Tag: Eczema in School

Inspired by my back to school eczema tips, I wondered what letter a parent would write to inform the school of the child’s eczema and skincare.This is the final of a series of four #SkinishMom letters written to different schools (conjured up by my imagination and all schools are fictitious!).

Dear Principal,

I love fresh air and I know the school encourages your students to head outdoors and put in great effort in landscaping. The classrooms are not air-conditioned, allowing the children to appreciate the fresh air and be ‘closer’ to the greenery. I don’t use much air-conditioning at home too, given that it is a breeding ground for mold and bacteria as well as the much-feared ‘sick building syndrome’. It is also drying for the skin (an aspect that is bad for my child’s eczema) and potentially traps much dust.

But, in these hot summer months, my child with eczema literally can’t live without air-conditioning. His eczema is triggered by heat and sweat – the exact reason for why sweat irritates isn’t clear; it could be the minerals in the sweat, the crystallized sweat crystal or the changing skin pH. However, he really needs to be kept cool, I can offer the following solutions:

1. I will get a portable air-conditioner for my child’s class (though I can’t possibly buy one for every class)
2. Arrange for afternoon classes in an air-conditioned room like the computer room
3. Seat my child under the fan where it is most cooling
4. Allow him time to freshen up in between classes

I’m not a parent who sweat over the small stuff and this matter is certainly not small. I can have my child’s dermatologist write you a letter to justify the exceptions made for my child.

Thank you

#SkinishMom Disclaimer : A little tongue-in-cheek, don’t cut and paste and send to your child’s school!

Inspired by my back to school eczema tips, I wondered what letter a parent would write to inform the school of the child’s eczema and skincare.This is the third of a series of four #SkinishMom letters written to different schools (conjured up by my imagination and all schools are fictitious!).

Dear Teacher,

Thank you for guiding and helping my child in your class. I know that you have been tolerant of his scratching, due to eczema – it’s impossible to control the itch (in fact, scientists are just beginning to understand how the itch signals can be blocked). I know you have assigned my child to sit near the window, and that he cannot change his seat. There are however, a few problems with this ‘premier window seat’:

1. It’s a ‘hot’ seat – Not as in my child gets called to answer questions but that it literally heats up by noon. Increased temperature and sweat causes my child to itch and eczema flare.
2. It’s near to dust – The windows have dust in the ledge and that irritates my child’s skin. I’m not a fan of cleaning windows and certainly don’t expect the school to have window’s ledges cleaned.
3. It’s near to the radiator – I would expect when winter comes and the radiator is on, the heat from it will certainly trigger eczema rash.

I’d be grateful if you can re-assign my child’s seat. I’m aware that teachers assign seats for a reason (or many reasons) and that your original arrangement certainly has its basis. Perhaps another factor to consider is it is distracting both for you, my child and the classmates sitting behind him to see him scratching non-stop.

Thank you

#SkinishMom Disclaimer : A little tongue-in-cheek, don’t cut and paste and send to your child’s school!

Inspired by my back to school eczema tips, I wondered what letter a parent would write to inform the school of the child’s eczema and skincare.This is the second of a series of four #SkinishMom letters written to different schools (conjured up by my imagination and all schools are fictitious!).

Dear Principal,

I’m in full agreement with your uniform policy and having kids wear uniform give them a sense of identity with the school and eliminates issues with wearing home clothes such as differing fashion views on what’s ‘proper’ wear (and in this all-inclusive age, we almost fear saying someone else’s view is wrong!).

Sadly, my child cannot wear the uniform – not as it is. The current material has 60% polyester, with seams that are very rough and irritate her skin. We have tried, really tried very hard. The first day of wearing the uniform, her eczema flare-up all over her torso, especially the neck and skin areas in contact with the seams. On the second day, it just gets worse. If you’d be so kind to imagine and put yourself in her shoes, it’s like wearing a clothing that has many ants. These are shoes difficult to fit, and which principal can force the child under his care to wear an ant-filled clothing?

I can think of many ways to resolve this uniform problem:

1. Allow me to custom-make a similar uniform without using the same material and have seams on the outside
2. Allow my child to wear the t-shirt and shorts attire that is all cotton
3. Allow my child to wear an inner garment for eczema children on no-exercise days and wear t-shirt and shorts on exercise days
4. Allow my child to wear the t-shirt and shorts after lunch to reduce time with the uniform on

With all the alternatives, and none proposing to disregard your school’s uniform policy, surely there is some tolerance within your policy to allow for one of the above alternative? Also, deeply appreciate if you can put me in contact with the other parents – together we can negotiate with the uniform maker. Do you need a letter from the doctor explaining why the uniform as it is cannot be worn by my child?

Thank you

#SkinishMom Disclaimer : A little tongue-in-cheek, don’t cut and paste and send to your child’s school!

Inspired by my back to school eczema tips, I wondered what letter a parent would write to inform the school of the child’s eczema and skincare. Starting from this week, this is a series of four #SkinishMom letters written to different schools (conjured up by my imagination and all schools are fictitious!).

Dear Principal,

I love that my child gets to study in your school and I would love it better if you allow your teachers to help my child with her eczema. Eczema is a chronic skin condition, and it waxes and wanes. It is characterized by dry skin, severe itch and reddish rash. As a parent who doesn’t want to impose additional work on the school’s system, I would have done all that I can for my child’s eczema when she is not in school (so that there is less that your teachers need to do). But it’s not always possible, and it’s made impossible by your no-touch policy.

Imagine with me:

After exercise class – Sweat triggers her eczema flare-ups. At home, we would give her a shower and moisturize immediately after (the dermatologist’s rule is within 3 minutes). Yet the no-touch policy precludes your teachers from helping. We have taught our child to moisturize on her own, but can you help with moisturizing her back? If not, she will keep on scratching if her skin is dry. It seems akin to letting a child go hungry for hours (in this case itchy) when offering a snack that takes few minutes will help (in this case, literally seconds to moisturize).

Before heading outdoors – Child’s skin is thinner and more vulnerable to sunburn. Eczema and sunburn don’t go well and likely to worsen eczema flare-ups. Even without eczema, sun protection is essential to prevent skin cancer and sunburn. Sunburn in young children, with fever and blistering, requires immediate medical attention – surely, this is something to avoid. Or is the plan here to not apply sunscreen on a child, take her out for hours, get sunburn and call the parent to pick up the child to see a doctor all in the name of your no-touch policy?

I’m fully aware of the reasons behind the no-touch policy – touching a child may be viewed by some with suspicion and if reported, difficult to substantiate basis for the touch. I would like to make it simple by giving permission to your teachers or nurses to:

1. Apply moisturizer for my child on her back after shower
2. Apply moisturizer for my child on her torso, back, arms, hands and legs anytime
3. Apply sunscreen at skin areas exposed to sun, and that includes face, neck, upper shoulders, hands, arms and legs anytime up to 30 minutes before heading outdoors

Thank you

#SkinishMom Disclaimer : A little tongue-in-cheek, don’t cut and paste and send to your child’s school!