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In the modern industrialized world, even the body of adults does not always cope with the attack of numerous allergens, what can we say about children? In the personal medical record of each child on the very first page there is a column for information about allergies, and few of them have it empty.
Every day, children are faced with adverse environmental factors:
Industrial emissions in the atmosphere;
Clothing made of artificial fibers dyed with harmful dyes;
Food full of chemical additives – preservatives, baking powder, emulsifiers and others;
Vegetables, fruits and meat products, in the production and cultivation of which antibiotics and pesticides were involved;
Personal hygiene products, cosmetics and household chemicals, the composition of which is far from environmentally friendly.
The child’s body cannot resist allergens for a long time, especially if there are a lot of them, and the negative impact is long-lasting. The most common reaction is skin, it is urticaria or a rash that is the main symptom of an allergy in children. If this happens, it is necessary to identify the allergen and eliminate it from the child’s daily routine, as well as temporarily adjust the diet so that spicy, irritating food does not provoke new allergic reactions.
Sometimes it is difficult to determine the exact cause of the disease: refusal to contact with dust, animal hair, plant pollen, citrus fruits and other known allergens does not give any effect. Then the child must be shown to an allergist who will conduct special skin tests and establish the “culprit” of the allergy.
The treatment of allergic skin rash in children should be approached very carefully, because not all creams and ointments for allergies are approved for use in children. As paradoxical as it may sound, sometimes even allergy medications cause allergies. In addition, there are ointments and creams that, in principle, are contraindicated for children due to the active ingredients that they contain.
Creams and ointments for allergies are divided into two large groups:
Hormonal;
Non-hormonal.
Non-hormonal creams and ointments for allergies in children
It is non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs that are most preferably used for the treatment of allergic dermatitis and urticaria in children. Most creams and ointments in this group are harmless, and are approved for use from birth or from the age of two.
Balm “Rescuer”
Active substance: the basis of the drug is represented by plant components: rose oil, sea buckthorn, lavender, tea tree, calendula extract, beeswax. The composition includes vitamin A and E. Auxiliary substances – olive oil, ghee, turpentine oil.
Price range: 120-150 rubles.
Показания: Stimulates the regeneration of damaged skin. The ointment is used to treat wounds (with and without suppuration), bruises, burns from I to III degrees. It is applied to hematomas and bruises. When sprained, “Rescuer” reduces pain.
Side effects: the composition of the balm is made of the most hypoallergenic components, which minimizes possible allergic reactions.
special instructions: the ointment is not used for individual intolerance to the components that make up its composition, for IV degree burns, trophic ulcers, long-term non-healing skin defects. “Rescuer” has no complete analogues. When applying it should be borne in mind that the product has a greasy texture, so it is slowly absorbed into the skin.
Fenistil – gel
Active substance: dimethindene maleate
Price range: 200-250 rubles
Показания: itching from sunburn and insect bites, eczema, urticaria, allergic dermatitis
Side effects: very rarely – increased itching, rash, burning, swelling and dry skin
special instructions: Cannot be used to treat babies under the age of one month. In children under six years of age, use with caution, do not lubricate more than one third of the body surface, do not apply to heavily combed, bleeding areas, do not leave the child under open sunlight after applying the gel.
Gistan
Active ingredients: dimethicone, betulin, lily of the valley oil, extracts of lupine, birch buds, milkweed, string, veronica spiky, calendula and violet.
Price range: 120-180 rubles
Показания: urticaria, blistering rash, itching after insect bites, eczema, neurodermatitis, atopic dermatitis
Side effects: individual allergic reactions in case of intolerance to the components of the ointment
special instructions: Gistan cream is sometimes confused with Gistan N ointment, which contains corticosteroid hormones and is contraindicated in children.
Skin Cap
Active substance: pyrithione (activated zinc)
Price range: 600-700 rubles
Показания: seborrhea, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, dry and flaky skin, itching due to insect bites or fungal infections of the skin
Side effects: very rarely – local allergic reactions
special instructions: there is unverified information that this cream contains clobetasol propionate, a synthetic corticosteroid, therefore, it cannot be recommended for children. But the Skin Cap is very effective, and there is no mention of hormones in the official summary, so the decision is up to you.
Creams and ointments for the treatment of severe dermatitis in children
Elidel cream
Active substance: pimecrolimus
Price range: 900-1000 rubles
Показания: eczema, atopic dermatitis
Side effects: possible redness, swelling, burning and itching at the site of application of the cream, especially at the beginning of treatment. Rarely, folliculitis and skin hyperpigmentation reactions occur.
special instructions: Do not use for the treatment of babies under the age of three months. Treated skin is not recommended to be exposed to ultraviolet radiation. There is a hypothesis that long-term use of Elidel cream reduces local immunity and leads to the development of oncological diseases – lymphoma and melanoma. The drug is relatively new, and its effect on the body is not fully understood, but in the treatment of dermatitis in children, Elidel demonstrates very high efficiency.
Desitin
Active ingredients: zinc oxide, vaseline, lanolin, roasted cod butter
Price range: 150-250 rubles
Показания: prickly heat, diaper rash and maceration of the skin in infants, sunburn, eczema, atopic dermatitis, blistering rashes and weeping ulcers
Side effects: not registered
special instructions: the ointment should not be applied to infected, suppurating skin areas, it is first necessary to heal the inflammation with an antibiotic
Protopic
Active substance: tacrolimus
Price range: 1500-1600 rubles
Показания: atopic dermatitis
Side effects: not registered
special instructions: treatment of dermatitis in children is carried out only from the age of two and only with Protopic ointment with a 0,03% content of the active substance. The drug is very effective in severe dermatitis, has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, and, unlike hormonal ointments, does not cause atrophy of the epidermis even with prolonged use.
Wundehill cream
Active ingredients: cardophilene, propolis, sophora, cinquefoil and yarrow extracts
Price range: 120-150 rubles
Показания: sunburn, psoriasis, allergic dermatitis, neurodermatitis, trophic ulcers
Side effects: Allergic reactions to bee products possible
special instructions: the recommended duration of treatment for allergic dermatitis in children is at least one week, but not more than one month.
Children’s ointments and creams with a healing and regenerating effect
If allergic rashes on the skin of a child become infected due to scratching, it is necessary to begin treatment with antibiotic therapy. Ointments such as Sulfargin or Dioxidin, as well as old, time-tested drugs, zinc or ichthyol ointment, will help to cope with microbes.
When the acute symptoms of inflammation are removed, and the allergic rash has almost disappeared, you can fix the effect with creams that accelerate skin cell regeneration. Solcoseryl and Actovegin, preparations based on calf blood, have proven themselves well.
Radevit, Videstim, Curiosin and methyluracil ointment will also help to increase local immunity and accelerate skin healing. And below you will find information about regenerating creams that give the best effect in the final healing of allergic rashes in children.
Bepanten
Active substance: dexpanthenol
Price range: 250-270 rubles
Показания: diaper dermatitis, dryness and peeling of the skin with allergic dermatitis and eczema, irritation from coarse clothing, cracking from frost
Side effects: very rarely – itching and urticaria
special instructions: there are several analogues of Bepanten, created on the basis of the same active ingredient: D-panthenol, Bepanten Plus. All of these creams are great for treating allergies and skin irritations in children.
La Cree
Active ingredients: panthenol, bisabolol, avocado and walnut oil, burdock and licorice extracts
Price range: 150-170 rubles
Показания: irritation and peeling of the skin of any etiology, allergic dermatitis, urticaria, itching from insect bites
Side effects: individual allergic reactions in case of intolerance to herbal ingredients
special instructions: La Cree cream is more of a good moisturizing baby cream than a serious medical product. It will not cure severe dermatitis, but it will cope with minor skin irritation perfectly.
Mustela Stelatopia
Active substance: bioceramides, fatty acids, sugars, procholesterol, sunflower oil
Price range: 1000-1200 rubles
Показания: care for infant skin prone to diaper rash and atopic dermatitis
Side effects: not registered
special instructions: Mustella Stelatopia is a gentle emulsion specially formulated for baby skin care from birth to one year old. It is not a therapeutic ointment, but rather a prophylactic agent that prevents the appearance of diaper rash and dermatitis.
Hormonal ointments for allergies in children
Sometimes even long-term treatment of allergies with non-hormonal ointments does not lead to success. Only in this case, you can think about the appointment of hormonal drugs, because they are extremely undesirable for a fragile child’s body. Synthetic glucocorticoids quickly and effectively relieve inflammation in atopic dermatitis and eczema, as they interrupt the very chain of chemical reactions that leads to the development of the inflammatory process on the skin. But hormonal ointments with prolonged use can cause adrenal disorders or even cause Cushing’s syndrome in a child.
The most undesirable are such hormonal ointments that are well absorbed through the skin and enter the bloodstream, creating dangerous concentrations of hormones there. These drugs suppress the child’s immunity and make his body defenseless against possible threats. Removing acute symptoms now, corticosteroids lead to undesirable consequences in the future, so they should be prescribed only for severe forms of dermatitis, when there is, as they say, no living place on the skin of a child. It is also important to complete the hormonal treatment correctly: the therapeutic ointment is canceled gradually, mixing it with baby cream and applying smaller and smaller doses until the body weans, otherwise a painful withdrawal reaction may occur.
Elokom
Active substance: synthetic glucocorticosteroid
Price range: 350-380 rubles
Показания: allergic dermatoses
Side effects: contact dermatitis, prickly heat, itching, dryness, burning, rarely – the development of perioral dermatitis
special instructions: the ointment can be used to treat allergies only in children over six months of age, and only as directed by a doctor. Do not apply Elokom to skin areas larger than one eighth of the body surface. Treatment is carried out in courses not longer than one week in a row, with the gradual withdrawal of the drug by mixing with baby cream.
Advantan
Active substance: methylprednisolone
Price range: 330-350 rubles
Показания: contact and atopic dermatitis, eczema, neurodermatitis, allergic dermatosis
Side effects: redness, itching, rash, burning, swelling of the skin
special instructions: the ointment can be used to treat allergic rashes in children older than four months, only as directed by a doctor. Prolonged use of Advantan causes atrophy of the upper layer of the epidermis.
Parents need to know which hormonal ointments and creams for allergies are strictly contraindicated for children, which are undesirable, and which are allowed for use:
Cannot be applied – Hydrocortisone ointment and any other hydrocortisone-based ointments: Fluorocort, Fucidin, Oxycort, Cortef, Dactacort, Locoid, Sulfodecortem, Hyoxysone, Sibicort, Corteid, Laticort, Kenacort, Nazacort, Sopolcort, Kenalog, Phtoderm, Polcortolone, Triacort, Berlicort, Betamethasone ;
Application undesirable – Lorinden, Ultralan, Flucinar, Locasalen, Sinalar, Locacorten, Sinaflan, Flucort, Flunolone, Celestoderm, Daivobet, Diprogent, Belogent, Flosteron, Betazone, Celeston, Acriderm, Vipsogal, Fucicort, Cuteride, Diprosalic, Betacortal, Diprospan, Belosalic, Triderm , Betasaline, Mometasone;
Can be used as directed by a doctor – Elocom, Silkaren, Gistan N, Uniderm, Avecort, Momederm, Advantan, Powercourt, Momat, Dermovate, Cloveit, Monovo, Clobetasol, Skin-Cap, Skinlight.
How to protect your child from allergies?
Regardless of whether your child has allergies or not, you should try to minimize the presence of potential allergens in his everyday life, because the dosage and duration are of decisive importance in the development of allergies.
A few simple measures will help you insure your children from allergic reactions and serious diseases that banal dermatitis (bronchial asthma, psoriasis) later risks turning into:
When buying household chemicals, shampoos, shower gels and other cosmetics, pay attention to their composition. If on the label you see names such as propylene glycol, methyl acrylate, sodium laureth sulfate, formaldehyde, you should know that it is better to choose another product;
Don’t wash your child’s clothes with the same detergent you wash yours. Ordinary washing powder contains up to 40% surfactant, while for children’s skin the maximum allowable concentration is 5% surfactant;
Going to the supermarket for groceries, do not rush to dump the usual products into the basket, first read what is written on bright jars, bags and bottles. If it is possible to choose between two yogurts one that does not contain artificial flavors and colors, do so. And instead of carbonated drinks with sodium benzoate, take a natural juice or milkshake;
Be careful when introducing new foods and exotic foods into the diet of a child prone to allergic reactions. Children are often allergic to rare types of nuts, outlandish seafood and overseas fruits, so let the child try a spoonful of a new delicacy, and the next day, in the absence of negative reactions, you can offer him more.