When you feel an itch, your first instinct is to scratch it for relief. Sometimes a simple scratch will help right away, and sometimes that itch continues to drive you crazy. For people with eczema, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, scratching won't make the itch go away. In fact, it will only perpetuate the red, itchy, flaky skin caused by eczema.
But try telling that to a kid. Since eczema commonly strikes in young children, it's important to find ways to prevent it from spreading to different parts of the body and to curb the scratching. A number of factors can trigger an eczema flare-up, only some of which can be controlled. If a flare-up occurs, there are two types of medications, steroidal and non-steroidal, that can be applied to help relieve the symptoms of eczema. While the word "steroid" may carry the stigma of dangerous body-building steroids, the steroids used for eczema are a different type of drug.
Doris Day, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the New York University Medical Center. She often treats children with eczema, and has helpful advice on how to approach their treatment, including the advantages and disadvantages of steroidal and non-steroidal treatments.
When do parents seek help for their child's eczema?
I tend to see children after about the age one or two, though sometimes they are as old as five, six or seven. These are children whose parents may have been unable to manage it with their pediatrician.
Copyright 2009 NBC Health
Click here to read the rest of the article at HealthVideo.com
