Nov

29

Families Needed To Test For “Hard Water” For Eczema Study

Filed Under Eczema News | 1 Comment

Are you or your family member having eczema and living in England?  Then, this piece of news may be of interest to you. Organisers are looking for family volunteers in England in a of a Stg1mil study into whether “hard water” causes eczema in children.

Certain areas, where waters are particularly hard, are the main focus in this study.  They include Nottingham, Leicester, Cambridge, Londen and Isle of Wright.  Researchers will examine whether installing water softeners in homes can help the treatment of childhood eczema.

Some researchers believe that living in a hard water area may worsen eczema. They believe hard water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, leading to increased use of soaps which can be harsh for the skin.

Very often, I read about volunteers being needed for various health studies.  Most of these studies invariably involve drugs to be tested.  I generally would be hesitant about asking anyone or volunteering in one myself. However, this new study appears different.  It does not require any ingestion of harmful substances nor anything invasive.  The results of this study are likely to benefit many eczema sufferers; as the wrong type of water used can rob the skin of its moisture and hence, cause increased dryness.

Contact The University of Nottingham for Professor Hywel Williams if you and your family are keen to participate in this trial. 

Nov

27

Will My Child Outgrow Eczema?

Filed Under Eczema Treatment, Baby Eczema, Eczema Child | Leave a Comment

This is a question that parents with a child with eczema would normally ask: will my child outgrow eczema?

Approximately thirty percent of infants will develop eczema but many will outgrow it by the time they reach three to five years of age.  In babies, eczema has been found to appear between the ages of four to six months.  It begins with the appearance of a red rash that could possibly ooze fluid. Next it spreads to the cheeks and the forehead and sometimes continues to the arms and legs of the baby. In the most severe of cases, the baby’s entire body becomes covered with the skin disease. In the instance of cradle cap (or infantile seborrhoeic eczema) a great deal of scaling appears on the scalp.

The unlucky few who do not outgrow their [tag-tec]eczema[/tag-tec], carry it into their childhood years. Then, there are those children who develop it sometime between the ages of two and four years of age. When it comes to a bout of childhood eczema, the rash first appears behind the knees, the ankles, the creases of the elbows and sometimes will even affect the face, neck and ears of the child.

Childhood eczema can be a painful experience for the inflicted. Parents often write to me, sharing about the anguish and sadness that they feel for their babies with having to battle eczema.  Conventional doctors usually recommend topical steroid creams to keep it under control.  I’m not sure if this is not the best of solutions; but eczema can be tough on an infant. 

Even though, many children outgrow [tag-dtec]eczema[/tag-dtec], they often have an increased risk to skin problems. They invariably have dry skin.  Their skin gets irritated easily and chafes often.  Skin infections such as staph, yeast infections and herpes simplex (such as cold sores) and eye problems in terms of cataracts and eyelid dermatitis are also commonly experienced.

— Next Page →