Is My Child's Eczema Infected?

by Rachelle Davenport

Is My Child’s Eczema Infected?

Managing your little one’s eczema day-to-day can be challenging, especially when it doesn’t seem to be improving despite all your best efforts. Sometimes, the reason eczema doesn’t appear to be getting better, even with your usual care routine, is because it may have become infected.

Today, we’ll share some signs of infected eczema so you know what to look out for, and some tips to help prevent infections from happening. If you suspect your child has eczema for the first time or that their eczema is infected, it’s crucial to see a doctor as soon as possible for advice.

Why Does Eczema Get Infected?

If eczema is not treated properly, the skin can become more inflamed and uncomfortable, and more difficult to restore. Eczema results in a compromised skin barrier, and the skin can weep or be cracked or bleeding, especially if your little one is scratching their skin. These cracks in the skin barrier can allow germs to enter easier than if their skin was intact, which can result in infection.

How Can I Tell If Eczema Is Infected?

If you think your little one’s eczema may be infected, or you’re ever worried about their skin, it’s vital to seek medical advice from a doctor right away. It’s also possible for certain skin infections to look similar to eczema, so you should see a professional for diagnosis. Infections will usually require further treatment.

Some signs of infection on the skin might be:

reddening and worsening of eczema
the skin has blisters, pustules, dry crusts
little red spots around body hairs
the skin is weeping
weeping and crusting with a yellow tinge

You’ll also want to keep an eye out for pain, fever, flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes, which can indicate an infection.

How Can I Stop My Eczema Getting Infected?

To help prevent eczema from getting infected, it’s vital to know and understand your eczema management plan and stick with it even when your little one doesn’t appear to have eczema symptoms present.

Two key steps for managing eczema include:

Keeping your little one’s skin well moisturised – apply at least once or twice a day, and ensure you moisturise after bathing while the skin is still damp. This helps to seal in moisture. Always ensure your hands are clean before applying moisturiser, to prevent transferring bacteria.

Daily lukewarm baths – bathing helps wash away viruses, bacteria, and eczema triggers. Using some of our Oatmeal Bath Soak in the bath gently cleanses and leaves a thin film on the skin, which acts as a barrier to trap moisture and prevent the skin from drying out. Be sure to keep the water only lukewarm and never hot, and always apply a moisturiser within a couple of minutes of getting them out of the bath.

By keeping their eczema well-managed, you can hopefully reduce the itching that can result in more scratching, cuts and broken skin. It’s a good idea to keep your child’s fingernails short and clean to prevent them from doing too much damage if they do scratch. If you can see that they want to keep scratching, try your best to distract them and perhaps try applying a clean, cool, damp face washer to soothe the itch.

This blog post was brought to you and your baby with love and care by the Itchy Baby Co. team x

Disclaimer: Information provided is of a general nature only, and you should always consult your medical professional.