These Are the Best Eczema Treatments for Soothing Kids’ Skin

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Eczema is itchy and uncomfortable no matter what age you are, but it’s especially painful to watch babies and toddlers go through it, because they may not be able to communicate their discomfort. All you want to do is make them feel better, and using eczema products that soothe kids’ skin is a great way to start, but it’s also important to understand this skin condition and how your genetics may play a role — because they do. “Eczema is generally a hereditary condition,” Latanya T. Benjamin, MD, FAAD, Associate Professor of Pediatric Dermatology and Consulting Dermatologist for Mustela, tells SheKnows. “Eczema is 40 to 50 percent more likely to occur in children if one parent has a history of the condition. This increases to 50 to 80 percent if both parents suffer with eczema.”

Eczema can affect both kids and adults. “Although it’s possible to develop adult-onset eczema, most adults who have eczema have had it since childhood,” Hadley King, MD, Clinical Instructor of Dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Consulting Dermatologist for AcneFree, tells SheKnows. “For most kids, eczema improves with age but this is not true for everyone.”

Kids and Eczema: What to Know

As a reminder, eczema causes dry, rough, itchy, sometimes reddish patches of skin. It can be irritated by allergens, heat, and sweating, so symptoms tend to flare up in the spring and summer months, but winter can also be a tough season. “About half of my pediatric patients have worse eczema in the wintertime (due to excessive dryness of the skin and lack of atmospheric humidity) and the other half in the summer (due to heat that triggers intense itching),” Dr. Benjamin says. “Unfortunately, patients with the worst cases of eczema can be impacted year-round.” In babies, the scalp, neck folds, and face might be problem areas; for older kids, the ankles, wrists, between the fingers, the inner elbow, or behind the knee can be spots for patches to form, says pediatrician Dr. Mona Amin.

Though eczema is mostly hereditary, there are other things that can trigger it, namely stress in a child’s life — which “never helps any skin condition, whether it be acne, psoriasis or eczema,” Dr. Benjamin says. Aside from keeping your kid calm, there are other things parents can do to help their children’s eczema stay under control. For starters: Learn to identify — and avoid — your child’s specific triggers that result in an eczema flare, Benjamin says. Also, anyone with eczema should avoid excessive drying of the skin — so say goodbye to long hot baths or showers and stick to bathing in cooler water. Avoid harsh detergents and soaps (try all-natural cleaning products instead), products with fragrances, and any known allergic foods.

Choosing an Eczema Treatment for Kids

Tending to the skin barrier is the key to managing eczema, Dr. King says. “This means diligent use of hydrators and emollients and cleansing only with very gentle soap substitutes that won’t strip the skin of its natural oils and dry out the skin like detergents can. Humidifiers can also be helpful. When necessary, there are prescription medications that can be used to manage eczema, including topical and systemic corticosteroids and other immunomodulators.”

The products you use make a big difference as well — and making sure to apply them as soon as you see rough patches or notice your child getting itchy. “Moisturization and a good ointment can really help reduce the frequency of flares,” Dr. Amin says. “Gentle skin care and generous use of ointments or moisturizers can contain the eczema.” As experts previously told SheKnows, you want to look for fragrance-free products that contain gentle, moisturizing ingredients like colloidal oatmeal, ceramides, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter, while avoiding treatments that contain fragrances, dyes, or tons of chemicals.

Eczema is a chronic condition that comes and goes, so parents shouldn’t blame themselves when a flare-up happens. Just stick to your child’s skincare routine and it will get better. “Consistency and maintenance are key for eczema-prone skin,” Dr. Benjamin says. So consider adding the following eczema treatments for kids, which are specifically designed to soothe skin the skin of babies, toddlers, and young children, to your little one’s routine.

A version of this story was published October 2019.

This article was originally published on sheknows.com.