This is a special edition post for many reasons! #1 It’s the first time a photographer is featured #2 She’s a mom who successfully turned her photography passion to a business, with celebrities, TV personalities as her clients and #3 It’s high time we parents of eczema kids have nice photos of our child!

Marcie Mom: Thank you Zurina for joining me here. As I’ve shared with you, taking photos of an eczema child may be difficult for various reasons (1) they may be scratching and so it’s another hurdle to get them to focus on the camera, (2) their skin may be having an eczema flare-up. I’m not a photographer, and I definitely don’t carry a camera around apart from my smart phone (plus my baby bag is already so heavy, check out this cartoon!) So, I’d be asking you questions on how to make the best of my current situation when taking photos of my child, I’m sure many parents will be facing the same!

MarcieMom: Ok, let’s get started with my upcoming wedding anniversary photo. I’d head out to a neighborhood studio, for a photographer to take a picture of the family (my hubby, my eczema toddler and I). Half the time she’s either scratching or too shy to look up. What can I do before, during the photo session to help the photographer to get her to look into the camera? Like should I bring my own toy, or is there a way to carry her for optimal positioning?

Zurina: As a parent myself, if I know I’m going to be taking photos of my kids I don’t do too much talking to them about it before the actually session. I want them to be as relaxed as they can be when they get there. If you’re dealing with a photographer who has experience working with kids they are usually well equipped to get the kids to pose with you or alone (or at least sit still for the required number of shots). Of course, kids are kids and sometimes bribery works! If you can bring their favourite toy that helps – so long as you know that once they get their hands on the toy it’s likely to be featured in the shot too! The other thing is…to have some sort of bribery ready…whether it be a promise of a new toy or treat.

MarcieMom: Assuming we are taking a family photo for the Zoo membership card – all our faces are required to be in the photo, and we’re taking it inside our home. What’s your take on positioning the smart phone, e.g. lighting or height?

Zurina: The key to taking a shot in your home is about the light. Turn on as many lights as you can and take a practice shot to check out the light. If you need to, pull in some other lights to brighten up your face in the photo. Lights should not be directly overhead otherwise you’ll get some harsh shadows.

Zurina’s kids!

MarcieMom: Now, we’re heading outdoors. Where should I stand to take the best light? Also, if say her legs are having eczema flare-ups and I want to take just the upper body, how best to ‘frame’ the photo? (Is ‘framing’ the right word?)

Zurina: The light (think sun) should generally be in front of you so you aren’t in the shadows. Of course, this means that for those who are sensitive will find this a little uncomfortable. In this situation, you can do the 3…2…1…countdown. Tell your subjects (family, friends, kids) to close their eyes and do the countdown. Tell them to close their eyes (to rest them) and to open them up when you hit 1. As for framing (yes, that’s the right word) – that really depends on how close a shot you want to get. Most new photographers will follow the Rule of Thirds when they start out in photography. I’d suggest checking out the Wikipedia page on that one.

MarcieMom: If we are taking photos of ourselves, using the front-facing camera. Is there a way for the faces not to be so huge, especially my girl may be having some rashes on her neck – anyway to take a shot so that the focus is on my girl’s smile instead of on her rashes?

Zurina: I’m terrible at taking photos of myself from that angle! I always feel like faces are massive in them! It’s all about the perspective. For this I would suggest learning how to use the timer on your camera instead. This allows you to move further away from the camera.

Thanks Zurina for taking time off your busy family life and photography sessions to help parents take their eczema children in a better light!

So, over the next couple of weeks, we are going through all the necessary preparations for school.  MyItchyBoy starts this September but not before I seriously get my act together (I hope!).

MyItchyBoy at school

Prior to the end of the last term, I had the hour and a half meeting with the ‘inclusion’ person at the school and the Head of Year.  For both parties, this brought up new challenges and situations that we’ve never encountered or thought about.

Overall, it sounds like they’d be read to handle anything that happens.  Of course, the only test to this is if something did actually happen.  Let’s hope it never does.

Before this meeting I went through this great guide from Skins Matter.  It really helped to focus my mind on what I needed to cover.  It’s a whole new world for me as much as it is for MyItchyBoy.

Uniform: non-scratchy and 100% cotton

I found the M&S ‘skinkind’ range and got MyItchyBoy’s shirts and trousers from there.  Hopefully they’ll live up to the claims of being skin friendly.

MyItchyBoy’s a little sad that he can’t have the school sweatshirt, but at 80% polyester (with printed logo) he’ll have to mange with 80% cotton from the supermarket.  We’ve talked about it and although he’s not happy he does at least understand.

Allergy-free Lunch

Our plan is for MyItchyBoy to have a packed lunch four days a week.  For this, I’ve been trying everywhere to find a lunch bag that will be different from the usual ones so as not to get them muddled up (the Head says this can and does happen!!).  I also found a key ring that I got personalised with his name and ‘this lunch belongs to…’.

I’m hoping that he’ll be able to join in school dinners on the popular ‘roast dinner’ day.  This will give me a day off of making lunches and also means he can join in a bit.  A roast is also the kind of thing that should be easy to be ‘free from’.

However, first I’ll need to have a meeting with the school meal provider in September before we can put his name down.

Medication

We have managed to get our extra Epipens (2), bottles of antihistamines (2), spare Epaderm emollient (1), spare inhaler and spacer.  These have to be in labelled boxes.  Clearly they don’t know yet how disorganise I can be.  This will all be sorted (of course!) but he’ll be going to school iln the wrong clothes with half his PE kit missing and nothing else will be labelled.  All this extra stuff to do and only the same amount of time in my day as any other parent.

Other stuff

I have to provide a tin (labelled of course!) with goodies in.  This has to be a mix of stuff that has been approved by me in case other kids have any treats in class.  I’m not sure why the kids would/should be having biscuits and sweets   in   class, but, hey, a tin I shall dutifully provide.

Now, is there anything (other than school shoes!!) that I have forgotten????

Ask the Doctor:

Question: My son has scaly, itchy patches on the inside of both arms which sometime are wet. What is it?

Many years ago, I had a newly adopted patient presenting with a thick, scaly, itchy patch behind her left ear.  Her parents, as expected, were nervous, however, it only took a few short weeks of changing her diet and applying soothing salve  to see the profound results.

Eczema is prevalent and according to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology up to 18% of children have eczema; this research was only conducted on diagnosed children and did not include adults. Eczema is an inflammatory, non-contagious skin condition that creates the skin to be red, scaly, oozy and itchy. There are many types from cradle cap to seborrheic dermatitis; however, atopic (a from of allergy) is the most common.

Main Causes of Eczema

Stress: Stress plays a role in many diseases, including. When we are in stress situations, our bodies will push unwanted things out through the skin. Any type of stress: emotional, physical (kids learning to talk, crawl, taking tests) weather changes or holidays may be a contributing factor to eczema and other result in skin flare – ups.

• What to do:

Becoming more aware of stress in your daily activities. Everything from noise, to your commute, your work environment may play a role of how you are reacting to stress. Once you have discovered triggers, find tools  – exercise, yoga, meditation, or simply taking time outs and enjoying yourself – to deal with the stress that you have so that you will react to it better.

Diet: Eating a diet of processed foods, or simple carbohydrates, the body will not be absorbing nutrients it needs. In my practice, I have found that when people remove these foods plus the top allergy foods – gluten, dairy, soy, eggs – from their diet, their skin immediately clears up.

• What to do:

Begin eating a whole colorful diet.

Next, give yourself 2 weeks and begin by removing a particular allergen ( ex: gluten)  completely. Using a food-mood diary, note any changes during the this time. After the 2 weeks have a party day by eating gluten all day. Again, note any changes for up to 72 hours; you will be surprised with the results. You can repeat this with dairy or any other suspected food sensitivity.

Chemicals: Creams, laundry detergent, soaps can all be very irritating to the skin and promote the inflammatory eczema. Being a label detective to determine if this could be the cause of skin eruptions; it is the first place to begin when treating eczema.

• What to do:

There are many fabulous companies whose missions are to create products that are hypoallergenic and soothing to everyone’s skin. Remember to look at labels particularly look for:  products that are gluten free, cruelty free, natural and USDA certified organic, hypoallergenic and free of synthetic chemicals, preservatives, parabens, lanolin, coal tar, SLS sodium lauryl sulfate, steroids, detergents, mineral oil, petroleum, fragrances, dyes and alcohol.

Important Supplements

Essential Fatty Acids

Why? Your body cannot make them so you need to get them from your food or by taking a supplement. They are important for optimal function of the heart – think blood pressure, strokes – the nervous system and the skin. Cod liver oil, an essential fatty acid, has vitamin a and d which are supportive to the immune system… an added bonus.

Brand: Nordic Naturals is my favorite brand, by far. They conduct a great deal of 3rd party testing and quality control.

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–>Food sources: Olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds but also mix in flax-seed oil, cod liver oil and hemp oil in your diet.

Probiotics

Why? Known as the friendly bacteria in the gut, they aid in keeping the digestive system strong and healthy. Approximately 70% of the immune system is in the digestive system so you are getting lots of support by taking some probiotics.

Brand: Find a refrigerated brand at your local health food store that contains between 1 to 10 billion live organisms – Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium – per dose

Food sources: Yogurt that contains live bacteria culture, kefir, fermented foods – tempeh and miso.

Topically

Wise Women Herbal Salve is a favorite. It is packed with calendula, which is soothing to the skin.

An important side note: Since eczema is itchy, it is important to keep the area clean ( and hands) to prevent any infection.

If you have questions about supplements or would like to purchase, please email me or order high quality supplements here.

Be well,

dr. heather

Photo courtesy of Flickr:

Photo courtesy of Flickr:

Photo courtesy of Flickr:

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Ever since Aiden was a baby he has had very sensitive skin. We tried so many different products on him and came up with a very short list of what works. One of our favorites is Exederm. Why? Because it works. Plain and simple it is a fantastic product that doesn’t cause any irritation to his sensitive skin and even calms flare ups. If his skin comes in contact with anything that has fabric softener on it then his whole body breaks out in a bumpy, red rash. The Exederm Flare Control Cream works great to calm it down.

Too many baby and children’s skincare products contain ingredients that may irritate dry sensitive skin, especially for those with eczema or dermatitis – allergic reactions & rash are common. Most everyday baby and children’s skincare products are actually designed for the average child – even some of those products labeled as ‘Sensitive’ or ‘Mild’ or ‘Hypoallergenic’. Many ‘natural’ or herbal products can be just as bad too ! We believe children with sensitive skin need products with less irritants – WHY TAKE RISKS? Exederm has been specially formulated to avoid harsh chemicals, unnecessary additives and unproven herbal ingredients that may irritate and cause a rash on sensitive skin or trigger an eczema flare-up on your child’s skin. Avoiding irritants and eczema triggers is common sense. Its a philosophy that we’ve applied across our entire product range.

Aiden has a life threatening peanut allergy and often kids diagnosed with this also have eczema. Ever since we started using Exederm on him exclusively he hasn’t had any problems with his eczema at all. I’m a huge fan of Exederm and I know that for us it’s one of the few things that works on him. Consistently it delivers the moisture his skin needs without causing any skin issues.

You can buy Exederm at many retailers including Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS and online at Amazon. They have an entire line of products with everything from shampoos and wash to lotion and oils. If your child struggles with eczema or sensitive skin I would definitely recommend trying Exederm!

Win! One reader will win Exederm’s Flare Control Cream so you can get a handle on your child’s eczema and give their product a try! Enter my Rafflecopter giveaway below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Dr Robin Schaffran, MD, Dermatologist

This is a 3-week series focused on Common Summer Skin Rashes in Kids, timely for those who are enjoying summer (Singapore is summer all year round, but many of you in US, UK and Canada are going through summer). While summer is a fun time for outdoor activities, there are certain rash that are more common during this time, and it’s my pleasure to have Dr. Robin Schaffran, M.D., a caring mom and Pediatric Dermatologist, to help us out.

More on Dr Robin: Dr. Robin is a board-certified Dermatologist and attending staff physician at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. She has also lectured extensively on the subject of skin cancer prevention and has been quoted in newspapers and magazines. She attended the University of Toronto Medical School where she graduated as a member of the Alpha-Omega-Alpha Honors Medical Society. She also has her own sunscreen, moisturizing and shampoo, body wash for children, available worldwide.

What is Insect Bite Rash

Rash is a common result from an insect bites, and during summer time, there are some insects that grow more, or come out during summer. There are various common insect bites, such as bed bug, mosquito bites, chigger bite.

MarcieMom: From your more than 10 years of practice, which insect bites (name two) are most common during summer, and most commonly affecting children?

Dr Robin: During the summer months, the 2 most common insect bites are mosquito bites and bee stings.

MarcieMom: How does the insect’s bite become a rash? Is it interaction with certain saliva or parts of the insect that trigger an inflammation?

Dr Robin: When an insect bites the skin it usually deposits a small amount of saliva into the skin. The rash or bump that results from the bite is due to an immune reaction in the skin directed against the foreign proteins in the saliva.

Appearance of Insect Bite Rash

MarcieMom: How is an insect bite diagnosed? And is it possible to know which insect the bite is from? Will the appearance of bites differ on eczema skin?

Dr Robin: There is a distinct look to an insect bite that makes it easy for a dermatologist to distinguish from eczema. Most bites appear as discrete red bumps that have a small spot in the center from where the insect bit. It is usually impossible to tell from the bite what insect caused the bite (other than certain spiders which result in a very distinct skin eruption).

Prevention of Insect Bite

MarcieMom: Can insect bite be prevented? Using insect repellent? For my toddler with eczema, I don’t put insect repellent on her (are these hypoallergenic?), instead I would put on the insect repellent patch. Are they equally effective?

Dr Robin: Insect bites are best prevented by using insect repellent. This is challenging with eczema skin because the insect repellents can irritate the skin, especially sensitive skin. If it’s not too hot, you can wear long sleeves and pants and spray the clothing with the insect repellent. Avon makes a product called ‘skin so soft’ which acts as an insect repellent (albeit not a very effective one). The repellent patches are okay but not as effective as the sprays.

Treatment of Insect Bite Rash

MarcieMom: I understand that complications can occur from insect bites, such as anaphylaxis, shock, diarrhea, cramps, swelling, hives and confusion. What are the complications that are due to the skin rash from insect bite?

Dr Robin: Most insect bites do not result in any complications other than itchy bumps that can result in a secondary skin infection from  repeated scratching.

MarcieMom: How should an insect bite be treated, and when will seeing a doctor be warranted?

Dr Robin: Insect bites are best treated with topical cortisone creams to treat the inflammation that leads to the itching. If the itching is severe or if the bite is suspected of being infected then it is best to see a doctor for evaluation and further treatment.

MarcieMom: Thank you Dr Robin, it is a very timely and protective series to know what to look out for during summer time while having fun with our children.