Re: 4 month old Infant has Eczema on Face

Hello Babbal,

Questions lead to answers. In my response to your questions, I will occasionally post you a question as well, in order to get a better understanding of your child's experience and to hopefully lead you to the wisdom needed for healing.

The most important bit of wisdom that I can give you regarding healing the skin of eczema breakout is that you obtain the understanding that eczema must be attacked in these three areas to achieve true success: internal, external, and foreign. Rehydrating the skin by moisturizing (i.e. Buttermilk Lotion) is only one part of the process. The persistent presence of the eczema flareup is indication that the allergen (the thing promoting the breakout) hasn't yet been addressed. The EXTERNAL part (moisturizing the skin) is purposed to repair the damage of the eczema flareup and to promote skin healing. The FOREIGN part (identifying the allergen) addresses and targets the instigator of the breakout (the enemy); so that you can turn the table on the allergen and attack it by ridding it from the sufferers environment, where and when possible. The INTERNAL part of the process is purposed to strengthen a weak immunity and to restore balance to an immune system that is out of balance. To boost a healthy immune system, good nutrition is key (water, fruit & vegetable). [Side Note - I'm not a vegetarian. I do eat meat. The reason that I promote the water, fruit and vegetable so fervently is because they are essential components to the body's good health; and because they are the most compromised in our daily nutriton (increasingly in children/junk food addicts).

With the severe eczema breakout that occurred in our nieces, we established and knew early on that they would have to be healthy eaters. Because we were careful not to introduce the junk foods, this hasn't been a struggle with our nieces. This is the reason for their long term success in healing the skin of eczema breakout (over 4 years). Why is this so important for you to know now? Children grow quickly. Right now your breast milk is providing the babies nutrition and still holds the title as #1 in nutritional value.(smile) We introduced a multivitamin (for infants) in liquid form to supplement our nieces vitamin deficiency and to aide in promoting balance to their immune system. The doctors prescribed treatment is to suppress the immune system; however, we chose (instead) to provide health to the immune system. The result: healing the skin of eczema (from which they said was no cure). Again, this INTERNAL stage is what will maintain the long term success.

It is termed that some sufferers of eczema receive eczema through heredity. This was the prescribed case for my nieces. However, and in actuality, they didn't inherit the breakout; they inherited an immunity that was susceptible to breakout. Knowing this, we knew that we could turn that around by addressing the INTERNAL as I mentioned above. Now, because they had an immunity that was susceptible to breakout, any allergen that entered their environment would bring about a flareup. For them, the instigators for breakout were baby formula and dust mites. Another instigator that I'm recently finding out was culprit as well are certain immunization shots. Because we had identified the allergens (FOREIGN), we knew exactly what to get rid of. Here are some of the allergens that promote eczema breakout: certain foods (specific to the individual/not general to all sufferers), pet dander, pollen, dust mites, dry air/unclean air, drying soaps/detergents, household cleansers, paints/chemical toxins, stess, and for infants, some immunization shots. Have you identified your child's allergens (FOREIGN)? Also, keep in mind that teething (an excess of saliva/bacteria on face) can also promote eczema breakout. My other assumption regarding the teething is that like stress, it produces cortisol (the stress hormone that contributes to eczema breakout). That is strictly my personal hypothesis, not scientific. In other words, that's my opinion (not a statement of proven truth).

Regarding moisturizing (EXTERNAL/rehydrating the dehydrated skin), we found it very important to apply the moisturizer to clean skin. We bathed the girls daily with the Burt's Bees Buttermilk soap, moisturized immediately after with the Buttermilk lotion, and applied the Baby Bee talc free powder. We applied the lotion twice daily (morning and night); and occasionaly in between those applications when needed. We didn't use any other creams or medications for eczema. This cleansing regimen was our only medication. Simplicity is the key. It's important not to overwhelm the babies skin with a lot of different creams or medications. We didn't medicate the eczema. We chose to boost the health of the immune system by applying the natural, vitamin enriched lotion; so that it could fight off the bacteria promoting the breakout and heal the skin. Especially during the teething stage, you will have to be more diligent in keeping that area clean (a damp wash cloth or baby wipe that doesn't contain harsh chemicals will suffice). I know it's a lot of work; but, it's only temporary.

Whole Foods market (a national health food chain) has a natural teething gel (forgot the name) that may help you during those times. If you have a Whole Foods market in your area, it's a good place to visit for all of your baby's nutritional and cleansing needs. Because so many people are now getting back to good nutrition in order to achieve good health, there are (unfortunately) many scam artists who are trying to cash in on the deal. Whole Foods market has done the work of weeding out the scams for you in order to bring you the most reputable product line. This is why I recommend this particular store. You already have enough to deal with regarding the eczema without having to concern yourself with product integrity. You will still have to be diligent in product choice; however, it just helps to know that the company is concerned with integrity as well.

When did your child's breakout start?
What other medications have you used on your child and are you still using them in conjunction with the Burt's Bees cleansing regimen?
Did you notice some sign of improvement immediately with the Burt's Bees lotion? (I ask this question to determine whether or not your baby is allergic to the lotion)
Do you have pets?
Did your child develope a breakout after an immunization?
Are dust mites an issue in your environment?

Hopefully this provides you with more insight into eczema and gives you the comfort in knowing that you can conquer it.

Aunty Tweet