Atopic Dermatitis: Skin Care for Babies

All of us love using baby products because they are so effective and yet mild and gentle. When it comes to baby’s skin, extra care is needed. Baby care products are manufactured keeping in mind a baby’s delicate and tender skin, which needs to be kept hydrated and moisturized. A baby’s skin is 10 times more thinner and sensitive than an adult’s skin, hence, baby formulations have less of harsh chemicals. Johnson’s and Johnson’s and Himalaya Herbals are the front runners in the baby care products business. But, some babies like my son have a much more sensitive skin than other babies. My son has a skin condition called as “infantile atopic dermatitis,” in which there is excessive dryness of the skin.

WHAT IS ATOPIC DERMATITIS:

Atopic dermatitis is a common problem in infants and children. It usually begins between two and six months of age with very dry and sensitive skin that will then become red and extremely itchy.

There is no cure for this common condition. The main treatments are aimed at controlling and preventing inflammation and itching and include avoiding triggers, frequent bathing and hydrating of the skin, liberal use of moisturizers and lubricants, and the use of steroid creams for flare ups.

Atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis lesion on the body of an infant.

So, the usual Johnson’s and Johnson’s range creams and lotions don’t work for my son at all and he ends up having a lot of skin rashes due to lack of moisture. Besides avoiding non-cotton clothes and keeping him always cool, I have to use a separate set of skin care products that work perfectly well for his sensitive skin and keeps his skin supple and well moisturized. Needless to say, these products work for me too and I love borrowing them from him.

Some of the products that work best for babies suffering from infantile atopic dermatitis are:

1. Tedibar baby soap:

Atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis

PRICE: Rs. 99.

KEY INGREDIENTS: I threw the cover away, so I am unable to list the ingredients, but I gathered something about Tedibar soap from the net and it says, that, Tedibar is a syndet. Syndets are synthetic detergents which are 100% soap free and 100% alkali free with a mild acidic pH. It protects the acid mantle, prevents dryness to skin. Syndets protect the skin against pathogens. Syndets are suitable for all kinds of skin including sensitive infant skin.

MY TAKE ON TEDIBAR SOAP:

Almost all baby soaps including Johnson’s and Johnson’s, Himalaya, Dove, and Wipro, made my son’s skin break out into rashes. As per the doctor’s advice, we used only green gram flour to cleanse his skin, but even that dried his skin terribly. So, the second time around, the doctor gave us Tedibar soap to try and I must point out that it is working so wonderfully to keep my son’s skin moisturized. This light baby pink bar comes along with a ridged plastic stand kind of thing, which you can use as a soap stand. Tedibar is very mildly fragranced and foams just enough, but it moisturizes the skin so wonderfully and the skin does not stretch or dry up after the bath. Considering how mild Johnson’s and Johnson’s soap is, this Tedibar is 10 times less milder and does not dehydrate the skin. Needless to say, I am using this Tedibar soap and it is working for me. The only con is that it is a bit expensive than other soaps, but it is completely worth it.

OILATUM LOTION:

Atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis

Oilatum lotion is suitable for irritating, dry skin, suitable for use on eczema. It soothes, softens, and rehydrates, protects against further drying. Oilatum lotion is easily absorbed and can be used throughout the day to help keep your skin feel soft and supple all over.

KEY INGREDIENTS:

Light Liquid Paraffin, White Petrolatum, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glycerol, Povidone K29-32.

PRICE:

Rs. 165 for 100 mL.

MY TAKE ON OILATUM LOTION:

Oilatum lotion was prescribed by the pediatrician and he instructed me to add 5 to 10 drops of this lotion to the last rinse in my son’s bath. This he said would seal in the moisture to the baby’s skin and would rehydrate the skin. This lotion can be applied after bath also, but for best results should be used as a last rinse. The use of Oilatum lotion has acted as an emollient and keeps my son’s skin supple and soft. This lotion is completely fragrance free. I am using this too but as a body lotion and it keeps my skin hydrated too.

ATOGLA SKIN LOTION:

Atopic dermatitis

Again, this is a skin lotion that was prescribed to my son after Johnson’s and Johnson’s didn’t work for him. Atogla is an unique lotion that nourishes and moisturizes the skin. Gamma Linolenic Acid and Ceramides in Atogla help in reducing water loss from the skin, thus making it soft and supple. Aloe vera is reputed for its skin soothing and moisturizing properties and natural vitamin E helps protect the skin from environmental damage.

KEY INGREDIENTS:

Gamma Linolenic Acid (from Borage Oil), Ceramide (Uniblend II), Aloe Vera Gel, Wheat Germ Oil.

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

Aqua, Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Borage Officinalis Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Steareth-10 Allyl Ether/Acrylates Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Laureth-23, Steareth-2, Ceteth-20, Aloe Barbadensis, Ceramide, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Seed Butter, Microcrystalline Wax, Triethanolamine, Diazolidinyl Urea, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tris (tetramethylhydroxy piperidinol) citrate, Disodium EDTA, Methylchlorisothiazolinone Methylisothiazolinone, Perfume.

MRP: Rs. 199 for 200 mL.

MY TAKE ON ATOGLA BODY LOTION: This one is a light creamy lotion, which smells exactly like milk cream. It is slightly runny in consistency and gets easily absorbed into the baby’s skin and keeps the skin moisturized for a good 6 to 7 hours, after which, there is a need to apply it all over again. An important point to remember is that Atogla lotion has to be applied within 5 minutes of bath to help seal in the moisture. This lotion can be applied on baby’s face too and this one helps in keeping atopic dermatitis rashes in check. Even I am using Atogla lotion on my body and except for the milky cream smell, I am very happy with the results on my skin as well.

MOMETASONE FUROATE CREAM USP:

Atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis

Mometasone furoate cream is used as a treatment for atopic dermatitis, eczema, and dermatitis, among others. Mometasone furoate cream provides an immediate relief from skin disorders like atopic dermatitis by stabilizing cells and reversing the activated inflammatory genes.

PRICE: Rs. 115 for 15 g.

MY TAKE ON MOMETASONE FUROATE CREAM:

This is an ointment prescribed by the pediatrician to take care of rashes that flare up. Mometasone acts almost in no time to bring down the inflammation of the rashes and they disappear in a day or two. I am using it only sparingly because it may cause some side effects and must be prescribed by a certified physician only. However, I would like to add that they act on just any kind of rashes or burns that anyone might have and brings down the inflammation of any kind almost instantly.

These are some of the products that I use to keep my son’s infantile atopic dermatitis under control and I use them myself to get supple and soft skin.

IMBB RECOMMENDS

40 thoughts on “Atopic Dermatitis: Skin Care for Babies

  1. Nice article Jomol. I have been suffering from skin conditions for several years (eczema, psoriasis & dermatitis). I’ve also tried baby soaps but they didn’t help at all. I’ll give this tedibar soap a try. Do you get this in any shop or chemist stores?

    Also, I second your caution for the Mometasone cream. It had been prescribed to me for psoriasis a few years ago. But I started getting white patches on my skin where ever I’d applied this. So I stopped using this cream & the doc prescribed something else. So please don’t use this unless prescribed by a dermatologist.

    I hope your son’s skin condition improves. As an adult I find it a complete nuisance, so it must be that much more frustrating/painful for a small child.

    1. Hey Poohkie…I agree with you on mometasone cream….because it does leave white patches on son’s skin,….but when there are painful lesions on him, I have no option but to use that cream…..what was the other cream prescribed by your doctor….if you can tell me please…I know it might be different for an adiult….but just asking :-))

      1. Thanks jomol will check it out. I get psoriasis/eczema/dermatitis, accompanied by insane itching during winters & whenever I’m really stressed. Over the past few years, I’ve gone to 4 allopathic doctors & 2 homeopathic doctors for this.

        All the allopathic doctors prescribed oral medications as well as ointments. To help with the dry skin, I was told by a couple of doctors to use only oils and not any store-bought moisturisers. I have tried ALL oils and for some reason or the other, none worked for me. Coconut oil perversely made my skin dry & sesame oil make it itch even more, while olive oil was too sticky. In desperation I once tried home-made ghee. I didn’t like the smell, but it worked like a charm.

        As for the rashes, after stopping the mometasone, I was prescribed Emolene cream and Flutivate cream. Emolene was more or less useless, but flutivate was quite good. I was also told to use Dermadew soap, which is made up of a lot of different oils. This didn’t help me much.

        All the ointments helped with the rashes and itching only as long as I was on the oral medicines. When that was stopped, the itching & rashes would always come back. They were basically treating the symptoms and not the actual causes. None of the allopathic doctors were able to tell me what was causing it & each diagnosis was different. In part due to my impatience and in part due to my loss of faith in these doctors, I stopped going to each of them after a few months.

        After that, for a couple of years I tried ‘home-made’ treatments & nani-ke nuskhe. I read up about the skin infection on the net & did a lot of research. Unfortunately, I wan’t able to stop the rashes or cure them. But after having gone through this for so many years, I am now able to foresee when I will get another bout of rashes (even though I cannot stop it from happening).

        I have since started using store-bought moisturisers, but I gravitate towards ones that are not perfumed (St.Ives has a fantastic non-perfumed moisturiser), coz the strong smell always makes the itching worse. Also, I try not to wash my hands every 15 minutes, which makes them super dry. I bathe with warm water & not hot water & moisturise immediately afterwards. And I drink a LOT of water. These are all simple things, but they help with the dry skin. I no longer get the nasty rashes all over my body. I just get them on my fingers.

        I have now found a good homeopathic doctor whom I’m comfortable with. For the past few months, I’ve been on homeopathic medication & I’m seeing good results. This time, I’m determined to follow through with the treatment and hopefully it’ll work out well for me.

        Hope this helps you with your son.

    2. hey Jomol i have the same problem and my dr. prescribed me the same cream. however i agree to your opinion about not using it too much as momate ointment has small amount of steriods in it. and steroids do have side effects. my dr. suggested me to mix momate cream and nivea cream to avoid those white patches that poohkie mentioned above , this mixture would also make momate cream milder for sensitive skin. yet i would say consult your dermat first about this suggestion.

    3. Hi poohkie,
      My baby is 3 month old ,he is using dermadew cream for the rashes in his chicks as prescribed by doctor,but once it used that place is showing white patches,so what did you use to remove those white patches…please let me know so i can use for my baby…………
      thanks
      linu

  2. I am going to so pester you when I have kids… 😀 😀 😀

    Awesome article Jomol. :-* :-* The other day I think Monika was asking for the best massage oil for kids. Which one do you suggest?

  3. 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 BUMTOAD ji….quickly have kids….start from today itself 😛 😛 😛 😛 😛 …..waise, I don’t use Johnson’s and Johnson’s oil for massage, my mom boils tulsi leaves and patchouli leaves in virgin coconut oil and uses this oil for massage and it is very good :-))

      1. Start from today itself matlab…..to get a kid…there is a process involved………if you start from today….you will have a baby exactly 10 months from now O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-) O:-)

  4. Apka bahut bahut shukriya ada karti hun jomolji 😀 …..lekin hume aapke frontyard se chori karni hogi…………hume maaf kardena……….. :silly:

    1. Farhaji…aap mere frontyard mein chori karne aayengi….tho main aapko dande se maarke local police station mein dein doongi :handcuffs: :handcuffs: :handcuffs: :handcuffs: :handcuffs: :handcuffs: :handcuffs:

      you will get up to 2 years rigorous imprisionment with up to 10,000 fine under section 146 of JPC for stealing ajwain leaves from my courtyard :razzmad: :razzmad: :razzmad: :razzmad: :razzmad:

      apne courtyard mein bhi ugao ji…… :razzmad: :razzmad: :razzmad: :razzmad: :razzmad:

  5. My nephew was also allergic to Johnson and Johnson soap and was prescribed Tedibar and Atolga cream..
    Ingredients of Tedibar:
    Key Ingredient: Syndet Base CU 0033
    Maltodextrin, Socium Cocosulphate, Cetearyl alcohol, Disodium Lauryl supphosuccinate, potassium lauryl sulphate, aqua, sodium cocoyl glycinate, polyquaternium 7, perfune, glycerine, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, phosphoric acid, 2-octyl dodecanol, titanium dioxide, C.I. 26100
    Hope this helps.. it has been helpful and this soap lasts for months and months..
    nice review Jomol..

  6. hi jomol… don’t worry… all these difficulties will subside and vanish as ur son grows…. till then glad that u found so many wonderful products that help…. even iu swear by tedibar soap… it is the only thing that suited my daughter… j and j and himalaya gave her rashes all over the body… so i stopped using them and use only tedibar and almond oil for massaging….i really wanted a good lotion for her… will try atogla… thx so much :-)) :-))

  7. Hey Jomol, nice article. 🙂 Very useful. :yes: My son had developed some kind of fungal infection all over his body when he was I think 1-2 months old (now 1 year old). It looked like what you have shown here, but it was concentrated in patches.

    What helped was switching to filtered water from Aquaguard for bathing him. The minerals in the water (borewell) we were bathing him in were irritating his skin. We started to use up about 3-4 litres of pure drinking water for his daily baths, but it was worth it. His skin clearly quickly after that. I continued this filtered water ritual for several months.

    1. Thanks Sonal…for giving the tip about using filtered water…..I have started it already….I am using RO purified water which is completely devoid of minerals

      1. Jo, sorry for the late reply. How is your son doing now.. The doc also prescribed Eumosone-M (Clobetasone Butyrate and Miconazole Nitrate skin cream) besides Atolga and tedibar.
        Morning: Tedibar headbath and Eumosone. Evening: Wipe or bodybath and Atolga cream..
        My nephew is doing great. No more dry patches of rough, dry skin or reddish spots are there now.. NOrmal smooth, baby skin. The pediac was saying he now looks like Mammotty with full makeup.. 🙂
        I had a friend Jomol in school and somehow she always come to my mind when i see your posts.. 🙂 tc :koala:

  8. Jomol chechi, doc advised me the MOMETASONE cream after I had a severe rash when I had a facial for the first time ever in my life at a beauty parlour! It worked for me too! :yes:

  9. Very informative Jomol. I was so sad to haer abt the skin problems of your baby…it’s so tough for mothers when babies suffer. I am glad the products are helping. My 10 month old daughter also had skin problems when younger but Jhonson & Jhonson suited her well
    The other day I saw that FabIndia has launched a range for babies. But I feel so apprehansive in tyring anything new for babies.

  10. Hi Jomol,

    Thanks for this article. I am 23 yrs.old from Philippines. I been suffering from atopic dermatitis since I was 1.

    No one can tell me how to call this thing. I can’t even go to a doctor because consultation is really expensive. Until I got my first job then I decided to consult to a doctor. She told me that this is atopic dermatitis. The doctor recommended to use oilatatum soap, mometasone, antibiotics and cetirizine. These works for a while but my skin got worst. One of my co workers told me to use betnovate or fluocinonide cream with is cheaper than other ointment. These two also works for a while. Until I saw this article. I am now using momate and its been two months but my skin going well. Thanks to this article. I feel good now and I can sleep much better at night.

    Also, I’m eating lots of vegetable and fruits. A complete 8 glasses of water and sleep well.

    When I was in my young age my mother buy me a lot of coloring book and anything I can read so I won’t get stress from my skin.

    I hope it may help also.

  11. I used tendrone cream for my son for 3 months on face and scalp,now my son’s skin gets sunburn immediately of getting heat,what should i do?? plz help me!!!

  12. Hi Jomol,

    Thanks for the article. I am mother of 11 months old twins. My daughter is also suffering from Atopic Dermatitis. I have already shown her to almost 10 doctors. After consulting them and with learnings from my own hit and trials, the products/meds I have found best for this problem are exactly the same apart from ‘Momate’. This one is very strong steriod for babies. I am using ‘Desowen’. This one is the mildest steroid and works pretty well for infants.

    Plz. do let me know how is ur son now. Many pedia says that in most cases this problem goes away by the time kid is 2 yrs old.

    God bless ur son with health and lotsa wealth.
    N

  13. Hi….my three month old baby girl has severe atopic dermatitis. The symptoms started appearing as early as the second or third week. It is so painful to watch her suffer. I only hope it gets better soon. Will try out the soap u’ve recommend here. Am using Atogla cream/lotion as well as Cetaphil.
    Have started using Neem leaves in her bath now. Have also just started homeopathic treatment. We are also considering Ayurvedic treatment, but am not too sure if we should just yet, since she is so small. I’m also planning to eliminate certain foods from my diet, one at a time, to see if any of those are the triggers for he allergy, coz it is definitely not hereditary.

    I know I need to be strong for my baby, but this condition is turning me into an emotional wreck. And the thought of dealing with this condition and to see my baby go through the pain for two years, is unbearable. I only hope it doesn’t last that long.

    Namrata

  14. I have very sensitive skin and I am allergic to almost all the soaps including Dove. I used oilatum soap which is the only soap that does not cause itching. After reading this review I tried tedibar soap but after 10 days I had to discard the soap due to severe itching. Hence now I have switched back to oilatum soap and I have vowed never to try any other brand of soap.

  15. I m 19 yrs old..i hv e been suffering from atopic dermatitus since i ws 16..no doubt it hs improved wth tym..bt i still hv it alot over my face..my dr keeps changingy medicines..acc to my skin condition…i wanted to ask iff i can get rid off it somehoww???i m usin momate nd tacroz…pls revommend mee something natural as well…or anythingg wich cn make my cndition bttr…thnkss:)

  16. My daughter was diagnosed with atomic dermatitis. It was very bad. It spread from her one arm to another and then on her both legs. Doctor recommended me momate, dr reddy venusia lotion, sebamed/tedibar soap and some tonics. I used all things except momate. I was doing everything but it was not helping her. So some one suggested me ayurvedic medicine. i tired that and i think it helped her. Although she took it only for a week. But it has helped in controlling them . Now i have put her on homeopathic treatment. Now i use coconut oil with one two drops of water and venusia cream to keep her skin moisturized.

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