Helping Your Child’s Self Esteem During An Eczema Flare Up
For any parent, one of the most difficult challenges faced is watching your child suffer from poor self esteem. This is especially so when it is the result of a medical problem, such as eczema. You want to soothe their pain and discomfort, but you also want to protect them from the embarrassment from eczema.
Although eczema flare ups are typically a short term problem, it can be difficult explaining to a child that the condition will go away. They see the eczema on face, hands, legs, and other parts of their body and they are embarrassed. They may feel anxiety about what others will say about them or how they will be treated.
First, it is important that you start your treatment for contact dermatitis, facial eczema, atopic dermatitis, or any other eczema as soon as possible. The sooner you start, the sooner it will heal and things will be back to normal. Make sure you do not skip doses, or this will extend the healing period.
Next, if your child is in school and feels much anxiety about how their eczema wounds will be perceived by their classmates, you may consider taking them out of school for a day or two. The anxiety your child feels can actually make their eczema quite worse. However, staying out of school for a day or so will help them heal more quickly. Once they see their skin healing, they will probably feel more secure about returning to school. Your school administration should be able to help you with any missed school work.
Also, try to adjust your child’s clothing to conceal the eczema lesions. If the eczema is on their arms or legs, long sleeves and pants can easily hide the condition. Just make sure you use clothing that is light, non-itchy, and natural fibers to help the skin heal.
Finally, if you think that there may be more severe self esteem issues related to the eczema, it may be time to seek a professional. First, you will need to see a skin care doctor to determine why the eczema is happening. However, you may also want to seek the help of a counselor who can help your child work through their anxiety.
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