Know The Truth About Eczema

The abundance of information on the internet helps parents manage their child’s eczema (atopic dermatitis). However, some unreliable sources will need filtering. Be careful in following false information to avoid compromising your child’s health. It’s important to know what’s TRUE from what’s FAKE.

Here’s a list of false information you should NOT believe about eczema (atopic dermatitis).

Fake News 1: Eczema is contagious.

A lot of people believe that eczema is a contagious infection that spreads from one person to another. To be clear, it’s NOT. Eczema is NOT contagious and it DOESN’T spread through physical contact.

Fake News 2: Eczema is caused by poor hygiene.

Eczema is a skin condition that is not due to poor hygiene. Frequency of bath times is not as big of a factor as the temperature of the water, the duration of the bath time, and the products used. To avoid further skin damage, remember to bathe in lukewarm water for no longer than 15 minutes while using hypoallergenic soaps.

Fake News 3: Eczema in the family history guarantees children will have eczema too.

It's not 100% guaranteed that eczema will be passed on to the children if there’s a family history of it. It only increases the chances of it happening, but it's not set in stone. If both parents have eczema, there's an 80% chance the child will inherit it. However, there are also cases where parents don’t have eczema but the child still develops it. Eczema happens on a case to case basis; a lot of unknown factors can cause it to happen.

Fake News 4: Eczema is a childhood condition that can be outgrown.

Although eczema usually develops during childhood, it can develop at any age. It usually shows when babies are around two to six months old and disappear around the age of six. And even if it stays, it’s less of a problem for teenagers and adults, as it usually regresses into occasional flare-ups. Just remember that it varies in severity, duration, and treatments.

Fake News 5: Eczema goes away if you avoid eating certain foods.

Some allergies may coincide with eczema, but they aren't the cause of eczema. Even if you avoid food that makes you itchy, your eczema is still there. The absence of itchiness doesn't mean the absence of eczema. Lastly, you shouldn't remove food from your child's diet in the first place without consulting your child's doctor.

Fake News 6: Children with eczema cannot go swimming.

Children with eczema CAN go swimming and enjoy their time in the water! Just remember to wash off the chlorine afterwards and re-apply moisturizer as soon as possible. But when the skin does get flare-ups, it’s better to re-schedule the activity and let the inflammations subside first.

Fake News 7: Eczema is just dry skin and not a serious condition.

Eczema isn’t just a bad case of dry skin. It’s a big deal! It impacts the child’s quality of life both physically and psychologically. Having an impaired skin barrier makes it hard to retain skin moisture. This makes it easier for irritants to enter the skin, causing the immune system to have an inflammatory response. This is when the skin becomes red and itchy.

Moreover, prolonged scratching due to severe itchiness leads to bleeding and even infection. Some kids can’t sleep well because of this severe itching. Other kids can’t participate in sports because sweating triggers their eczema. Worse, some kids are teased and embarrassed because of their appearance and limitations.

Fake News 8: Eczema can be cured.

Unfortunately, there’s still no single treatment for eczema to make it go away permanently. There are only recommended treatments to help manage it by lessening itchiness, dryness, and risk of infections. Here’s what you CAN do:

You can apply medication to help ease your child’s discomfort. Mometasone furoate (Elica®) products help stop itching, reduce redness, ease swelling, and provide relief within 24 hours. Mometasone furoate (Elica®) cream is applied on thin skin (like on the face) and moist lesions while Mometasone furoate (Elica®) ointment is applied on dry lesions and thickened skin.9 If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.

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