MyChildHealth » Skin

How to Treat Dandruff in Children?

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:51:26 +0000

Dandruff is common both in adults and children, but as per the experts and researchers, the chances of occurrence of dandruff increase many fold at the age of puberty. This problem thrives during the time when the person is in adulthood and shows sign of declining as one grows older.

The cells of the skin by the natural process continue to change with the upper layer shedding to give room for new cells. Similarly skin cells on the scalp are shedding. In normal cases, the process of shedding of skin cells is not visible to the human eye but when there is excessive shedding, most likely due to fungal action, the process becomes visible with the human eye and you can notice gray flakes appearing on the scalp of the child. In many cases they do fall off from the head of the child.

Though dandruff is not contagious and cannot spread from mother to child but care should be taken that in case the mother has dandruff, the flakes should not fall on the head of the child. Sometimes dandruff could cause itching on the scalp of the child and the child may scratch and convert it into wounds. If the child scratches her head you should also check her head for lice infestation.

Causes

Improper hygiene could be the main cause of dandruff in kids. In case the child is washing her head on her own, there could be chances that the shampoo does not get washed away and flakes of dried shampoo may stick to her scalp. This could be mistaken for dandruff. Before going in for treatment, properly observe the head of the child. In certain cases the dandruff may also be caused by some other skin infection like eczema. In case of swollen glands and fall of hair at a particular spot, the child may be infested with ringworms.

Home Remedies & Treatment

In case you find that the child has dandruff, you can start with brushing her hair both before and after shampoo. Use mild shampoo and wash hair daily, this will help remove excess flakes. If this simple process does not work, you can buy some medicated shampoo containing salicylic acid and ask the child to properly wash hair twice a week using medicated shampoo. During the time the child has dandruff, avoid application of oily or greasy conditioners. Also avoid styling of hair using certain sprays or hair setting agents. These will make the conditions worse.

While washing the hair never use very hot water. Use warm water only. Excessively hot water tends to destroy hair follicles and also causes injury or excessive dryness to scalp skin. You may need to change the shampoo your child uses and select one which helps eradicate dandruff. Before the child washes her hair or starts using the shampoo on her own, ensure that she reads the instructions printed on the bottle of shampoo and understands the procedure to be followed by her for washing the hair. Explain to her once or more times as to how she should take shampoo on her palm and massage it on the scalp for two minutes.

In case of excessive scratching of head by the child, it will be better to visit your doctor once. He is an expert and can make a better judgement of the problem faced by the child. He can advise you about the shampoo to be used in a particular case and other preventive measures necessary. Healthy food will play an active role in treatment of dandruff in case of children. They should be taught about the good effects of healthy food and ill effects of fast food and junk food. Exercise is necessary for people of all ages, encourage the child to play outdoor games and run around in a park. All these steps taken will help eradicate dandruff.

How to Treat Dandruff in Children? is a post from: MyChildHealth

Types of Birthmarks on Babies

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:06:35 +0000

Appearance of birth marks on the body of the child is a common phenomenon. As per an estimate, around 1 in every 10 children is born with a birth mark. The birth mark may be in the shape of a small mole or pigmented area. The pigment may be of blue, green or red color. A birth mark could be hereditary and may continue to appear from generation to generation, this may appear in a child even with a gap in a generation, and the strange part is that the location and size may be almost identical. Generally birthmarks appear during gestation or during the first few months of the life of the child.

What causes birthmarks on babies?

It is a common question in the mind of everybody, especially in parents that where do birthmarks come from. There are old sayings that birthmarks signify omens and reflect on the future life of the person, or are left over from the past life, or some old ladies may be heard saying that the coloured marks may be due to something which the mother ate during pregnancy which remained undigested and got stuck on the skin of the child. There is no scientific explanation to any of these theories. The scientific explanation is that these may be formed due to malformation of some blood vessels etc., or may or may not be related to the trauma faced by skin during the child birth process.

Birth marks may be permanent and continue for the life of the person. Some birth marks are temporary and fade away with time. Birth marks may be caused by incorrect formation of blood vessels in a part of the body, they being too close or too far off from each other. The pigmented birth marks may be caused due to over growth of cells which provide pigments to the skin. Some of the common birth marks are:

Types of birthmarks:

Macular stains or salmon patches commonly called angel kiss are found on the face of the new born child. They are faint red marks on the forehead, cheeks, above upper lips or on the back of the neck or head of the child. These are vascular birth marks which fade by the time the child is 3 years of age.

Hemangiomas are other forms of birth marks found on the skin of new born babies. These are generally bright red in color and may appear at the time of birth or within few days of birth of the child. If these are deep under the skin they will appear bluish. These marks continue to grow during the first 6 months of the life of the child and fade away on their own by the time the child is about 10 years of age. The bigger ones may leave a scar on the skin. If on the exposed part of the body, plastic surgery may be required.

A pigmented type of birth mark is called Port wine stains. These are discoloured stains on any part of the body and generally found on face, arms or legs. They continue to grow and darken as the person ages and do not vanish on their own.

Another common birthmark often found on the skin of people with white skin is called café-au-lait spots. These are of the color of coffee with milk and can appear on any part of the body. If there is an occasional small spot on the skin of your child, it can be ignored. In case of multiple spots, medical attention is required as these may be due to generic disorder requiring correction.

Mongolian spots are bluish patches found on the lower back of children and are found more on the people with darker skin. These are temporary marks and fade away within first few years of birth.

Moles are common marks which may appear at the time of birth or at the later stages of life. Moles can be of different shapes and sizes. These could be black or brown in color and may be flat or raised. The larger moles may be a cause of worry if they continue to grow as these may develop into skin cancer but generally moles are not harmful and continue during the life cycle of any person.

Generally no treatment is required for birth marks. These tend to fade with time, as the person grows. However in case the marks are at a place where they give an ugly look, they can be cured by surgical process. Of late laser therapy has been successfully tried to cure birth marks. Laser treatment may not result in total elimination of marks but for sure they will become light in color. Stains caused due to deformation of blood vessels require surgical treatment. Moles can also be removed by minor surgical procedure.

Types of Birthmarks on Babies is a post from: MyChildHealth

Causes And Prevention Of Head Lice In Children

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 06:42:58 +0000

Head lice are a common infestation in children. They usually get them from their play mates, school friends and those employed to look after them. Head lice are tiny black or brown parasites. They suck the blood of the host. They are wingless and cling on to hair or scurry around on the scalp. They lay their eggs on the hair shaft. These eggs are called nits and are very tiny and pale yellow in color. They are difficult to pull off the hair.

Lice cannot fly so they spread from one person to another mainly through contact. Small children play together or sit close together at desks in school. Their heads often come in contact. Lice migrate quickly from one head to another. When children come home, these lice spread to all family members as soon as they come in close contact.

The time period which lice can live on inanimate objects is about twenty four hours. So if children share items worn or used on the head with each other, head lice find an avenue to infect more and more people. These items can be combs, brushes, hats, clips, hair bands and head phones. In the home sharing pillows and bed linen, blankets and furniture cannot be avoided. Head lice spread through this mode as well.

An apparent, and often only symptom, is repeated scratching of the head. Spread the hair and check for lice and nits. If head lice are found in even one person in the house all members should take treatment. Many over the counter shampoos and medication are available which can be applied on the scalp and the hair to kill lice and their eggs. In case of small children, ask a doctor to prescribe medication.

Dead lice can be combed out with a fine tooth comb but nits will have to be pulled off individually. Soak all combs and brushes in boiling hot soapy water for at least ten minutes. There after clean them thoroughly. Dip hair bands, ribbons etc. also in the same manner or discard them if possible. Advise your children not to share these things with anybody.

You will have to disinfect all bed linen by boiling it for fifteen minutes in soapy water. Then dry on high heat for twenty minutes or spread out in the sun for four to five hours. Likewise treat blankets. Vacuum all furniture and if possible wipe with a cloth dipped in disinfectant. Toys like stuffed animals can be washed and put in a polythene bag closed tightly and kept aside for fifteen days so that any lice present are killed.

As a precaution wash your child’s hair with shampoo meant for lice once in fifteen days.

Causes And Prevention Of Head Lice In Children is a post from: MyChildHealth

Prickly Heat Rash In Babies

admin — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:20:03 +0000

Heat rashes refer to a number of skin problems which affect a person due to exposure to hot weather conditions. The problem is aggravated more in hot and humid weather. The main cause of heat rash is sweat retention in the glands. The condition generally gets resolved in a few days on its own. However, in extreme cases, a visit to the doctor is advised.

The most common form of heat retention is called prickly heat or miliaria in medical terms. This condition is generally found in babies and children as they have underdeveloped sweat glands. However, adults can also get affected by this problem. This condition generally occurs due to repeated sweating due to weather conditions. The sweat gets trapped in the skin causing a lot of itching due to which a person affected may also suffer from inflammation of skin in the area.

Keeping the skin cool should be the first and foremost priority to prevent and get rid of the heat rashes. The best remedy is application of the ice pack on the affected parts. Ice should be packed in some plastic bag. This bag is wrapped in cloth and applied on the affected parts. Ice cubes are not directly wrapped in cloth to prevent exposing heat rash affected area to water as sometimes due to itching or inflammation water may cause infection. Application of ice pack should be repeated after a few hours.

Heat rash generally occurs on the parts of the body which are covered by clothes. These can be back, neck, chest or armpits. As a preventive measure one should wear light cotton clothes during hot sultry weather which allow air circulation. Clothes made from manmade synthetic fibre should be avoided. Heat rash affects the natural mechanism of the body which regulates and controls the heat as a result of which the patient may sometimes suffer from fever.

Extra precaution needs to be taken of the senior citizens during hot weather, as the illness caused due to heat may result in temporary memory loss or consciousness. Their well being should be checked during mid day and in the evening.

The affected area should be kept dry and some cool powder should be sprayed. The person should make effort to be in area which has lesser humidity and low temperature. Dehumidifier may be installed in the room. You can find the best home dehumidifiers to reduce excess humidity at SimplyDehumidifiers. Air conditioned environment is the best solution. Hydrocortisone cream is good for adults. Older children can also benefit from this remedy. A thin layer should be applied and the affected part should be left exposed. Noticeable benefit will be seen in a short time.

Prickly Heat Rash In Babies is a post from: MyChildHealth

Preventions For Dry Skin In Children

admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:20:06 +0000

Children have delicate skin which gets affected by the vagaries of weather resulting in dry skin. Skin is the largest organ in terms of surface area so it needs to be looked after well. Even when the children remain indoors during the winter, away from the cold wind, dryness can be seen on the skin. The air inside may not have the necessary moisture to make the skin supple.

A humidifier can be used to rectify this. Central heating, or the use of blowers and heaters, tends to extract moisture from the air. Humidifiers are devices which make up this loss. They should be placed in the children’s playing area during the day and bedroom at night.

Contrary to belief, bathing does not lead to dryness. Mild moisturising soap, free from perfume and harsh chemicals, should be used for children. Lukewarm water should be used for bathing children as hot water removes oils from the skin. It is said that moisturiser should be applied within three minutes of bathing to seal in moisture.

It is best to use oil rich creams rather than light lotions. It will help if children are given an oil massage in a warm room before their bath. Olive oil or milk cream can be used for this purpose. Try to use moisturisers which have natural ingredients as perfumes and added color may irritate the skin.

Cream should be reapplied several times a day for maximum benefit especially to the exposed areas like face and hands. Pure glycerine or petroleum jelly can be applied at night. They are rich in moisturisers which are well tolerated by the delicate skin of the children and can smooth the skin after a few applications.

Dry skin may cause itching and it is difficult to keep the child from scratching. To prevent injury and infection clip the nails of the child. Cotton gloves may be used at night. Soft clothing and bed linen can prevent irritation. Clothes should not be washed with strong and perfumed detergents and they should be rinsed very well.

If the skin develops scaly patches or is cracked, then eczema should be suspected. It may need anti-inflammatory ointment to cure it. It is advisable to consult a doctor because antibiotics may be needed in some cases to prevent infection. This will be characterised by swelling and redness.

Severe cases will require stronger medicines containing steroids. The doctor can also check if the child’s condition is due to allergic reaction. Parents should not try to treat the children by over the counter drugs but always be guided by medical advice.

Preventions For Dry Skin In Children is a post from: MyChildHealth

How To Care For Baby Skin?

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:39:20 +0000

Little babies are known to have a flawless skin which holds true in almost all cases leaving just a handful of those whose kids end up developing acne very early in life due to their hormonal changes or imbalance. Such cases need to be well looked after and even treated by the right doctor in order to rectify it. Every mother would love to touch and feel her baby’s cheeks especially when they are impeccably clean and clear like most of the new born babies.

As parents you must make it a point to take proper care of your child’s skin however good it is for it may even go bad if you carelessly neglect this aspect. Strictly tick to only those products that are meant for the little ones instead of anything and everything available in the market. Consult your doctor for any sort of information regarding selecting the right cream and lotions or even soaps for that matter, for your little angel so that you don’t end up harming and spoiling his/her skin in the bargain.

Try also to use certain home made concoctions and oils which could prove to be extremely beneficial for your baby’s skin. For example gram flour with milk is often applied to little babies while bathing them with lukewarm water. This enhances the quality of the skin eventually making it glow like the sun. You could also try using rose water to clean his face sometimes so that he or she feels refreshed and fresh all the time.

Massage him with olive oil for a brighter skin. Follow the aforementioned rules only to help your little one have a beautiful skin that you would love to caress just like every mother.

If you take care of your baby’s skin he will always look like the shining sun, glowing and bright as ever.

How To Care For Baby Skin? is a post from: MyChildHealth

Causes Of Newborn Baby Acne

devesh — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:34:46 +0000

Babies are known for a flawless, soft, supple and a velvety skin. They are born to be held in the arms and play with their cheeks which glow once they begin having mother’s milk. Many a time it is noticed that once they are born, their skin is without flaw but within the first four or five month’s time, everything changes. Their skin begins to get rashes which don’t vanish too soon. After that you get to see pimples on them which is so very alarming for a mother as she thinks it’s far too early for that to happen.

Babies get pimples on their skin only when their sebaceous glands begin to secret a lot of oil. It is only when this oil gland starts secreting more oil than what is required, that the baby starts getting acne. This is a rare phenomenon when it comes to little ones but in certain cases it just transpires and perplexes everybody.

Many believe that it is hereditary when a baby gets acne. That means only when acne runs in a family will the little one get is too, which is not correct in all cases. There may be a case or two where in it could hold true but when it comes to the question that, why is a little one, who is hardly four months old, getting bothered with acne, there are several answers to it. It could be due to some hormonal imbalance which could cause rashes and acne at any age possible. There are other reasons which include the effect of the genes and heredity which, like discussed earlier, could be the major reason for the same.

Sometimes when the mother is undergoing some sort of a treatment during her course of pregnancy, the medicines she takes could also result in the baby getting acne all over his face at a young age of 4 or five months. Hence there are many reasons which could cause the ugly acne to conceal the cute supple face of a new born baby in certain cases.

Once the acne problem has been diagnosed the infant should be immediately treated by the best doctor around. Make sure that the medicines given to him aren’t strong enough to hamper his delicate new body. The sooner he gets treated the better it will be for him.

Apart the treatment that his doctor would follow, you could even begin home remedies by washing his face and body with a medicated soap at home. Make sure you use only warm water to clean him each time you take him to the bathroom for the same. Warm water helps a lot in clearing one’s face of acne and rashes. Avoid the soap from getting into the baby’s eyes and be very careful else it might just enter his mouth in the process.

Newborn baby acne or rash, though not very common, is purely curable. So once you know your child has it, don’t panic, just take him to the best doctor and get him treated for a better face.

Causes Of Newborn Baby Acne is a post from: MyChildHealth

Baby Sun Protection In Summer

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:10:12 +0000

Sunburns cause skin damage to babies, ultraviolet radiation in sunlight penetrates deeper into the skin to produce wrinkling, sagging, broken blood vessels and even cancer. Pale-skinned babies have greater risk of damage on exposure to sunlight even on cloudy day or in the shady place. Sun protection is a must for babies. Use sun creams or clothing and accessories to prevent the sunlight from reaching baby’s skin. All the benefits of a healthy, active and outdoor enjoyment are relished by sitting in the sunlight without any harm to the skin with full protection.

Some Infant Sun Safety Tips

1. Limit the child’s exposure to the sunlight round the year, whether it is winter, and summer, snowy and rainy weather.
2. It is not to forget that snow, sand and water can harm skin on reflection of sunlight.
3. A baby sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect skin from sun exposure. Every part of the body should be covered under this sunscreen protection including lips, ears, hands and feet.
4. A brief and not too much exposure to sun is needed. Ultraviolet rays will enter through even windows or in a moving car to damage skin.
5. Always remember to protect the baby from sun which is strongest from ten AM to four PM.
6. Protect your infant even on cool days when sun rays are in full force but you don’t feel the heat.
7. It is advisable to dress your babies in lightweight clothing during summer days and use wide-brimmed hats to cover the faces, necks and ears even for grown up children. It will reduce the damage up to fifty percent.
8. Fabrics of certain types which are closely-woven blocks sunlight. Baby sun wear, suits, shield are very helpful.
9. A waterproof formula is the best prolonged safety but it must be reapplied because the children often sweat it out on playing outdoors.
10. Encourage children to play in shady places but with protection of hats and sunscreen.
11. Sun cream specially made for skin of babies is best to use to protect gentle skin of babies.
12. A long sleeve T-shirt is essential for the child to get protection from burning.
13. When you are at beach or pool with your children, keep them protected from hat, cloths and sun glasses as well.
14. Use parasol for babies in their buggy or pram. It is attached to buggy with a spring loaded clip and is usually quite cheap also for sun safety.
15. Mesh covers are also available like rainy cover to use in buggy from sun protection.
16. Sun-block lotion with natural, fragrance free oatment help is used to prevent moisture loss, is mild to the skin like water.

Baby Sun Protection In Summer is a post from: MyChildHealth

Baby Eczema Treatment

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:22:24 +0000

Eczema is a disease of skin which is caused by hereditary or allergies to cause patches of tiny red bumps on the infant or baby’s scalp, face and cheeks. It is particularly atopic dermatitis which is the most common type of eczema that can affect the babies. This skin problem can occur to the babies between two to six months of age and usually disappear between two to three years of age. It may be irritating and painful for the children.

Causes

Eczema or skin allergy can be caused by milk or food to the child. The breast feeding infants may be allergic because of mother’s eating habits. The mother must get tested to know the causes of allergy. The doctor will prescribe the milk which is compatible with child’s system. Enfamil Nutramigen, Similac Alimentum are the milk which is recommended for the child of eczema.

Symptoms

Itching, redness of rashes, oozing of fluids, pain, yellow crust, fever, infection and blister are some of the symptoms, but test will confirm the disease. The pediatrician is to be consulted in case of severity of the disease and home remedies are not responding to the treatment.

Infant or Baby Eczema Treatment

An allopathic pediatrician may prescribe one percent hydrocortisone cream to bleach the skin of infant. One of the best remedy is the skin moisturizer to cure this disease. It can soothe the infected skin. It is also advised to use pure almond oil and for itching calamine lotion is good to use. An antihistamine can be recommended, but doctor will not advise it for the child who is under five months of age. Bathing should not be frequent but warm water can dry out the skin, dove and tone soaps are used to make the child bath. The baby oil may be poured in the water to keep the skin moisturized.

Preventions

The child’s skin is very sensitive and the delayed and wrong treatment will irritate the skin. The natural moisturizer which should not have strong fragrance can be used to soothe the skin problem of baby or infants. Try to avoid things which can worsen the disease like use of glues, dyes, liberal use of moisturizers, lubricants, and nickel on the pants buttons, poison ivy, wool or irritating fabrics and the use of steroid creams.

Precautions

Avoid baby lotion, baby wash and sunscreens which can cause allergy to the baby.
Try fragrance free and food based soaps to ensure that these don’t cause eczema in infants.
Lukewarm water may be used to bathe baby and natural oil may be added to avoid this problem.
Keep the skin of the baby moisturized by using plain olive oil for daily use.
Try to use clean and pure laundry detergent and plain baking soda can be used for baby’s clothes.
Avoid excessive scratching to avoid spreading of bacteria and irritation.
Avoid cow milk, peanuts, eggs, fish, wheat, and soy which may be the cause of allergies and reuse these after a week break, just to indentify the allergic thing.
Dress the child in comfortable and natural fiber clothing.
Keep the air in the home moist free from dust.

Baby Eczema Treatment is a post from: MyChildHealth

Types Of Common Baby Skin Rashes

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:02:21 +0000

Rashes are very common in babies. Some of them disappear after a few days with some care but some need to be treated thoroughly. These rashes occur due to a variety of reasons. Knowing the cause of the rash would be helpful in administering the right medicines for treating them. Most of the common baby rashes are not serious. Following are the main types of baby rashes with their remedies:

Baby Heat Rashs – Miliaria

Heat Rash is commonly known as ‘prickly heat’. These appear as small pink boils around the neck, chest, back with lot of itching and discomfort. They occur if the child is exposed excessive heat or kept in warm atmosphere for a long time. This happens because the sweat glands in infants and babies are not developed enough to regulate the body temperature according to the environment. The cure for this rash is to cool the room of the baby, use loose cotton clothes and application of calamine lotion and prickly heat powder.

Baby Nappy or Diaper Rash

Baby diaper or nappy rashes are the most common, if the nappies are not changed frequently. When the skin comes in contact with the bacteria from urine or feces and moisture for a long time, the skin gets irritated and develops rash. The affected area would become red and itchy coupled with burning sensation. The best way to avoid it is to change nappy frequently and allow the skin to breathe between the changes. Applying mild powder and nappy rash cream would help to get rid of the rash but medical help should be acquired if the rash persists.

Milia

When the sweat glands are blocked, Milia occur. They are tiny white boils on the forehead, cheeks, chin, nose are harmless. They disappear automatically after a while.

Cradle Cap

It occurs on scalp and behind the ears of new born babies. The scalp would appear dark and scaly. Applying baby oil and shampooing would help to loosen up the scales and fall off. For no reason should the nails or any other force be used to remove the scales.

Drooling Rash

These are rashes that occur around the mouth and under the chin and at times on the neck. It’s common in babies that drool excessively especially in teething phase. Cleaning the baby’s drool frequently and keeping the area dry will minimize the occurrence of the rash.

Thrush

Candida yeast causes the oral thrush infection inside the mouth of babies. It can occur even on nappy rash if it’s not treated properly. Medical attention is required to cure this. Breast feeding mothers can contract this from their babies.

Baby Rash Eczema

Eczema or Dermatitis is an allergic rash occurring in babies characterized by thick scaly skin with lot of redness. The affected becomes itchy and dry. There are two types of Eczema – atopic and seborrhoeic. Keeping the skin moisturized and avoiding use of soap and wool and synthetic clothing on the baby is the best way to keep it at bay.

Impetigo

Impetigo are a tiny red blisters on face and hands. This is a contagious infection caused by Staph or Strep bacteria. Only antibiotics prescribed by doctors would cure it.

Fever Rash

The skin becomes pink in patches when the temperature of the baby goes beyond 103°F. It automatically disappears when the fever comes down. But if it persists then medical attention is required.

Types Of Common Baby Skin Rashes is a post from: MyChildHealth