A common question amongst parents is: will my child ever outgrow eczema? The normality is that the severity of eczema can be outgrown; and usually is. In most cases, dry skin will remain with the individual into adulthood. Other health-related issues tied to eczema such as asthma could also be something that follows into adulthood.
I personally feel like I’ve outgrown eczema, but I still have tons of eczema like symptoms I deal with. As a child, my eczema was extremely bad and most of the time not tolerable. I noticed as my teenage years came that my eczema got better. I think based on research and my own experiences many eczema sufferers will outgrow the extreme side of things but may never be able to get rid of it completely. The key is to keep a consistent treatment routine, and it all starts when you are a child.
What Percentage of Babies have Eczema
It’s common that one out of every five babies under the age of two years old have some sort of eczema. The percentage of babies that are actually born with eczema is higher in colder climates, polluted climates, or if there is a family history of dry skin.
A baby’s eczema also differs by demographic. According to the National Eczema organization, African American babies suffer at a higher percentage than any other race in the United States. African American babies make up about 20.2% then Asians at 13%, Native Americans at 13%, Whites 12.1%, and lastly Hispanics at 10.7%. Atopic Dermatitis is at the top when it comes to babies who have eczema. One of the other types of eczema will usually occur as you get older and location can play a huge role in how bad it can become.
Does Eczema Get Better With Age
It’s not uncommon for people to have eczema their whole life. In most cases as you age eczema symptoms get better; they just never truly go away completely.
Eczema can go into a remission stage, and this can be something that lasts for years without those daily eczema woes.
Studies have shown that between the ages of 3-6 that any type of eczema can dramatically improve. If the child has a good daily regimen for treating their eczema this will usually be the case. The child could start to see flare-ups more often as they start to go through puberty in their teenage years. Teenage years are filled with a frenzy of hormones which really restarts those eczema symptoms.
It has been said that 2 out of every 3 children’s eczema will get better with age and that they will outgrow it altogether. I can absolutely vouch for this personally. My eczema has gotten extremely better ever since I was a child. There have only been 2 reasons why my eczema gets bad in adulthood:
• Not sticking to my daily moisturizing treatment
• Eating very poorly
When I eat healthy and stay with my daily treatments my skin is always at its best. I have never been able to get rid of eczema forever, but I have been able to control it consistently as an adult. Any type of eczema can surely get better as you age; you just need to handle eczema with absolute consistency every single day.
Chances of Outgrowing Eczema
At this point, you’ve probably realized that the chances of outgrowing eczema are rare. The fact that there are seven different types of eczema already proves that eczema doesn’t give up making your life miserable that easily. I strongly believe that everyone who has eczema can outgrow it, in the sense that they don’t have to live miserable their whole life even though they still have it.
You have to outgrow eczema mentally more than anything. As you age you start to worry less about being cured of eczema and focus more on how I can treat my eczema so that it doesn’t make every day such a stressful one. Once you accept what you can’t control, you will then control your eczema and essentially “outgrow” it.
If there is any time in your life that you do outgrow eczema entirely; that time will be in adulthood. Once you start really knowing your skin and how eczema is affecting it, you will then start to eliminate those triggers. When you start looking at it like this, you can really start believing that every 2 out of 3 children outgrow eczema and when they are adults only deal with minor dry skin-related symptoms.
Make sure as a parent you’re continuously aiding your child’s eczema suffering. The key is to stay consistent with a designated routine whether that’s with food or skin products.
Assist Your Child
You can treat your child’s eczema and prevent redness, dryness, and itchiness. Keeping yourself knowledgeable can be beneficial to avoiding many different triggers your child could face. There are a few things I recommend you follow:
• Make sure your child avoids frequent bathing – doesn’t matter if water is hot or cold, skin can dry out if you’re always in water!
• Steer clear of scented soaps
• Always wash your child thoroughly but remain gentle
• Creams, Lotions, and ointments are a MUST
• Drink water consistently
• Put socks on child’s hands at night to help with scratching
• Coconut Oil is good to use once in a while
• Keep a good diet
As your child grows up and becomes a teenager, this time is important that they start following good habits. In your teenage years and later is when eczema can really have an effect on you mentally and emotionally. We all tend to get more self-aware and self-conscious about ourselves. There are 3 things that you should instill in your child and when they get older make sure they follow regularly:
• Skincare routine is a MUST
• NEVER EVER use scented anything – this means make-up, soaps, etc.
• Minimize scratching at all cost
Conclusion
Even though there is no evidence of eczema sufferers ever completely getting rid of their eczema – there’s still hope! I was born with eczema and I can tell you from my personal experience it does get better with age. I make sure to keep a healthy diet, practice a daily skin routine, and always stay stress-free as much as possible. Make sure to always consult your doctor if eczema symptoms get unbearable.
Please let me know any questions or even feedback you may have. Comment below with your story, and how eczema may have gotten better or worse for you as you’ve aged.