Milk crust and neurodermatitis – What is the connection?
Milk crust can be the first manifestation of neurodermatitis (atopic eczema) in the infant. Head gneiss, which is often mistakenly mistaken for milk crust, on the other hand, is caused by excessive sebum production in the sense of seborrheic eczema and has nothing to do with neurodermatitis. The distinction between the two skin changes in infancy is accordingly important.
Children who had milk crust as an infant have an increased risk of developing neurodermatitis. The risk of other atopic diseases such as hay fever (allergic rhinitis) or bronchial asthma is also increased. However, it must also be noted that not all babies with milk crust necessarily develop neurodermatitis later in life.
Neurodermatitis is an inflammatory and itchy skin disease, just like milk crust, and typically affects the flexing sides of the extremities. Neurodermatitis often disappears during puberty. The cause is considered to be a reaction of the immune system to the own body.
Therapy
It is important not to remove the skin scales and crusts that form the milk crust under any circumstances. This can cause small sore spots that can become inflamed. If the baby tends to scratch itself constantly and remove the crusts itself, mittens should be put on it, especially overnight, to prevent this.
For washing the head and skin, unscented products that do not additionally irritate the skin should be used. Excessive washing and bathing should be avoided, as this only leads to additional drying of the skin.To ensure that the scales and crusts gently loosen themselves, the skin areas can be rubbed with oil. For this purpose, either baby oil or vegetable oils such as olive oil or marigold oil can be used.
It is a good idea to leave the oil on overnight and wipe it off the next morning with a soft cloth. This will also loosen the crusts and can be removed. Afterwards the oil residues can be washed off with a baby shampoo.
If the baby already has very long and thick hair, it is possible that the detached crusts will stick to the hair. In this case, a fine-toothed comb can help to remove the residues from the hair. For this purpose, for example, a nit comb can be used.
The stubborn cuticle layer can often be greased with oil and softened. The oil should be gently massaged in and left to work for several hours or overnight. Olive oil or coconut oil are suitable for this purpose.
In any case, oils should be used that do not contain perfumes or preservatives. After rubbing the oil into the skin, a soft baby comb can be used to gently remove the oil. In case of mild skin changes, homeopathy can be used for milk crust.
In pronounced cases, however, conventional therapy measures should be switched to in consultation with the pediatrician. In homeopathy, preparations with pansies have proven to be effective. Viola tricolor helps, for example, in cases of severe weeping.
The homeopathic remedy graphites can be used to combat crusts and unpleasant odors. The annoying itching can be relieved with sulfur, borax, antimonium crudum or cardiospermum. Various oils such as olive oil, calendula oil or burdock root oil can be used as home remedies against milk crust.
Another proven method is the application of cooled pansy tea, which also soothes itching. Equally effective against itching are cooling compresses and lotions with menthol. In case of weeping spots, ordinary saline solution can be applied for cleaning.
