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Doctor Q&A Eczema Tips Youtube EczemaBlues Channel

AAD Skincare Video Series: Face Washing

I’m inspired by the efforts of like-minded individuals and organizations around the world to help eczema families via social media platforms. I came across American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) on Pinterest and they had pinned a Dermatology A: Z Video Series. I asked to feature their videos here, and their team of public relations is helpful and responsive, and made the special effort of introducing me to dermatologists who assisted with my questions and together, we made this series available to you.

  1. Face Washing 101
  2. How to Get the Most from Your Skincare Products
  3. Eczema Tips: How to Help your Child Feel Better
  4. How to Apply Sunscreen

Today’s video is Face Washing 101 and I’ve interviewed Dr Jessica Krant MD MPH, who is a board-certified dermatologist, member of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2017 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, and founder of ArtofDermatology.com.

Face washing Dr Jessica Krant AAD video baby sensitive skin

MarcieMom: Thank you Dr Jessica for kickstarting this AAD video series! Today’s video sounds pretty basic, but I’ve some questions that still puzzle me, particular for those with sensitive skin. 

Face Washing for Toddlers

How should the face of a toddler be washed? Should the cleanser or bath oil for the body be used for the face? or is it not necessary to specifically wash the face except a quick rinse during shower?

Dr Jessica: Just like every adult has different skin, every toddler does too. Some might also be a little messier. It’s safe to wipe your toddler’s face clean with a towel soaked in warm water. Soap is really not needed, except on rare occasion, or if your own dermatologist has suggested something specific for certain medical conditions like seborrhea, eczema or baby acne. Cleansing bath oils or lotions that are soap-free are safe to use during bath time, as long as they are kept away from the baby’s eyes.

Face Washing for Child with Eczema

If the child has facial eczema, say weepy cheeks, how should the face be washed? Is that a sign of infection, and if so, what different measures ought to be taken?

Dr Jessica: Facial eczema with weepy cheeks can either be a sign of moderate to severe eczema with a broken down skin barrier but no infection, or a sign of skin infection in some cases. If unclear, it’s best to take the child to see a dermatologist so any risk of scarring is minimized, since babies and toddlers will definitely scratch itchy face skin and it’s hard to prevent that. No change should be made in the facial washing routine except to be extra gentle so as not to further irritate the rashy areas. Make sure any moisturizers aren’t stinging the skin and making it more itchy, and use ointment-based topical medicines rather than creams where possible.

Cleaning a Child’s Eyelids

In the video it is mentioned that the skin around the eyelid is delicate, and I would assume that for a child it is even more so. Would wiping with lukewarm soaked cotton pad be sufficient to clean the skin and remove the oil on the eyelid?

Dr Jessica: When necessary, wiping with warm water is a good way to clean a baby’s or toddler’s eyelids, but just make sure that any item used like a cotton pad, won’t come apart and leave small cotton fibers behind on the lids or lashes which could irritate the baby’s eyes.

It is recommended in the video to wash the face twice and after sweating. Is this recommendation the same for a child?

Dr Jessica: No, I think it would be best to wash a baby or toddler’s face as little as possible with anything other than warm water. A gentle soft cloth with warm water would be fine if there is any food or mucus at any time, but cleansing with anything else should be once per day or less often. And babies don’t really sweat, so there should be no extra cleaning unless there is actual dirt or mud present.

MarcieMom: Thank you so much Dr Jessica, indeed, I’ve to be careful of the cotton pads leaving residue on the eyes, particularly as my toddler tries to do it herself!

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Last updated on 22 November, 2024 11:05 am
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Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – Toddler Snack Conversation

Eczema Girl's FIRST PLAY DATE - Conversation with the boys
Eczema Girl’s FIRST PLAY DATE – Conversation with the boys

Ever wondered what our focus on foods, health, allergic diseases will impact our babies?

This is the 9th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here.

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News & Research

Eczema Research Focus Month – Obesity and Asthma

Obesity linked to eczema and other allergic conditions
Obesity linked to eczema and other allergic conditions

This is an interesting study – on obesity. Obesity had been covered in this blog, including tackling obesity in eczema children. Obesity has impact on inflammation and chronic diseases, and in this study, there is some relationship established between obesity and TV on various allergic conditions. The study is part of the ISAAC study, which is questionnaire-based, instead of trials. In any case, it’s never good to be obese! The main points of the study:

1. Study covered children aged 6-7 years adolescents aged 13-14 years

2. Associations between obesity and symptoms of asthma and eczema

3. Vigorous physical activity positively associated with symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in adolescents, but not children

4. Viewing television for 5 or more hours per day associated with an increased risk of symptoms of asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema in adolescents

In a separate study, weight loss improved inflammatory skin condition psoriasis. So, even more reason to be healthy – exercise and don’t consume excess EMPTY calories – foods like sugar, fried food and transfat are pro-inflammation foods. Share your diet for your family in the comment!

Categories
Doctor Q&A

Skin Health Series – Diet and Lifestyle

This is the fourth of a much-awaited series, where I get to work with Dr Verallo-Rowell again (we last worked on Sensitive Skin Product Series in 2012). Dr Verallo-Rowell is a dermatologist, dermatopathologist and dermatology/laser surgeon, founder of VMV Hypoallergenics, and is also an author, esteemed researcher and speaker. 

Skin Health Connection Interview series with Dr Vermen Verallo Rowell VMV Hypoallergenics

Skin Appearance and Health Conditions

Some people’s skin seem to look more wrinkled, less glowing, dark colors under the eyes if they are not sleeping well. Smokers may have a grayish tone to their skin.  Having a diet heavy with sugar can make it prone to acne. Deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals can also cause the skin to be dry.

MarcieMom: Dr Verallo-Rowell, I know you are deeply passionate about nutrition.

Which are the worst foods you would seriously object to for skin?

MarcieMom: And out of curiosity, could you tell if someone is a chocolate addict or fan of soda from the look of their skin? I’m hoping an occasional indulgence in ice cream can’t be detected by you!

Dr Verallo-Rowell: Hahaha. One look at a patient with adult acne tells me I have to look at her history closely to see which of the stressors – see my last winding paragraph below – is causing the adult acne.

Processed foods are the MOST

pro-inflammatory

In food, the most pro-inflammatory are processed foods because the oils used in processing them are generally more pro-inflammatory. Polyunsaturated they make the lipid bilayer of cell walls more fluid such that the cell wall’s protein receptors/signals do not function well. This is such a No NO NO for saturated oils.  Yet plant derived saturated fats like those from coconut oil are cholesterol free and more stable than polyunsaturates, are not as vulnerable to oxidation by reactive oxygen species our body makes, do not have trans fats because they need not be hydrogenized.  Note that less than 0.5 mg of trans fats does not have to be declared, hence everything now is “trans fat free”. 4 servings of a “trans fat free” product can readily reach 2 Gm. Remember any trans fat in our food is not good. Look instead at the Nutrition Facts and if says it has partially/hydrogenated oil in it – don’t use.

If (nutrition label) states partially/ hydrogenated oil, don’t use it

Also, omega 6 at too high an amount – which is what the seed oils contain at a ratio of 1:100 or more of the omega 3 they contain – is very pro-inflammatory because they are converted into pro-inflammatory eicosanoids. We need them – inflammation is needed to clear up bugs, and react to environmental assaults – but too much becomes too inflammatory and may continue into an inflammatory pathway of disease.

Foods to eat for Healthy Body and Skin

Like everything else in nature, balance is important, as it is in food. So the bit of ice cream and chocolate you indulge in wont make me recognize a skin change with you. Besides the mood elevating effect is also good for you. BUT, balance…eat  more fruits and veggies, brown rice, brown bread, oily fish and shellfish. (all rich in omega 3, anti-oxidants) Cook with coconut oil for high heat, with olive oil for low heat and minimize that canola oil – it’s a genetically altered long chain polyunsaturated flaxseed oil.

Cook with coconut oil for high heat, with olive oil for low heat and minimize that canola oil

Acne and Diet

In acne – the studies out there now show: high carb diets, and dairy products are more acnegenic. Interestingly of dairy products, the skimmed ones are more acnegenic, probably because of the sugar (more carbs) they add to add taste after the yummy oil is removed.

Can you tell you are Stressed from your Skin?

MarcieMom: Ending this series on a more serious note – we know stress is a trigger for eczema, and so is sleep-deprivation. For say someone who has a tough job/ running a business, taking care of kids and elderly, working through the night, could you tell that from his/her skin? And if someone wants to look into the mirror and know ‘Gosh, I need a break!’, what would you ask him/her to look at? (note: I’m being very fair here, both male and female can suffer from this!)

Look for Skin Inflammation

Dr Verallo-Rowell: Look for inflammation. This is the process that is now seen as the basic pathogenetic pathway in our cells triggered by stress. Most people think of stress in terms of the mental and emotional stresses of personal life and work. Very true, yet this kind of stress you are aware of, familiar with, share and moan about to your family and friends. It is stressful but other causes of stress that are not so obvious, hidden and may not be addressed by you and/or your physician.  Examples are the stress from recurring low grade infections – like being a streptococcal carrier with mild but recurrent sore throat or dental problems or UTI, or stones in the gall bladder; or less than 6 and more than 8 hours sleep; lack of exercise, obesity and of course a diet with more pro-than anti-inflammatory elements in it, or too much weight loss.

Look for markers of inflammation: your acne flaring up, rosacea attacks becoming frequent, the eczema bigger, wider spread; those with psoriasis too – the lesions are bigger and persistent; boils recurring more often. These may indicate a lowered immunity from such things as too much exercise.

MarcieMom: Thank you Dr Verallo-Rowell, I can feel so MUCH Passion in you about nutrition and anti-inflammatory vs pro-inflammatory foods, I’m inspired to learn more!

Categories
Eczema Life Cartoon

Eczema Cartoonist Mom on Break

I wish I'm really on a break, but no... not really!
I wish I’m really on a break, but no… not really!

I’m away, but not on break.. work work work. I could have drawn up a cartoon for Life of Eczema Girl and scheduled it, but no, I’m thinking since I’m not having a break, I might as well take one off Monday cartoon!

It got me thinking though, not only am I away but not on holiday break, I’m also having to worry about dozens of stuff which tell me if you think the same!

Thoughts on Toddler:

1. What can I do to pre-pack her school bag? What about her show-and-tell? And the lantern and mooncake she has to bring for Mid-Autumn Festival? (for those of you not familiar, check this Chinese’s festival out!)

2. What about her eczema… not much I can do but I’m sure my hubby is more than competent to deal with any flare-up, and good luck to the co-sleeping!

Thoughts on Hubby:

1. His dinner, lunch, dinner, lunch… my latest ‘act of love’ is to prep lunch for my hubby, on top of cooking daily!

Thoughts on Chores:

1. Wash clothes now, get ready school uniforms, heck with the cleaning

Thoughts on You: Anyone miss me? Hope so, won’t be gone for long though, just long enough to take a Monday cartoon break.

Categories
News & Research

Eczema Research Focus Month – Food Allergy

Eczema affects food allergy, does it cause it?
Eczema affects food allergy, does it cause it?

Last week, we looked at Probiotics. For today, we’re looking at the relationship between eczema and food allergy. In this study, it was indicated that a breakdown in skin barrier and skin inflammation in eczema could lead to increased food sensitization -> food allergy. This had been covered in the outside-in hypothesis post. Main points of this study:

1. Infants with an impaired skin barrier/ eczema, are more likely than to be sensitised to a variety of foods such as egg white, cow’s milk and peanut.

2. The more severe the eczema, the stronger the correlation to food sensitivity.

3. Repair of skin barrier therefore may reduce food allergy.

My family is already moisturizing lots for our daughter, what about yours? Do you think moisturizing from young had reduced food sensitivity? Share in the comment!

Categories
Doctor Q&A

Skin Health Series – Veins and Bruises and Moles

This is the third of a much-awaited series, where I get to work with Dr Verallo-Rowell again (we last worked on Sensitive Skin Product Series in 2012). Dr Verallo-Rowell is a dermatologist, dermatopathologist and dermatology/laser surgeon, founder of VMV Hypoallergenics, and is also an author, esteemed researcher and speaker. 

Skin Health Connection Interview series with Dr Vermen Verallo Rowell VMV Hypoallergenics

This week we are investigating more into what the appearance of our veins, bruises, moles and hair growth tell us about our health.

Veins

MarcieMom: I’m looking at my own veins now, and I can see veins on my hands (as I’m typing), on my wrist (so that if I ever need a drip, the (hopefully experienced) nurse knows where to poke, and my feet. There are veins which are swollen with blood in older individuals, such as varicose veins, due to the valve not working and blood gets pooled due to gravity

Apart from varicose veins, are there instances when the skin can get thinner or more transparent, thereby making the veins suddenly more apparent? I’m thinking maybe aged, sun-damaged skin may play a part too.

Dr Verallo-Rowell: You are absolutely right! The thinner the skin, often from photoaging on the more exposed skin of the hands, the easier the veins of the hands appear and wrists. Some people use steroid creams continuously for eczema and other chronic itchy skin conditions. Steroids are notorious for making the skin thin. I have seen so many of these and yes the veins literally pop out in these steroid thinned out skin areas.

Steroids are notorious for making the skin thin.

Bruises

Brown patches on the skin are characteristic of diabetic dermopathy, where the capillaries are injured from knocks and ‘leaked’ leading to formation of rough, brown patches.  Lines on the palm or soles are also symptom of an endocrine disorder, known as the Addison’s disease.

How long does a bruise take to heal? Could say, having a bruise on a day down with flu cause it to look worse than normal?

Dr Verallo-Rowell: Bruises behave more or less in a certain pattern.  First the extravasation of red blood cells from the damaged or inflamed vessels shows bright red color of blood leaked out into the extra-vascular compartment of skin, often with swelling and warmth of the skin. By about the 5th day the redness gives way to a bluish or purplish color as the red colored hemoglobin breaks down into hemosiderin. By the 7th day billiverdin makes it color greenish, then changes to a yellowish color by the 7th to about the 10th day from the bilirbin in the blood. As these pigments become cleared by our scavenging cells, the area becomes brownish before going back to our regular color. The more intense colors will come from bruising or damage of more superficial skin areas.

Moles

When moles take on a different shape, darker color or irregular edges, it can be a sign of skin cancer. I’ve read that hairdressers have spotted changing moles for their clients, and safe them from cancer via prompt consultation with doctor!

Does the presence of the mole itself create the additional risk of skin cancer?

Dr Verallo-Rowell: NOT all moles become skin cancer. The risk factors for moles that may become skin cancer or melanoma are

(1)  many (more than  50)

(2) often with A for Assymetry; B for border irregularity; C for irregular pigment distribution ; D for diameter of 6 mm or more; E for evolving or changing noted in size

(3) the “ugly duckling sign” – in a field of moles it is the one that looks different from the other;

(4) history of melanoma in the family;

(5) evidence of photoaging.

MarcieMom: Thank you Dr Verallo Rowell, your 5 points for moles are a very good takeaway, at least I would stop warning everyone just because I see a mole on them!

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Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – The Kind of Mom I Want to Be

See Life of Eczema Girl cartoon 7 to catch the joke!
See Life of Eczema Girl cartoon 7 to catch the joke!

See the 7th cartoon and you’ll see why the baby eczema girl is already thinking of the kind of mom she wants to be! This is another cartoon that is inspired by Liza Donnelly’s book – see my right side banner of her fab cartoon book!

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News & Research

Eczema Research Focus Month – Probiotics

Probiotics studied to help with on-gut inflammation
Probiotics studied to help with on-gut inflammation

This month, instead of the regular Friday sharing by eczema friends around the world, I’d be sharing some of the newer research studies this year. #1 Many parents and friends have been busy and I’m still waiting for their sharing (contact me if you like to share!) and #2 There are many new research that have practical implications if proven. So, let’s get to them!

Today’s focus is on Probiotics. Probiotics have been covered before in this blog – studies showed probiotics has preventive effect on eczema and nutritionist Judy Converse shared about it here. I came across this study that showed probiotics have effects on non-gut inflammation, namely Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Psoriasis. Main points:

1.  Probiotics, apart from maintaining gastrointestinal microbial balance, also affect the systemic immune response.

2. Study size: 22 patients with the gastrointestinal disorder ulcerative colitis (UC), 26 patients with psoriasis, and 48 patients with CFS.

3. All of the above are inflammatory diseases, and study indicated possible effect of probiotics on non-gut inflammatory conditions

Updating this post with a study on Singapore kids in November 2014 – conclusion was no impact for kids fed with supplementation with Probiotics in the 1st 6 Months of age did not protect against eczema and allergy.

My take – so far the studies on probiotics are fairly positive, my family is already taking it.

What about you? Write a comment to share!

Categories
Doctor Q&A

Skin Health Series – Functions of Skin – Dry, Hot/Cold and Collagen

This is the second of a much-awaited series, where I get to work with Dr Verallo-Rowell again (we last worked on Sensitive Skin Product Series in 2012). Dr Verallo-Rowell is a dermatologist, dermatopathologist and dermatology/laser surgeon, founder of VMV Hypoallergenics, and is also an author, esteemed researcher and speaker. 

Skin Health Connection Interview series with Dr Vermen Verallo Rowell VMV Hypoallergenics

Understanding Skin & Health – Functions of Skin

The skin has a few important functions, (i) it protects the body from foreign particle, bacteria and it prevents moisture loss, (ii) the skin regulates body temperature, and (iii) the skin gives us a sense of touch.   We understand that in atopic dermatitis, the immune cells in the skin mistook a (harmless) allergen to be harmful, resulting in skin inflammation.

Dry Skin – Eczema or Health Condition?

MarcieMom: Does dry skin indicate possibility of eczema and other skin or health issues?

Will a person’s diet, lifestyle, smoking, drinking (caffeine or alcohol) affects the dryness of skin?

Dr Verallo-Rowell: People with the inherited form of eczema called atopic dermatitis almost always have dry skin but not all people with dry skin have skin or other health issues. Some people just have Congenital Dry Skin while others have Acquired Dry Skin from environmental agents such as too much hot water and strong detergents use; friction from clothing; frequent air travel, pollution, exposure to chemicals at work or play, or frequently staying in highly air-conditioned rooms.

Impact on Diet and Smoking on Skin

Yes definitely – the diet is very important because what we eat forms the structure of our cells, in particular the lipid bi-layer of our cells where a balance of saturated and unsaturated oils, short and long chain fatty acids, omega 3 and omega 6 oils or transfats can contribute to inflammation at the molecular level to eventually manifest itself as skin dryness. Smoking is a strong oxidizing agent. Many studies have now shown it to therefore show much faster aging changes including dryness, wrinkles, toughening of the texture of skin. Too much alcohol affects the liver and caffeine dehydrates.

Smoking is a strong oxidizing agent

Skin being Hot and Cold to Touch

An infected skin patch feels warm to touch. Are there health conditions that affect how cold or hot our skin feels or cause a change in how cold or hot an object feels to us?

Dr Verallo-Rowell: Our skin when compared with skin of others in the same room or under the same environmental circumstances may feel hotter to touch when: febrile from any cause usually infections; in hyperthyroid persons; in rosacea ; when perspiring heavily. The opposite – feel colder to touch may occur in anemic, cachectic, hypothyroid people, or very sedentary people or anyone with lowered metabolism.

A change in how cold or hot an object feels to a person is affected primarily by the condition of the peripheral nerves. One sees this in Hansen’s disease, diabetic neuropathy, metal poisoning, and any other form of neuropathy affecting the peripheral nerves.

Collagen – Consume or Apply on Skin?

MarcieMom: The dermis contains collagen fibers that maintain the elasticity of the skin. In the subcutis, there are fat cells, nerve cells and blood vessels. There are many products that are marketed as containing collagen, be it to be consumed or applied on skin.

How does the collagen from a drink find itself to the skin? And how does the collagen on a skincare product ‘dig’ itself to the collagen fibers of skin? Will it bind with the existing collagen fibers? Are they even the same collagen?

Dr Verallo-Rowell: Collagen are coarser fibers in the dermis that give skin its bulk or structure. Elasticity of the skin is given to it by the elastic fibers. The ingredients in the above products are soluble forms of collagen meant to add bulk, or elastin, meant to give elasticity.  These ingredients are usually from animal or plant proteins with similar bulk forming effects though more likely just texturizing or moisturizing effects. They are extracts that blend into the formulation and not the collagen fibers or fibrils themselves.  Many years ago collagen from cows (called Xyderm or Xyplast) were popular fillers that were what we used to inject into the skin. The molecules of collagen are too large to penetrate the skin and its barriers by topical application.

MarcieMom: Thank you Dr Verallo-Rowell, it is a reminder for me to eat healthily and also understand how our skin interacts with the environment!

Categories
Support Group

Sensitive Skin and Eczema – Public forum on 14 Sep

Do attend this informative public forum on eczema and sensitive skin!
Do attend this informative public forum on eczema and sensitive skin!

On 14 September 2.30pm to 5pm, there is a very informative public forum, by National Skin Centre, on Sensitive Skin and Eczema. The venue is SMU, Admin Building Level 5 Auditorium, and four speakers from NSC will share on eczema – its causes, prevention and treatment. The tickets are at S$8, inclusive of goodie bags and refreshments.

Do click on this link and fill in the registration form. It’d be a very good use of your Saturday!

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Eczema Life Cartoon

Eczema Cartoonist Mom – Tech Issue

A disruption, pause, temporarily interrupted (how else can you call a failure) in the cartoon series due to technical issue
A disruption, pause, temporarily interrupted (how else can you call a failure) in the cartoon series due to technical issue

Oops, experiencing technical failure, check back next week for the 8th ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’ cartoon series.

Categories
Living with Eczema

SOMEONE Manages Severe Peanut Allergy for Eczema Child

Someone has eczema Louise Jones Story on EczemaBlues Peanut Allergy

Louise shares on managing her son's peanut allergy and eczema
Louise shares on managing her son’s peanut allergy and eczema

This is a series focused on personal journey with eczema while managing a certain aspect of life. Today, we have Louise Jones, whose son has a severe peanut allergy and shares how she manages his allergies and eczema. Louise is passionate about learning and sharing on parenting severe nut allergy child at Nutmums.

Marcie Mom: Hi Louise, thanks for taking time to share with us about managing your son’s eczema and severe nut allergy. Let’s start with you sharing a little of your family allergy history, and about your son’s eczema.

Louise: Hi Mei, Thank you very much for asking me to share our journey. There is, in fact, very little in the way of family allergy history. I have mild asthma (but, touch wood, haven’t had to use an inhaler in years) and can get wheezy around cats. His dad sometimes has hay fever symptoms and his paternal grandmother had eczema as a child. Otherwise, there are no known allergies in either side of the family.

My son has had eczema since he was a baby. I’m not sure when exactly it started, but we were regularly using Oilatum and hydrocortisone cream by the time he was 6 months old. I remember one night him scratching his head so much in his sleep that the next day there was what looked like a graze covering half of his forehead. If I put him in scratch mitts, he would still rub and rub at his skin with the gloves until it bled. At 14 months, he had eczema herpeticum and we spent the day on the children’s ward. However, a short while after that, his eczema seemed to improve and, fortunately, at the moment, it is fairly mild.

Marcie Mom: When did you realize your son has severe nut/peanut allergy? Was there any particular incident of severe allergic reaction?

Louise: When my son was 20 months old, he ate a peanut butter cookie and had a severe anaphylactic reaction. That was our baptism of fire into the world of food allergies. We knew next to nothing about allergies before that point and, so far as we know, he hadn’t had any previous mild reactions to food.

He used to love chocolate chip and hazelnut cookies and had occasionally had a bite of cakes containing nuts. We didn’t avoid foods labelled “may contain nuts” and we had peanut butter in the house. However, that first reaction was the first occasion he had knowingly eaten peanut.

The reaction was extremely severe. Immediately after biting into the cookie, his lips swelled, one eye swelled closed and his breathing became loud and wheezy. Fortunately, his grandmother is a retired nurse and recognized it as anaphylaxis and called an ambulance. As this was his first allergic reaction, we hadn’t been prescribed an adrenaline auto-injector at that point. Although the paramedics arrived incredibly quickly, there was still a 10-15 minute time lag between the symptoms starting and him getting the adrenaline injection. He was taken to hospital and, as the doctors were concerned about the swelling in his throat, they decided they needed to put a breathing tube down. He spent the next 3 days in intensive care. However, within a week, he was back at home and to look at him, you would not have guessed what he had been through.

After that, his skin prick tests confirmed the peanut allergy but were negative for tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts etc). For now, we’ve decided to avoid all nuts, to reduce both the risk of confusion (it’s easier to tell his nursery, relatives etc “no nuts”) and cross-contamination.

Marcie Mom: Did avoidance of allergens for your child also result in improved skin?

Louise: I’m not sure, as at the time he was diagnosed with peanut allergy, his eczema was already improving. However, as well as having eczema, he had been quite a sicky baby. When he was little, this was put down to reflux. When he was around 12 months old, he had a series of chest infections, so the sickness at that stage was put down to catarrh. Following his anaphylactic reaction, the doctors got his asthma under control. It may be coincidence, but he then had far fewer chest infections and the sickness improved too.

Marcie Mom: One final question – what would be one reminder or key advice you have for parents of children with severe allergies?

Louise: Well, I would say please don’t hesitate to administer the EpiPen. We’ve used it twice since that initial reaction. The first time we used it turned out to be a false alarm (he had croup which had triggered his asthma), but the second time it stopped the anaphylactic reaction in its tracks. On both occasions, the hospital doctors told us we had done the right thing.

I would also warn parents to be aware of the increased peanut allergy risk if your child (or someone in your child’s immediate family) has eczema (or another atopic illness). I actually think this is something that doctors should spell out when they are diagnosing eczema and prescribing emollients and steroid creams for babies. If your baby has eczema, please talk to your doctor before introducing peanut into their diet – don’t be caught unawares like we were!

Marcie Mom: Thank you Louise for your sharing, and indeed many parents share about their worry that an ‘allergy accident’ will happen to their child and can certainly identify with your journey. For more on eczema herpeticum, refer here.

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Last updated on 22 November, 2024 3:04 am
Categories
Eczema Tips

Itchy Scalp of Eczema Child

It’s my monthly Take-To-Twitter for tweet wisdom, and for this month, I’ve asked dermatologists ‘How to Deal with Itchy Scalp of Eczema Child?’ It’s not the first time I’ve covered scalp in my blog – there’s the scalp eczema series with celeb hairstylist Kristan Serafino (who styles A-list celebs like Matthew McConaughey), and various posts on cradle cap here. But still, MY OWN CHILD’s Scalp is Itchy every night! It sparked my curiosity and I took to twitter to ask skin experts for their tips:

@MarcieMom asks experts on how to deal with itchy scalp of eczema toddler
@MarcieMom asks experts on how to deal with itchy scalp of eczema toddler

Dr Claudia Aguirre says “Try an oil scalp massage – relaxes baby and dissolves flakes. Follow with SOFT brush and then wash gently. You can use even coconut oil for a little massage to loosen the flakes and comb it through. Then wash off gently.”

Dr Anne Ellis says “Frequent application of bland moisturizer like Glaxal Base, sparing use of low dose hydrocortisone with canesten 1 percent each.”

Dr John Ashworth says “The scalp is another area of skin that needs moisturising like anywhere else; problem is there is lots of hair on scalp, and therefore treating the scalp is tough and time consuming, but can usually be helped with the right approach.”

Dr Jessica Krant says “Itchy Scalp of Toddler, cradlecap, can be improved by dissolving flakes with olive oil first.”

Dr Robin Schaffran says “For eczema itchy scalp, try a dandruff shampoo with zinc, a 1% hydrocortosone lotion 2 times daily or ask your doctor for a prescription.”

From the above replies, it seem like there is still a need to treat and moisturize the scalp. Frankly, I haven’t been doing either because it seems like an impossible task to get through the hair onto the scalp to apply lotion. Especially, when given how late we get back home, getting Marcie into bed by 11pm is already a challenge. We’ll see… how about you? Share in the comments!

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Doctor Q&A

What does Your Skin tell you about Your Health?

This is a much-awaited series, where I get to work with Dr Verallo-Rowell again (we last worked on Sensitive Skin Product Series in 2012). Dr Verallo-Rowell is a dermatologist, dermatopathologist and dermatology/laser surgeon, founder of VMV Hypoallergenics, and is also an author, esteemed researcher and speaker. 

Skin Health Connection Interview series with Dr Vermen Verallo Rowell VMV Hypoallergenics

This series is exciting because ever since Laura (Dr Verallo-Rowell’s daughter, CEO of VMV Hypoallergenics) told me during our meeting in Singapore that her mom identified underlying health problems after seeing the skin of her friends, I started to scrutinize everyone’s skin! I became interested in the relationship between skin and health, and discovered through Laura that her mom is very passionate about improving skin and health and also have a nutritionist in her dermatology practice.

So for this series, we are discovering skin, health and health issues that can be identified by changes in skin. Of course, these are not meant to be medical diagnosis and it is always good to look in the mirror and say, ‘Yay! I’m glowing and healthy!’

Understanding Skin and Health – Skin Color

The skin is the largest organ of our body, and has the largest surface area. It consists of 3 layers – the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis. The epidermis protects the skin from penetration of foreign matter and also prevents water loss. It has keratinocytes, melanocytes and Langerhans cells. One way to describe skin is its color, for which the melanocytes are responsible for.

How Skin Color Changes during Suntan

MarcieMom: Dr Verallo-Rowell, does a person’s skin stay the same color? For instance:

Sun Tan/ Sun Burn – which layer of skin is affected and how does the skin reverse to its original color?

Dr Verallo-Rowell: Yes. A person’s original, also called constitutive color – under normal/healthy conditions – essentially remains the same throughout one’s life. This is best illustrated by the Fitzpatrick Skin Phototypes I to VI ( from I with very fair, blond or red hair, light colored eyes , often with freckles, thru III with light brown colored skin to VI with black skin). Following a sun tan or sun burn the melanosomes or pre-formed melanin in the epidermis darkens so an immediate pigment darkening occurs – immediately. The radiation reaches the melanocytes in the basal cell layer and stimulates them to form more melanosome which rapidly become melanin granules to contribute to the delayed skin darkening called the tan which in Phototypes I may not happen at all, II, appears and lasts a week, V appears and lasts for 6 months or longer. Once the pigment generated by that sun tan/burn clears up, the color of the skin goes right back to its original – constitutive color.  The tan by the way is called skin’s facultative coloring.

How Skin Changes with Age

From birth to death – does the skin color (assuming good health) stay the same or does the skin color change from an infant to a child, and when entering into old age?

Dr Verallo-Rowell: Even with good health the skin color undergoes natural changes from aging (time on earth) and photoaging ( with the addition of sun/light exposure). Of these two types of aging, photoaging is the one that changes the skin color more.  Notice: the buttocks skin color which most closely resembles the original color throughout life.  Note also the outer arms compared with the inner, the V of the chest up to the neck though sparing the under the chin area which is not exposed to sun/light. Those exposed areas tend to freckle and discolor ( dark and white discolorations) from photoaging effects.

Skin Color as a Reflection of Health Issues

The one some experienced as an infant will be jaundice. Jaundice is the yellow color skin, caused by an accumulation of bilirubin in the newborn’s blood due to the liver not removing it. You may also have heard of babies turning orange after eating too many carrots. This is known as carotenemia due to excess beta-carotene that cannot be processed by the thyroid (hypothyroidism). The skin can also turn blue, a condition called cyanosis, due to lack of oxygen in the blood.

Do the above conditions change the melanocytes of the skin or affect other parts of the skin cells or affect the blood which can be ‘seen through’ the skin? 

Dr Verallo-Rowell: NO. The bilirubin accumulates in the baby who you cited above – whose liver may not be mature enough to remove it. The yellow colored hydrophilic pigment in a sense stains the epidermis and/or its presence in the upper dermis is seen through the epidermis, but it does not affect the melanocytes. Neither does the carotenoids which are lipophilic become prominent in the lipid compartments of the stratum corneum the top most layer of the skin. Melanocytes are unaffected unless for some reason an inflammatory reaction occurs in which case a post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation may occur to temporarily darken the skin from melanocytes reacting to the inflammation.

Pale Skin vs Fair Skin

We know some people like it tanned, but there are others who like it fair. I’ve seen skinny ladies with pale skin, and it doesn’t look healthy to me. There is this condition known as anemia, which is due to iron deficiency for elderly or people without a healthy diet.

How can, say, a lady who is trying for weight loss, be able to spot if it has ‘gone too far’ from observing her skin? Does the same happen for a child (who may for various health reasons not eat well)?

Dr Verallo-Rowell: In ladies (and gentlemen too) who aspire and become successful at losing weight without taking care that they reduce calories but continue to have enough vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients – iron may become deficient so anemia which gives a pale unhealthy white color develops. Children with poor appetites who likewise lack the above nutritional components also can become pale white from the anemia. Anemia means lowered number of red blood cells hence the pallor.

Thank you Dr Verallo Rowell, I learnt much from your reply! For one, I’ll note my own skin color too as I’m losing weight (and lost quite a fair bit through exercise!)

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Categories
Support Group

All about Children’s Skin on Rise and Shine Expo

Dr Lynn Chiam speaks on children's skin on 28 September Rise and Shine Expo 4.30pm to 6pm
Dr Lynn Chiam speaks on children’s skin on 28 September Rise and Shine Expo 4.30pm to 6pm

There is an exciting event this September which is the Rise and Shine Expo. Even more exciting for those of us with children with eczema or sensitive skin, is that there will be a talk by Dr Lynn Chiam, on ‘All about Children’s Skin‘. Dr Lynn has helped out in this blog on Teen Eczema and Facial Eczema, and helped set up the Eczema Support Group.

The Eczema Support Group is bringing you the talk by Dr Lynn at the Rise and Shine expo, and there are complementary tickets (first come first serve) to Dr Lynn’s talk, which would otherwise cost S$30. For those of you who would like to attend this talk, kindly leave a comment to this post, with your email address filled in the relevant field, and then I would contact you.

Deadline for complementary tickets (first come first serve): 24 September 2013, 3pm Singapore time.

The talk is on 28 September 2013, Rise and Shine Expo at Suntec Singapore Hall 401, 4.30pm to 6pm.

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Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – Baby’s view of Mommy

Eczema Baby Says 'What does Mommy look like? I never see her face!'
Eczema Baby Says ‘What does Mommy look like? I never see her face!’

Self-explanatory cartoon and for those of us who clean and clean, we need to Stop. Check out this post on dust mite, if there’s no allergy, just regular cleaning will do, show our face to our babies 🙂

This is the 7th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here.

Categories
Living with Eczema

SOMEONE Manages Son’s Eczema during Summer

Someone has eczema UpliftingFam Christy Story on EczemaBlues

Christy on Eczema BluesThis is a series focused on personal journey with eczema while managing a certain aspect of life. Today, we have Christy, who shares how she manages her son’s eczema which flares up during summer. Christy blogs at UpliftingFamilies and is passionate about helping families with their parenting struggles.

Marcie Mom: Hi Christy, thanks so much for taking part in my Friday blog series ‘Someone has Eczema’! Let’s start with you sharing a little of your son’s eczema history, when did he get eczema and what triggers a flare-up?

Christy: When my son was around two years old, I noticed one day that the back of his knees were red.  I took him to the doctor because I didn’t know what was going on.  The doctor said it was eczema and gave us some medicine to treat it.  It seems as if summer heat, increased sweating, and swimming pools (chlorine) causes him to get a flare up.  The best treatment we used was a thin layer of cortisone and then cover it with moisturizing lotion, or a prescription steroid cream.

Marcie Mom: Share with us how his skin changes as he grows older – did it improve? 

Christy: The doctor said most people typically outgrow it; however, my son is 12 years old and still gets flare ups in the summer time.  I feel if he would pre-treat his skin every day that it would greatly improve his skin but he is a typical boy and forgets.

Marcie Mom: How does summer affect his eczema and does the family need to accommodate to his condition during summer?

Christy: My son doesn’t really seem too bothered by his flare ups.  Occasionally, they will start bleeding.  I just have to remind him to use his eczema cream on his arms and legs.  We haven’t ever skipped an outing or anything due to his eczema but he does have to carry his prescription cream with him. 

Marcie Mom: One final question – I read from your blog that each of your 3 children has some special needs. Did managing eczema for your son make it harder to manage the other two children?

Christy: His eczema hasn’t made it harder to manage with my other two kids.  He was the youngest when he was first diagnosed and I would make a habit to put cream on his legs twice a day, usually during a diaper change.  Now that he is older, I just have to remind him to put on his eczema cream. 

Marcie Mom: Thanks Christy for taking time to share your personal story and it is good to know that eczema can be managed well!

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Last updated on 24 November, 2024 11:12 pm
Categories
Guest Interview

Taking Eczema Kids in the Best Light with Photographer Zurina Bryant

This is a special edition post for many reasons! #1 It’s the first time a photographer is featured #2 She’s a mom who successfully turned her photography passion to a business, with celebrities, TV personalities as her clients and #3 It’s high time we parents of eczema kids have nice photos of our child!

Marcie Mom: Thank you Zurina for joining me here. As I’ve shared with you, taking photos of an eczema child may be difficult for various reasons (1) they may be scratching and so it’s another hurdle to get them to focus on the camera, (2) their skin may be having an eczema flare-up. I’m not a photographer, and I definitely don’t carry a camera around apart from my smart phone (plus my baby bag is already so heavy, check out this cartoon!) So, I’d be asking you questions on how to make the best of my current situation when taking photos of my child, I’m sure many parents will be facing the same!

Family Photo with Eczema Kids

MarcieMom: Ok, let’s get started with my upcoming wedding anniversary photo. I’d head out to a neighborhood studio, for a photographer to take a picture of the family (my hubby, my eczema toddler and I). Half the time she’s either scratching or too shy to look up.

What can I do before, during the photo session to help the photographer to get her to look into the camera? Like should I bring my own toy, or is there a way to carry her for optimal positioning?

Zurina: As a parent myself, if I know I’m going to be taking photos of my kids I don’t do too much talking to them about it before the actual session. I want them to be as relaxed as they can be when they get there. If you’re dealing with a photographer who has experience working with kids they are usually well equipped to get the kids to pose with you or alone (or at least sit still for the required number of shots). Of course, kids are kids and sometimes bribery works! If you can bring their favourite toy that helps – so long as you know that once they get their hands on the toy it’s likely to be featured in the shot too! The other thing is…to have some sort of bribery ready…whether it be a promise of a new toy or treat.

Indoor Photography with Kids

MarcieMom: Assuming we are taking a family photo for the Zoo membership card – all our faces are required to be in the photo, and we’re taking it inside our home.

What’s your take on positioning the smart phone, e.g. lighting or height?

Zurina: The key to taking a shot in your home is about the light. Turn on as many lights as you can and take a practice shot to check out the light. If you need to, pull in some other lights to brighten up your face in the photo. Lights should not be directly overhead otherwise you’ll get some harsh shadows.

Zurina Photography Eczema Blues
Zurina’s kids!

Outdoor Photography with Kids

MarcieMom: Now, we’re heading outdoors.

Where should I stand to take the best light? Also, if say her legs are having eczema flare-ups and I want to take just the upper body, how best to ‘frame’ the photo? (Is ‘framing’ the right word?)

Zurina: The light (think sun) should generally be in front of you so you aren’t in the shadows. Of course, this means that for those who are sensitive will find this a little uncomfortable. In this situation, you can do the 3…2…1…countdown. Tell your subjects (family, friends, kids) to close their eyes and do the countdown. Tell them to close their eyes (to rest them) and to open them up when you hit 1. As for framing (yes, that’s the right word) – that really depends on how close a shot you want to get. Most new photographers will follow the Rule of Thirds when they start out in photography. I’d suggest checking out the Wikipedia page on that one.

Zurina Photography Eczema Blues Taking Photos of Eczema Kids outdoors

Taking Selfies

MarcieMom: If we are taking photos of ourselves, using the front-facing camera. Is there a way for the faces not to be so huge, especially my girl may be having some rashes on her neck – anyway to take a shot so that the focus is on my girl’s smile instead of on her rashes?

Zurina: I’m terrible at taking photos of myself from that angle! I always feel like faces are massive in them! It’s all about the perspective. For this I would suggest learning how to use the timer on your camera instead. This allows you to move further away from the camera.

Thanks Zurina for taking time off your busy family life and photography sessions to help parents take their eczema children in a better light!

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Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – Night Scheduled Milk Feeding

Night Milk Feeding Eczema Baby
What’s going on during those night feeding?

I don’t know about you, but I struggled so much with milk feeding – from (my own lack of) breast milk, to switching from normal to partially hydrolysed milk, to reflux, to changing milk bottles, gosh… thinking back it’s NIGHTMARISH.

I do think if I’d to start over, one change I’d make is forget about scheduled feeding, my baby and I just need to sleep. Also, later I read it’s better to feed as and when the baby is hungry, but who knows the right way, just take heart that this phase will pass!

The lead eczema girl from last week is at the top left of this cartoon, and fyi, 20% of children have eczema, those who have (I suppose) have a darker world, hotter, crankier…well, we all have to go through life no matter what, we’ll see how it works out for our little eczema girl.

This is the 6th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here.