If dry, cracked, and generally irritated skin has adults in pain periodically due to an allergic reaction, stress, or weather, imagine the pain children and infants who have developed eczema go through. There have been supposed “miracle cures” for decades hoping to be the end to eczema but without expensive and dangerous prescription drugs; people searching a more natural approach have been silently suffering.
As a form of dermatitis (inflammation of the epidermis/skin), eczema is a broad term for a whole range of various skin conditions. The common denominator in all of these problems is that they are all consistent in the patient with symptoms like edema/swelling, dryness, itching, crusting, oozing, and blistering. Infantile eczema, for example, is a common case called atopic eczema which is a skin disease revolving around allergens. Believed to be hereditary, infantile eczema is often transmitted to babies through families who have a history of asthma and hay fever. Usually associated with red blotchy rashes on sensitive areas such as the head, neck, bottom, and inside the joints like between the fingers, under the knees, and inside the elbows, eczema can occur anywhere on the skin.
While searching for natural, healthy, and alternative soothers for childhood (or infantile) eczema, there are several different products that claim to be better than the scores of lotions, gels, creams, oatmeal baths, and powders aimed at “severely dry skin,” and are supposedly great for kids because of their highly sensitive skin. Because there is temptation to scratch an itch, it is important for parents to be able to control eczema, not only to prevent it from worsening in the present but also to ward off unsightly scars on their child’s skin.
An old product is made new again for eczema patients due to a new study. At less than ten dollars per jar, this make-up remover and moisturizing Vaseline-type product is non-toxic and safe for use on children. A study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in March 2009 showed that using Abolene Moisturizing Cleanser is now clinically-proven to treat eczema cases ranging from mild to moderate. Dermatologist Dr. David Bank says that with 10 percent of infants and children with the disease, they need a safe way to treat the cycle of itching and scratching that tends to further aggravate the skin, “The parents of the millions of children suffering from mild eczema will see results with drug-free Albolene, which provides superior skin moisturization by trapping moisture, especially in areas that are prone to chafing, dryness and irritation.”
If mom knows best, natural cures may be safer and more effective than doctor-prescribed steroid treatments, but because every child is different and every type of skin can be affected more sensitively than others, please consult with your pediatrician before altering your child’s treatment.