Welcome to the section on teaching your child how to care for their eczema!
This section will look at:
- Teaching your child about eczema
- Teaching your child how to use their creams
- How to support your child to look after their own eczema as they get older
Helping your child learn how to look after their own eczema
We know that families sometimes worry about how their child will manage their eczema as they get older.
Gradually involving your child in their treatment as they get older is a good way to start teaching them how to look after their eczema.
When she was younger, we started involving her in putting on her moisturising creams. It made it so much easier then, for her to start doing it on her own as she got older.
Teaching your child about eczema and its treatment
It can help if your child understands what eczema is, and why they need to use different creams to make it better.
I’ve always tried to explain what we’re doing and why – I tell her that we are putting the cream on to make her skin feel better, and then she’s happy to have them put on – sometimes she even asks for the creams because she knows they will make her feel less itchy and sore.
I tell him 'it's you and me against the eczema, not you against me'. He seems to understand when I put it like that.
You could watch this video on 'what is eczema' with them to help them understand what eczema is and how it is treated.
Read a text version of the video here
Imagine the skin as a brick wall made from skin cells and water. The skin cells are the bricks and the moisture around them are like cement. Moisture keeps everything together. This brick wall forms a natural barrier that stops harmful things from getting into our bodies and also keeps moisture from drying out.
In someone without eczema, the moisture around the bricks keeps everything in place and the bricks keep their shape. This stops cracks forming between the bricks, so things that may cause your skin to react do not pass through the wall.
In someone with eczema, this wall does not work as well as it should. Their skin makes less moisture, which causes gaps in the wall.
These gaps let moisture out, making the skin dry. It also lets in things that make eczema worse, such as pollen. This can cause the skin to react, making it itchy and sore. In lighter skin, this may make the skin look red. In darker skin, skin may look grey, purple, or brown. This change in the skin is called an eczema flare-up.
Other things like soap or washing-up liquid, can break down the barrier further and can make eczema worse.
Two treatment creams help with eczema. Moisturising creams, known as emollients, help fill up the cracks in the wall, keeping moisture in. They create a barrier to stop things that would make your eczema worse from passing through the skin. Flare control creams, which are usually steroid creams, help reduce the flare-up when something does pass through the wall.
When should I let my child start putting on their own moisturising cream?
Most families find that a good age to do this is around the age children start primary school, although you can start earlier.
When your child starts school you may find that they need to take more control of their eczema treatments so they can look after their eczema when they are out and about. For example, during sleepovers, on trips away from home with school or clubs, or if they need to put on creams more often.
You can find out more information about how to manage eczema at nursery and school in the ‘managing eczema at nursery and school’ section. You can get to this section from the ‘help your child manage eczema’ menu above.
Teaching your child how to use moisturising creams
It’s good to show your child how to put the cream on. Get them to copy what you are doing so they can see how much cream to use, and how to put it on - using plenty of cream in downward strokes in the same direction that the hair grows. There is no need to rub creams in hard – think of it more as a gentle massage. You could watch the video on moisturising creams with them to help them understand these creams better.
Read a text version of the video here
Narrator: It’s not always easy having eczema and having to work to keep your skin soft and happy. Our skin is a barrier like a wall that protects us.
Eczema skin needs help from moisturising creams to lock moisture in and keep out things that make eczema worse. These moisturising creams have lots of good things in them to make the skin stronger and prevent flares. They have been designed just for eczema. So, unlike cosmetic moisturisers, they mostly don’t have any perfumes or chemicals in that might make your eczema worse. Moisturising creams are also called emollients. They come in different forms such as ointments, creams, gels and lotions. These can come in tubs, pumps, tubes, or sprays. They all have the same goal so it’s about finding one that works for you. What works for you?
Person 1: So It’s not always easy, but I am pretty good at keeping control of my eczema if I stick to my daily routine. I try to use my moisturising cream twice a day at least! Even when my eczema is already really good, I keep going. Just like brushing my teeth – I do it each morning when I get up and each night before going to bed. I keep a small tube with me for in case my skin feels itchy or dry during the day. I try to keep a routine though or else I forget. And if I forget, sometimes the eczema flares up again.
Person 2: I agree, for me, I find that when my eczema is flaring up it’s best to use the flare control creams as well as my usual routine of moisturising creams. I leave a gap of 20 minutes to not dilute the creams. It works well if I use my moisturising creams in the morning and at bedtime which is what I usually do, and then if I need my flare control cream then I put it on when I come home.
Person 3: I found for dry days I use moisturising creams over my whole body, and especially my usual flare up spots. I try to smooth it in and not rub it in, because rubbing it can make my skin itchy. And I put it on in the same direction as my hair grows. Then I let it soak in while I listen to my favourite tune before I put my clothes on.
Narrator: So, there you have it, moisturising cream forms a protective layer over the skin. This locks moisture in AND stops things that might make eczema worse from getting in. It is important to use moisturisers even when your skin looks good to prevent flare-ups. Using moisturising creams every day can help you keep control of eczema and have comfortable, healthy skin.
Should I let my child put on their flare control creams?
Many families decide to wait until their child is a bit older before they start helping them use flare control creams themselves. Even if your child isn’t putting these creams on themselves, it can be helpful to understand what flare control creams are and how to use them. This is so they can start to spot when they need to use them. You could watch the video on flare control creams with them to help them understand these creams better.
Read a text version of the video here
Narrator: How do we get control of eczema? People with eczema experience flare-ups, which make the skin sore and itchy. In lighter skin, this may look red. In darker skin, it may look grey, purple, or brown. Flare control creams, which are usually steroid creams or ointments, help reduce the flare-up. Think of this as the treatment to put out the eczema flare-up just like a firefighter putting out a fire.
The steroids in these creams are like the ones produced naturally by the body and so are very good at treating sore and itchy skin. They also help the skin to heal. Steroid creams are safe if they’re used correctly. I have asked some people with eczema about their tips for using steroid creams. Health professionals agree that these are great tips.
Person 1. I was told by the dermatologist that I only need a thin layer and only to the areas where I have eczema. It is safe to put steroid creams on broken skin. It feels stingy but I notice that that it doesn’t sting once the skin heals after a day or two.
Person 2. I try to use flare- control creams as soon as I spot a flare-up; it makes it go away faster! I use them once a day when I have a flare-up.
Person 3. I found it’s best to keep using the flare control cream for two days after the skin returns to normal and feels soft. If I don’t do that, I find it just comes back quicker. Sometimes eczema can still be under the skin even when it looks ok.
Person 4. When I have a flare I carry on using moisturising creams (emollients) every day to help soothe the skin and prevent future flare-ups. My health professional recommended a gap of at least 20 minutes and said it didn’t matter what order I use. I usually put my moisturisers on in the morning and at night so I keep doing that but I then add my flare-control cream on after when I come back home instead of waiting around for the 20 minutes gap!
Narrator: For a mild eczema flare-up, it usually takes 5-7 days to get the flare under control. For a thicker patch of eczema, or more severe flare-up it may take a few weeks. If an eczema flare-up does not start to get better after a week, you should see your doctor or nurse as you may need a different cream. Getting control of eczema using flare control creams will help stop the flare-up getting worse and will help your skin heal faster. Once you get control with flare control creams then keep control with moisturising creams.
Letting your child have more control over doing their creams
As your child gets older, it can be hard to let them take more control over doing their treatments. Even more so if you notice that they are not using the treatments when they should!
Many older children say that they just want to live a normal life and do the same things as their friends. This can sometimes mean that they do not always look after their eczema as well as they could.
For example, they may skip their creams if at a sleepover or take part in activities that might make their eczema worse, like swimming.
I really felt for her – she just wanted to do what the other kids were doing but we both knew that it wouldn’t be good for her eczema.
Helping your child balance wanting a normal life with doing their creams
One thing that can help is to talk to your child about planning for when they do activities that might affect their eczema. They can use their moisturising creams before and afterwards so they can do what they want but still take care of their skin.
It can help to point out that this will make it more likely that they can keep doing these activities because their eczema will be better under control.
I tried talking to her about what sort of things she thought made her eczema better and worse and she had a pretty good idea. So I think she knows what she has to do but it’s remembering and planning and taking creams with her that she still needs help with.
Help your child to take control of their treatments
One of the things older children tell us is that they find nagging very annoying – and that it makes them not want to put the creams on!
Sometimes giving a bit of space can be helpful. This can give your child a chance to take control of their creams and also to learn what happens if they don’t use their creams. Many older children become very conscious of how they look. They soon see that good skin care can make their skin look better.
If you are worried, you could try asking them how they are getting on with their creams to see if you can help them work out what they could do better. Or you could try to set yourself a limit to the number of times you remind them – like once or twice a week if they need it.
I used to really worry about her not using her creams. I had to learn to step back a bit so she could learn to use them on her own - although I would still ask her from time to time if she would like me to remind her or help her.