Infant's skin is naturally delicate and sensitive. When
I first saw my babies, I almost could not touch them, because their skin felt
so thin…it really looked so fragile that it I thought it could break no matter
how gentle I am.
I know how extremely important it is to keep babies skin
integrity because it is their first line of defense against infection and the
fact that they’re still babies, their immune system is not yet well developed
therefore I need to make sure that I give all the necessary measure to keep
them healthy (apart from giving them passive natural immunity and vaccines).
No matter how vigilant I am, Jeru, my first child has
developed seborrheic dermatitis when he was around 2 weeks of age. He developed
rashes particularly in his face. I used Lactacyd
Baby Bath (Blue) for him then because
aside from having an antiseptic property, I also like its scent. I rushed our
pedia after a few days since the rash in his face does not improve and then she
recommended that we changed it to Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser because it is milder than Lactacyd Baby Bath. So
we did and the rashes indeed improved after a few days!
When Matt was born, I never thought that he would
have the same skin condition as Jeru and actually it’s worse because when he
was 4 months old, he was diagnosed with skin asthma. I also tried using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and even Lactacyd Baby Bath but it did not improve his skin condition. Another pedia
suggested using Emolkleen Gentle
Emollient Bar, but it actually made the rashes worse.
I actually became ultra careful when it comes to taking
care of Matt because of his very delicate skin. I decided to use purified water
for his bath and I even bought a detergent that is milder than regular
detergents that I used in washing his clothes. I found Cycles mild laundry detergent from SM supermarket. It’s a bit
expensive, but then as a mom, I won’t take chances.
Despite of the effort, well sadly, it did not improve
his condition. I am already getting desperate then! It’s hard to see my son
suddenly wake up at night, scratch his face and get irritable. I couldn’t just
imagine how uncomfortable it is! Aside from that, he also developed skin
discoloration. Some parts of his body developed lighter skin color,
particularly in his feet and tummy area! I was already alarmed, since I thought
it might develop to vitiligo if it could not be managed earlier.
I therefore consulted an allergist in our area and upon
seeing my son; she said that his case is actually one of the worst she had ever
seen. Oh no!! But on the positive side, it can be managed, though may not be
that easy.
She started prescribing Cetirizine (Allerkid) to control his allergy and she also
prescribed Desonide (DesOwen Cream),
a corticosteroid which I apply very thinly to Matt’s skin in order to control
the itchiness, redness and irritation and it’s actually very effective. Just
make sure you apply it very thinly since one of the side effects of
corticosteroid creams is that it makes the skin thin and that’s a particularly
important fact for children.
As part of his skin
care, she advised us to use CetaphilRestoraDerm Skin Restoring Body Wash
(around php 800 +) and Cetaphil RestoraDerm Skin Restoring Moisturizer (around php 1450) from a local
store (but it’s also available in some drugstores). We used Cetaphil RestoraDerm Skin Restoring Body Wash twice a day, in the morning and at night while the
lotion should be used as often as possible since it keeps the skin moisturized.
Both products do not actually smell good, but they’re super effective! We saw improvement
in just a week of use. Also, you can use one bottle of Cetaphil RestoraDerm SkinRestoring Body Wash in 3-4
months because it’s very foamy even
if you just use a very small quantity. The Cetaphil RestoraDerm Skin Restoring Moisturizer also works very well even if you just apply it thinly.
Matt’s skin is
improving now. He does not have rashes on his face anymore, though it
occasionally appears especially if he’s exposed to dust and if he smears his face with his saliva ( as
with skin asthma, anything can be an irritant, even their saliva). As to his
skin discoloration, it’s also improving, though the color of his skin in his
tummy is still uneven, it’s becoming less discernible, and I will continue to
be very watchful of him until he outgrew his skin asthma (hopefully)!
Bottom line? A mom
should never give up, especially if it’s already the health of our child that
is at stake…. ;)
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