This is the 42nd of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. Caveat: This cartoon is in no way implying that my husband gives in to icy itchy bargain of any sort! (Reminder: Cartoon series is inspired by eczema, not retelling of our family life lol!) For more cartoon in this series, check out here. There are many hot days’ cartoon in the previous cartoon series ‘101 things that Moms with Eczema Child do Differently‘!)
When my daughter was ill, I had to take a day off to take care of her. It’s quite distressing really, that for a child with eczema having fever or any other illness, seems to trigger more scratching. I did the basic taking care – meals, shower, medicine, moisturizing and then playing with her like jig saw puzzle, painting and balloon. For most of the time I’m thinking to myself that I wouldn’t make it as a homeschooling mom, or stay-at-home mom, I’d be very tempted to entertain my child with TV so that I can work on my own projects.
It then dawned on me that I might have stopped trying to get closer to my child on some level, why else would I not want to spend time with her?
It is the same as my relationship with God – I was confronted by my sisters in Christ that in the midst of my doing, whether I was loving God. Frankly, loving is not easy – doing is much easier, more execution-able in my systematic mind. Yet to do things for someone without growing closer to that person doesn’t seem to make much sense. Jesus’ commandment is clear – to love God and to love others. Not to do things, after all that’s hardly his modus-operandi – salvation is given to us, not something we need to earn/work for.
I do pray that in the course of doing things (which I surely have to do cos being idle is just not me!), God will be merciful and be close to me just from me wanting to be close to Him (even if I don’t know how!). Same thing with my family, in the midst of caring for child and household, it is easy to forget to really love.
Bible verse:
Mark 12:30-31 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.There is no other commandment greater than these.
Dear God, thank you for always being with us. Help me to want to be with You and help us parents to draw close to our children daily.
Grow Closer, not just Do More
This is the fifth of baby skincare series, focusing on Allergy Testing. The previous four videos were on Common Baby Rash I Sun Protection for Kids I How to Shower Baby I How to Moisturize. I NEED YOUR SUPPORT, do subscribe to my EczemaBlues channel here. As I’m just starting out, and camera-shy, the video is my voice over slides that I prepared. Do share your comments pleeease on how I can improve them.
Firstly, understand that eczema is also known as atopic dermatitis, inferring that there is an atopy ie hypersensitivity to allergen involved. However, not all eczema children will have an allergy, for instance, my child is tested negative to the common allergens.
For most parents then, it makes sense to find out the allergens involved in your child’s eczema, eliminate/avoid these triggers, so that your child’s skin can heal (versus constantly being provoked to skin inflammation). There are two common allergy tests,
1. Skin Prick Test – this is recommended as it is fast, accurate and low cost, it’s not scary and my daughter didn’t cry at all when she had it at 7 month old. Many parents are worried about how many allergens the child has to be pricked with, but this worry is undue as there are few common food, environment allergens that most kids react to and thus only these need to be tested. Read more on SPT here.
2. Blood IgE test – this is usually recommended for babies without clear patch of skin or unable to go without antihistamine (which is necessary to abstain for a week before the SPT). Read more on allergy test here.
The allergy test is done during consultation and parents should not be afraid to ask your doctor the next course of action and how you’d expect your child’s skin to be within the next few weeks of prescription and allergen avoidance. Don’t be shy!
Do watch the video for more details and as always, appreciate you sharing your experience. Also what other videos would you like to see, do leave me a comment!
School can be difficult for some children – not everyone is going to be popular or be blessed to find friends to confide in. Being accepted is a HUGE part of school. I can only imagine things would be tougher now compared to when I was in school (which I clearly remembered I’m one of the quiet thinkers at the sideline of all the action). Having eczema on the face, or apparent on the neck and limbs can make it so much more difficult for a child to fit in! It is possible that they become obvious targets for bully or be ostracized or teased in school.
This reminded me again of how much Jesus loves us and how He sees us for who we are, instead of how we look. Jesus is radical for his times – he sat with tax collectors, talked to prostitute and He sees their hearts. I do pray that our children will not be discriminated or laughed at for their eczema and for us parents to have the wisdom to help them through it. We may raise awareness in the school, build our child’s confidence and show them love.
Bible verse:
Galatians 3:28 : There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Dear God, I thank You that You love us and You have set an example for us and our children on how not to judge by appearance. Love, patience, kindness are valued more than popularity and teach us not to discriminate others too.
Ignore those who Discriminate
This is the fourth of baby skincare series, focusing on shower. The previous three videos were on Common Baby Rash I Sun Protection for Kids I How to Shower Baby. I NEED YOUR SUPPORT, do subscribe to my EczemaBlues channel here. As I’m just starting out, and camera-shy, the video is my voice over slides that I prepared. Do share your comments pleeease on how I can improve them.
Firstly, for babies with normal skin, it may not be that critical to moisturize (but good practice since baby’s skin is thinner and more susceptible to moisture loss). However, for babies with dry skin or eczema, moisturizing has been studied to reduce the need for topical medication and lessen the severity of eczema.
Many parents ask what is the best moisturizer to buy? In short, there isn’t a best one in terms of formulation but one that your child likes and within your budget to use generously. The functions of moisturizer deal with maximizing moisture for the skin while acting as additional protective layer. Choosing a moisturizer that is without the top irritants is a wiser purchase than starting with the cheapest (and leading to irritated skin).
How to moisturize is also covered in the video, and the main thing to remember is always right after shower. For expert tips on reading skincare product label and moisturizing, click on the links.
Do watch the video for more details and as always, appreciate you sharing your experience, thank you!
Video Photo Credit: lupinoduck via Compfight cc
It amazes me how women size up each other – I guess everyone give off some vibes from their appearance and mannerism on who they are and hang out with. For me, (have I ever said this?) I wear no make-up and only have one pair of work shoes, cook my own food and do my own chores. I don’t hang around much with friends who are very different from that. Yet, I suppose another thread that can bind moms together is discussing the problems that they face being a mom, and nothing beats finding another mom who understands about caring for a child’s eczema. This sense of solidarity and for those who don’t know what it means – it’s defined as union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests, as between members of a group or between classes, peoples. And it’s true isn’t it? We like to talk and share with those we know understand what we go through.
This reminds me of Jesus. He is the son of God and very well can be God from the heavens without coming to earth. When I was deciding whether to be a Christian, I used to think that it’s stupid of him. Why bother with all this? Everything is known – get the good guys to heaven and period, minus the drama. When I understood God’s love and his pursuit of us from Adam and Eve time, I see why Jesus was on earth so we can know Him and understand that He understands. And He came for everyone. I pray that all parents of eczema children will find Someone, or someone to share this journey with you and if I can do anything to help be there for you via my blog and support group, let me know.
Bible verse:
1 Corinthians 12: 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
We are all part of a community.
This is the third of baby skincare series, focusing on shower. The previous two videos were on Common Baby Rash and Sun Protection for Kids. I NEED YOUR SUPPORT, do subscribe to my EczemaBlues channel here. As I’m just starting out, and camera-shy, the video is my voice over slides that I prepared. Do share your comments pleeease on how I can improve them.
Now on how to shower your baby, the foremost is to recognize that your baby’s skin is different from adult skin – it is thinner and more susceptible to loss of natural oil and moisture. Also, babies (despite all their poop and pee) are not ‘dirty’ and showering can be limited to once in 1-2 days, depending on the weather, humidity and sweat.
Showering is drying to the skin, as it is akin to washing off the protective layers of skin cells and therefore, long and hot shower is to be avoided. For babies with eczema, it is MOST important to moisturize right after shower. As to what shower to use, it can be non-fragrance bath oil, colloidal oatmeal bath and for babies who are bathed in a tub, it’s good practice to shower the hair after bathing the baby so that he/she won’t be soaking in used shampoo. For more expert tips on how to bathe your baby, check out the tag link ‘bath’.
Do watch the video for more details and as always, appreciate you sharing your experience, thank you!
Eczema brings another dimension to parenting – above all the evolving best methods to parent, this can be overwhelming. As a mom of eczema child, I’d be the first to admit that I’m inadequate in many areas, from the top of my (already over-packed with to-do list!) head:
And what happens for families with more than one child? Will parents inadvertently apply double standards for a child with eczema and one without? This reminds me of the many dilemmas that parents face daily but yet we try our best (within our limits!) to parent our children right. It is indeed a fine balance and I do pray that for all parents caring for more than one child, you will have the wisdom, energy and love to care for them.
Bible verse:
Proverbs 22:6 Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their lives.
Dear God, please help me to parent my child and to deposit the right values for her to be the child You desire her to be. I’m inadequate in so many areas, but I keep trying and have faith that where I fall short, You will take care of it.
Guard your mind and heart in parenting and disciplining your child.
This is the second of baby skincare series, which kickstart last week with Common Baby Rash. I NEED YOUR SUPPORT, do subscribe to my EczemaBlues channel here. As I’m just starting out, and camera-shy, the video is my voice over slides that I prepared. Do share your comments pleeease on how I can improve them.
Now on sun protection, it is sadly not uncommon to see young babies being strolled into the hot sun and this is definitely NOT recommended as it is bad on so many levels, for the skin and also for the baby’s eyes which let in more harmful UV rays than adult’s.
To start with, the baby’s skin has less pigment cells and thus more vulnerable to the UV rays which penetrate and damage skin cells – resulting in sunburn and possibly, skin cancer over prolonged exposure. It is therefore important to take sun protection measures, and this ‘sunscreen’ tag link provides many expert tips on how to do so, including the choice of physical blockers for sunscreen and ingredients to avoid.
There is also much controversy on the benefit of sun for Vitamin D, BUT only 10-15 minutes is sufficient (the fairer the skin, the less time) and any longer sun exposure beyond that contributes to skin damage. Moreover, those with eczema flare-ups should avoid the sun as it can worsen the skin inflammation. Photo-therapy has to be prescribed (mainly for adults) and not the same as sun-tanning.
Do watch the video for more details and as always, appreciate you sharing your experience, thank you!
Video’s photo credit: photon bomb via Compfight cc
This is the 38th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here. Subscribe for blog post on top right and not miss next’s week cartoon, from mom’s POV (point of view)!
It is not uncommon for eczema on a child’s skin to get infected, in fact untreated eczema coupled with scratching can get infected easily. Particularly on eczema skin, bacteria colonization is common and staph bacteria, in particular, can lead to skin inflammation and renders less effective the treatment for your child’s skin. There are cases of severe infection, whereby it affects more than just the skin, but also leads to systematic infection causing low blood pressure or toxic shock syndrome.
This reminded me how easy it is not just for infection to spread, but also resentment and negativity. Given a chronic condition that is stressful to manage, there are many possible avenues for negativity to creep in. For instance, anger with spouse for not fully understanding the fatigue and care required for eczema child, or resentment over comments that insinuated you causing the eczema. Or it could simply be stressful parents, cranky eczema child and alternate caregivers all caught in 24/7 stress that leads to miscommunication and misunderstandings that linger and fester. Do read Psalm 55 for encouragement, and this bible verse may be comforting to you:
Bible verse:
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
Dear God, help us to be mindful of negative feelings in our heart. Blow them to the winds and take them far away. Help us to be joyful parents, forgiving others and be a blessing to our child, family and community.
Watch over Your Heart with all diligence
First of all, I’m starting to incorporate videos into my blog, so that parents who are busy or who likes to view videos on Youtube can access to the vast skincare, nutrition and parenting tips for eczema families! I NEED YOUR SUPPORT, do subscribe to my EczemaBlues channel here. As I’m just starting out, and camera-shy, the video is my voice over slides that I prepared. Do share your comments pleeease on how I can improve them.
So, this video is part of baby skincare series, where the first thing to do is to recognize if the baby rash is one of those common ones which you needn’t be worried about, or eczema (which you have to be). Common baby rash are:
Baby acne – due to hormones and will clear on its own
Milia – due to trapped skin and will disappear on its own
No specific treatment needed for above, only gently cleanse the baby’s skin.
Heat rash – due to clogged pores as baby’s sweat glands are underdeveloped and occlusion from thick clothes and blanket can trigger the heat rash. Choose light clothing and don’t over-wrap the baby! Baby’s skin is not able to regulate body temperature as well as adult’s.
The other common rash is cradle cap, where you can find more in link here.
Diaper rash is also another common rash, which is a form of irritant contact dermatitis. Air the baby’s bottom, gentle cleanse it and choose a non-fragrance barrier cream.
Eczema is one of the common baby rash (affects 20% of children) which is NOT OK to leave untreated, particularly if your child’s eczema is more than mild. I made the mistake of not recognizing it, and on hindsight, I ought to have known as my baby was twitching and trying to rub her face on the pillow.
Do watch the video for more details and a transcript is also included (in case you want to tune out my voice!). This is my very first skincare video, appreciate your comment, good and bad! Thank you!
This is the 37th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here.
Eczema is a skin condition that has its days of ups and downs – but there are certain days which seem to be only spiraling down. In the eczema support group sharing sessions that I hold monthly, the times when parents shared about how from bad to worse their child’s skin is getting were really sad – knowing that we as parents have done what we could, yet not knowing what else we could do.
This reminded me of Joseph, a man whose life was shared in bible (Genesis 37-50). Joseph had ensured many hardships and they just seemed to get worse. He was betrayed by his brothers, separated from his father and sole to slavery. During this time, he was falsely accused, imprisoned, had hope of release from prison and had to wait another two years before his life turned for the better. Yet, when the very same brothers came to him for help during a famine later, he was able to say ‘And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt’ (Genesis 45:7-8).
I’m reminded by Joseph to have a faith in life (things got better) and to have faith in God. I’m also reminded to forgive.
Bible verse:
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”
Dear God, I pray that you help our family (parents and children) to have faith that the eczema will improve. We are tired from the demands of caring for eczema children, lighten our load, uplift our spirits.
Have Faith
Can my Child have both Atopic and Contact Dermatitis?
Contact dermatitis is more common in adults, but it is possible that a patient with atopic dermatitis also have contact dermatitis. The logic is that eczema skin barrier is defective, thus more vulnerable to hypersensitive reaction to chemicals. The chemicals which I’ve found from recent years’ studies which affect eczema patients (not necessarily children) more than non-eczema patients are
Surfactants cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), from AAD study. Also quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, and 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (from another AAD study)
How does dermatologist treat Contact Dermatitis?
The treatment is similar to atopic dermatitis, so in a sense it may not be as critical if the two cannot be differentiated. The difference is that without avoiding the substance that is causing the hypersensitive reaction, it is then not possible to keep it from causing the rash. Moisturizing, medicated cream, compresses to relieve itch and soothe skin, and antihistamines for reduced scratching at night may be prescribed.
In finding out which are the irritants involved in contact dermatitis, a patch test can be carried out (read more here). Patch test involves placing the suspected irritants/chemicals (note: there is a ‘science’ as to how much to put and how to prepare the liquid, don’t try to do this yourself) on paper tape on your child’s back or arm. The tape will be left on for about 48 hours and observation be noted by the dermatologist.
Is my child more likely to have contact dermatitis as an adult?
I haven’t come across such study, but it makes sense to figure out the irritants early and to avoid them. Also to treat the eczema promptly and take measure to protect the child’s skin barrier so that it is more robust against irritants when the child is older. (At the same time, I’m thinking she has got to fend for herself when old, I’m not going to say ‘Stop Scratching’ till I’m 60 year old!)
What are the preventive measures for contact dermatitis?
Avoidance is key, especially once you or your child has undergone patch testing and knows which substance triggers the hypersensitive reaction. There are common chemicals that are present in contact dermatitis in children (US), and these are nickel, neomycin, cobalt, fragrance, Myroxylon pereirae, gold, formaldehyde, lanolin/wool alcohols, thimerosal, and potassium dichromate. Also for those without any allergy, but has eczema (known as ‘intrinsic eczema’), this study suggest the possibility of nickel and cobalt allergy.
This study provides a percentage of common allergens for eczema children, nickel (16.3%), cobalt (6.9%), Kathon CG (5.4%), potassium dichromate (5.1%), fragrance mix (4.3%), and neomycin (4.3%).
The above chemical names may be too difficult to remember, so below is a compilation of where they may be commonly present in:
Soaps and detergents
Saliva
Urine (common cause of diaper rash)
Baby lotions, avoid perfume/fragrance products, preservatives
Latex, e.g. rubber products
We’ve covered the basics and the conclusion may be to be aware of contact dermatitis and promptly remove the suspected irritants. When the child is older, say 5 year old, bring him/her to a patch test.
Read last week: Contact Dermatitis, does your Eczema Child have it?
Today, the Eczema Support Group for parents of eczema children had a lovely lunch with Senior Pharmacist, Winnie Li.
First, I had my pizza, which looked exactly like the picture on left! 2nd, Winnie had prepared notes for the parents and 3rd, nice conversation and Q&A was undergoing during the up-close with pharmacist session!
A few new points I learnt:
1. For eczema patients, a cream is preferred instead of lotion for a better occlusive property (see moisturizing function here)
2. Urea is a humectant, however 5% for kids and choose one without SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate). Urea is known to have keratolytic effect, which means it helps to soften the thickened skin, thus suitable for adult whose skin has lichenification overtime.
3. Just bath oil is cleansing enough, no need for soap cleanser (more on bath here)
4. As always the topic of local corticosteroid creams comes up, and the tip is to balance the two – use prescription cream when there’s a flare-up to treat it, and when there is no flare-up – keep up the moisturizing and healthy lifestyle.
A point that is emphasized is to keep moisturizing the skin as it is a very crucial step to protect and repair sensitive/eczema skin.
Check back for next month’s topic which is on skincare, will be on a Sat morning!
