Does your child suffer from skin conditions like skin asthma, atopic dermatitis, etc.? My 5 year old first suffered from skin asthma since he was a baby, now he is a growing up kid – skin asthma still manifests from time to time. After all and from what I know, skin asthma is a condition which cannot be treated but can be managed.
The hot & sweaty summer weather can leave our kids with rashes (bungang araw) and worsen existing skin conditions. Here, my son was complaining of sweaty and itchy back we had to remove his shirt
Just this month, my son’s entire back was covered with rough, itchy, and goose bump like rash. The hot sweaty weather combined with outdoor activities made him flare up. My son’s skin asthma is not as extreme but still, it is uncomfortable and can be really itchy. I know because I think my son got it from me. We both had itchy backs, buttocks, arms, etc. after a day in the sun flying kites.
Consciously moisturizing and using gentle products help relieve kids skin condition. Successfully cleared my son’s back of rough itchy patches and skin asthma flare ups with diligent application of moisturizing products that also relieve itchiness.
Based on my experience, here are following remedies for skin asthma. You might want to try and discover what’s best for you and your baby:
1. Hydrocortisone lotion (LactiCare-HC) – this was the first topical solution provided by Ashton’s pediatrician since he was a baby. It is a little pricey for such a small bottle and based on our personal experience, it was good in the first few usage but I feel it did not work as well for the next flare ups.
2. Physiogel – recommended by fellow moms, also a little pricey but lasts a long time. It improves the moisture level and appearance of skin asthma. When bumps appear, we just spot treat with physiogel lotion to avoid the greasy feel (especially with Philippine weather).
3. Lucas Papaw ointment – famous in Australia as an overall ointment from lip balm to moisturizer, Lucas Papaw helps resolve the itchiness of skin asthma, dry skin, and some mothers use it too for eczema.
4. Use of natural products – Over time I’ve learned that prevention is really better (and cheaper) than cure. Commercial products do cause dryness in both baby and adult skin. My son and I switched to natural products and continue to try natural brands. It keeps our flare ups at bay, our skin moisturized, and preserve our health (have you heard about the baby bath issue lately?).
My son’s current regimen to prevent and manage skin asthma:
1. Belo Baby Hair & Body Wash – this is the most recent natural brand we are trying, also based on mommy recommendations. The 2-in-1 baby bath is made of natural ingredients like shea, cocoa butter – free from harmful chemicals.
Even though it is all natural and does not contain chemicals including cheap ingredients -it still creates enough bubbles to make bath time fun, Belo Baby’s Hair & Body Wash is not as bubbly but will give you the same level of clean feeling. My son’s skin is still soft and not dry after using this, I am tempted to skip using the lotion on step 2 but I dare not to keep his skin condition manageable.
2. Belo Baby Lotion – right after taking a bath to retain even more moisture and to help heal rash, bumps, and itchy patches. This lotion is very light which is a common characteristic of natural and even organic products.
It is light enough that I don’t hesitate to use it on my son’s back, buttocks, and other “sweaty” areas. With other products, I just use them on legs and arms but for Belo Baby lotion – I am comfortable using it everywhere – it really is grease free. I wrote about the complete Belo Baby Product List & Prices here.
3. Organic healing balms (i.e. peppermint, eucalyptus balms) – sometimes, the itchiness of skin asthma strikes so I always use balms and even Lucas Papaw to spot treat itchy areas. Instantly, it soothes and relieves itchiness which saves my son’s skin from scratches leading to mini wounds and dark, ugly, scars (from kutkot and kamot).
These scars and dark spots were caused by previous dryness of skin and scratching. Now we diligently check & apply lotion to prevent dryness, hopefully the natural products we are using will also heal these spots to match my kid’s normal skin.
4. Drinking lots of water – it really shows in my son’s skin when he is too focused on playing and are not getting enough fluids. He scratches a lot, even if it’s not skin asthma but more of having dry skin from dehydration! Note we have to moisturize in and out so make sure our kids are getting the right amount of water into their diets.
We are lucky that we are only managing moderate skin asthma and I know other mommies have it worse. Still, we understand each other’s quest for the best regimen for kids skin conditions and I hope this list helps.
Do you have any more tips about this topic? Please do share them via comments below so we can help each other, Mommy!
Mommy Lace is a blogger from the Philippines. She started this blog to share information on pregnancy, breastfeeding, childcare, family, and health.
