the inflamed skin with warm water 1-2 times and bathe the baby 1 time / day. This ensures younger skin is less itchy and eliminates the risk of skin infections.
Parents should mix warm bath water, bath water that is too hot or too cold will dry the baby’s skin and make the itch more uncomfortable. When bathing children, parents do not rub hard on the baby’s damaged skin. At the same time, use a shower gel with natural extracts, which is safe and gentle for sensitive skin. After bathing, dry the baby and then put on clothes.
- Let the skin cool
If the child’s skin is always sweaty, this will create conditions for more bacteria to arise on the eczema or atopic dermatitis. The weather is hot, the baby’s body is wet, causing more severe itching and pimples. Therefore, parents should let children wear cool clothes and use clean towels to wipe their sweat regularly.
If the dermatitis area is in the buttocks or thighs, parents limit frequent diapering so that the baby does not itch, discomfort. Parents should let babies live in a cool, cool temperature while the child has dermatitis.
- Use coconut oil
The main use of coconut oil is to replenish moisture, thanks to its lauric acid, coconut oil also helps to control the growth of staph bacteria on the skin. In addition, the medium-fat chain, including vitamin E in coconut oil, also enhances moisture, improves keratosis and dry skin. Children with eczema and atopic dermatitis can recover faster using this essence.
Phytonutrients and polyphenols are natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant substances. They can help promote skin health and thereby protect the skin naturally.
How to do it: After bathing and cleaning the baby’s body, parents use a towel to dry the child and apply coconut oil for the baby. Only a few drops of coconut oil should be used just enough to apply to the skin with eczema or atopic dermatitis. Then use your fingertips to gently massage in this position so that the essence penetrates the skin faster. Parents should do 2 times a day.
- Use betel leaves
Most of the symptoms of dermatitis in newborns can be treated with betel leaves. This is an herb with a variety of medicinal properties, such as active antioxidants, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, essential oils, vitamins … Betel leaf bath water does not cure skin diseases and disinfect wounds. Effective and extremely safe for babies.
Method: Parents using betel leaves without cooking water to bathe the child or using betel juice to apply on the child’s skin are equally effective. If using betel leaf juice to apply to eczema, parents should do it 1-2 times / day for 2 consecutive weeks. Or boil betel leaves to wash and bathe your baby, do it 1 time / day for 1 week.
- Use green tea leaves
Green tea leaves are known as an effective anti-inflammatory herb. Green tea leaf has many anti-inflammatory active substances belonging to the polyphenol group, including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and flavanols, epicatechin gallate, epicatechin and antioxidants such as quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin, among many other B vitamins. Thanks to that, green tea is used in the treatment of many different skin diseases, including eczema and atopic dermatitis in children.
Directions: Parents can use fresh green tea leaves to boil water to wash the eczema-prone skin. Should add a little salt to boiled water to increase the healing effect.
Eczema and atopic dermatitis are both common skin diseases in babies and young children. However, eczema is more common in breastfed babies. Parents can improve their child’s dermatitis at home through care, or bring their children to the doctor for specific treatment instructions to ensure their child’s safety.
