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ગુજરાતી: બાળકોમાં ચામડીની ઍલર્જી: ખરજવું, શીળસ અને ખંજવાળ, કારણ, ટ્રિગર, સ્કિન કેર અને આયુર્વેદિક સંભાળ
हिंदी: बच्चों में त्वचा की एलर्जी: एक्ज़िमा, पित्ती और खुजली, कारण, ट्रिगर, स्किन केयर और आयुर्वेदिक देखभाल
Eight-month-old Kavya’s cheeks were red and rough, sometimes oozing; it started at three months and now was also inside the elbows and knees. She woke repeatedly at night, rubbing her cheeks on the pillow and scratching. Her mother bathed her twice a day with scented soap in hot water, “if she stays clean it will heal.” Grandmother said, “It is heat, stop milk.” After searching the internet they changed three creams. The pediatric skin specialist diagnosed atopic dermatitis (eczema). The routine was changed: a short bath in lukewarm water, a mild soap-free cleanser, an Ayurvedic oil or ghrita given by the vaidya within three minutes of the bath, 2–3 times a day, cotton clothes, short nails, and cream as directed by the doctor during flares; along with less spicy and fermented food in the mother’s diet and a gentle Ayurvedic oil. Within two months Kavya’s skin was soft and her sleep peaceful.
Skin allergy in children can be of many types, but the most common is atopic dermatitis (eczema), affecting about 10–20% of children and usually starting in the first year. It is not contagious. In it the skin’s protective barrier is weak, moisture evaporates quickly, and outside irritants and allergens get in easily, resulting in dry, itchy, red skin. Often there is a family history of asthma, allergic rhinitis or eczema (the “atopic march”). Other types are hives (urticaria), contact allergy, and skin reactions with food or drug allergy. In Ayurveda an eczema-like condition is called vicharchika (dry, itchy, darkish, sometimes oozing) and hives sheetapitta/udarda/kotha; for children, Kashyapa described skin disorders such as ahiputana (skin irritation in the nappy area). At the root lie rakta-pitta-kapha dushti, agnimandya and ama, and the role of the dhatri’s (mother’s) diet and breast milk.
Key Takeaways
- Eczema is not contagious; the skin barrier is weak, daily snehana with Ayurvedic oils and ghritas given by the vaidya is the most important treatment.
- Scented soap, hot water, woollen or synthetic clothes, sweat, are common triggers.
- Consult the doctor before stopping any food, unnecessary restriction leads to malnutrition.
- Ayurveda: rakta shodhana, pitta-kapha shamana, dhatri diet, snehana with oils and ghritas given by the vaidya, and haridra khanda and manjishtha in child doses settle eczema and hives quickly, reduce the need for creams and prevent repeated flares.
Types and Recognition
1. Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
- Infant (0–2 years): cheeks, forehead, scalp, outer sides of arms and legs; red, rough, sometimes oozing; the nappy area is usually spared
- Child (2–12 years): inner sides of elbows and knees, wrists, ankles, neck; dry, thick, rough, darkened from scratching
- Intense itching, especially at night
- Periods of flares and calm
- Improves with age in many children
2. Hives (urticaria)
- Sudden raised, red-pink wheals with itching; change place within hours, vanish within 24 hours
- Causes: viral infection (most common in children), food, medicines, insect bites, heat or cold
- With swelling of lips, eyes or tongue, breathing difficulty, vomiting, dizziness, anaphylaxis; emergency
3. Contact allergy or irritation
- Where something touches the skin, diapers, wipes, soap, metal buttons, fragrance, some plants
- Diaper rash, wetness, friction
4. Prickly heat (ghamori)
Small red bumps from heat and sweat, not an allergy; heals with cooling and loose cotton clothes.
Eczema Triggers: Recognise and Avoid
- Dry skin, the biggest trigger
- Scented or harsh soap, bubble bath, too much antiseptic
- Long baths in hot water
- Woollen, synthetic, tight clothes
- Sweat, heat; dry winter air
- Dust mites, pet hair, pollen
- Infections, colds, skin infections
- Stress, poor sleep
- In some children, foods such as cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, soy, only after diagnosis
- Scented detergent, fabric softener
Causes
Modern view
- Genetic, low skin barrier protein (filaggrin)
- Overreaction of the immune system
- Allergy, asthma or eczema in the family
- Environment, pollution, dry air
- Imbalance of skin microbes
Ayurvedic view
- Rakta dushti, the basis of skin diseases.
- Pitta, redness, burning, oozing; kapha, itching, thickening; vata, dryness, cracking.
- Viruddha ahara, milk with sour, salty foods or fish, fruit mixed with milk; Charaka specially listed it among the causes of kushtha (skin disease).
- Dhatri ahara, the breastfeeding mother’s very spicy, fermented or incompatible food → stanya dushti → skin disorders in the child (Kashyapa).
- Agnimandya, ama, krimi.
- Beeja dosha, family history.
Ayurvedic Understanding
In Ayurveda the skin is considered the mirror of rasa-rakta; inner imbalance shows outside on the skin. Charaka counted vicharchika among kshudra kushtha, “sakandu (itching), pidaka (eruptions), shyava (darkish), bahusrava (much oozing)”, which matches both oozing and dry eczema. In hives (sheetapitta), cold wind and incompatible food make kapha and vata mix with pitta and produce wasp-sting-like wheals on the skin. For children, especially breastfed ones, Ayurveda offers the lovely method of dhatri chikitsa (treating the child through the mother’s diet and medicines).
Samprapti: beeja dosha + incompatible or vitiated food (of the child or dhatri), agnimandya → tridosha (pitta-kapha predominant) + rakta dushti → lodging in skin, rakta, mamsa, lasika → vicharchika/sheetapitta.
Samprapti vighatana: avoid triggers and causes → external snehana (protective barrier) → correct the dhatri or child diet → agni deepana → rakta shodhana, pitta-kapha shamana (gentle medicines) → kandughna (itch-relieving) lepas.
Classical References
- Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Sthana, Chapter 7, Kushtha Chikitsa (including vicharchika).
- Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana, Chapter 26, Atreyabhadrakapyiya: viruddha ahara.
- Madhava Nidana, Sheetapitta-Udarda-Kotha Nidana.
- Kashyapa Samhita, dhatri, stanya dushti, childhood skin disorders (chapter level).
- Sushruta Samhita, Nidana Sthana, Chapter 5, Kushtha Nidana.
Daily Skin Care Routine: the Most Important Treatment
- Bath: once a day, lukewarm (not hot) water, 5–10 minutes.
- No soap / a mild soap-free cleanser, only where needed; fragrance-free and colour-free.
- Pat gently with a towel, do not rub; keep the skin slightly damp.
- Ayurvedic snehana within 3 minutes, rather than a market lotion, the shatadhauta ghrita, pure coconut oil or Ayurvedic baby-skin oils given by the vaidya nourish deeper and longer; on damp skin, all over the body, generously (“soak and seal”), patch test first.
- Apply the Ayurvedic oil or ghrita again 2–3 times a day, even when there is no flare.
- During flares, the medicated cream the doctor prescribes (often a mild steroid, safe for the right amount and duration; do not avoid it out of fear, but do not use it long on your own either).
Much oozing, yellow crusts, pain, fever, skin infection; see the doctor.
Home and Clothes
- Loose, soft cotton clothes; wool not directly on the skin
- Wash new clothes before wearing; mild fragrance-free detergent, double rinse
- Short, smooth nails; cotton mittens at night for small children
- Room cool to moderate; not too warm, sweat increases itching
- Less dust, damp mopping, pillow covers and sheets weekly in hot water, fewer carpets and soft toys
- No smoking at home
- Bath and Ayurvedic oil immediately after swimming
Food Allergy: the Right Understanding
Some children with eczema (especially severe, early-onset) also have food allergy, but most eczema is not caused by food. Stopping milk, wheat, eggs and everything on guesswork disturbs the child’s nutrition and stunts growth. If there is suspicion (hives, vomiting or lip swelling right after a specific food), get tested by a doctor or allergy specialist, and restrict only after diagnosis, as advised. According to current guidance, even in children at risk of allergy, starting foods like eggs and peanuts early, around 6 months, in a suitable form is often beneficial; discuss it with your doctor.
Ayurvedic Diet Advice for the Dhatri (Breastfeeding Mother)
- Less very spicy, sour, salty, fermented (too much dhokla or idli, pickles) and fried food
- Avoid incompatible food, milk with sour fruits, salt or fish; fruit milkshakes
- Moong, rice, wheat, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, pointed gourd, pumpkin, ghee in moderation
- Turmeric, coriander, cumin; herbs like neem and manjishtha on the vaidya’s advice
- Do not stop breastfeeding, it is the child’s best protection
- Stopping any specific food for the mother only on the doctor’s advice, when a link is truly seen
Useful Ayurvedic Medicines / Therapies (in the vaidya’s child dose)
The right medicine, dose, anupana and timing are decided by the vaidya according to the person’s prakriti, age, other illnesses and current medicines.
- External snehana: pure coconut oil (gentle, found useful in eczema in some research), shatadhauta ghrita (ghee washed a hundred times, traditionally cooling and skin-softening), jatyadi taila/ghrita (in cracked or oozing skin), pinda taila; first test on a small area for 24 hours (patch test).
- Haridra (turmeric), in food; haridra khanda, traditional in allergy and hives (in older children, in the vaidya’s dose).
- Manjishtha, sariva, nimba (neem), rakta shodhana; the vaidya decides the child dose.
- Guduchi, amalaki, pitta shamana, rasayana.
- Khadira, chandana, usheera, for skin and pitta; as lepa or medicine.
Lukewarm water boiled with neem leaves is traditional for bathing older children (not on open wounds; stop if it dries the skin). Caution: camphor, strongly scented oils, lemon, thick paste of raw turmeric, lime (chuna) and household “hot” substances on eczema skin increase irritation. Some advertised “herbal creams” have been found to contain hidden strong steroids; check the ingredients. Bhasma and rasa formulations in children only under an experienced vaidya’s supervision.
Gradual Ayurvedic approach: If the doctor’s medicated cream is ongoing, Ayurvedic treatment starts alongside it, without stopping anything. For the child, daily snehana with shatadhauta ghrita, coconut oil or jatyadi ghrita given by the vaidya, a drying lepa on oozing areas, haridra khanda, guduchi and manjishtha in child doses; for the breastfeeding mother, dhatri diet and medicines when needed (dhatri chikitsa). As itching, redness and oozing settle, the doctor slowly reduces and stops the medicated cream, and then daily Ayurvedic snehana, avoiding triggers and the dhatri-child diet prevent repeated flares (apunarbhava). With swelling of lips or tongue or breathing difficulty, emergency at once.
Diaper Rash: Simple Care
- Change diapers often; do not leave wet for long
- Clean with plain lukewarm water and a soft cloth; avoid scented wipes
- Let air reach the skin, some time each day without a diaper
- Barrier cream (as advised by the doctor) or a thin layer of pure ghee or coconut oil (traditional)
- Shiny red patches with small spots at the edges, fungal infection possible; see the doctor
Trigger Diary
For two to four weeks, note daily: how the skin was (0–10), itching, sleep, what was eaten, which clothes, which soap and cream, weather, illness, stress. When a pattern appears, the trigger is identified, and it also helps the doctor make the right decision. If food is suspected, show this diary to the doctor before restricting on your own.
For School-Going Children
Keep a small tin of the ghrita or oil given by the vaidya in the tiffin bag, to apply after washing hands. Wipe sweat after sports, and change damp clothes if possible. Tell teachers that eczema is not contagious, so other children do not stay away. If there is a risk of anaphylaxis, give the school a written action plan and the emergency medicine the doctor prescribes.
Controlling Itching
- A cool, wet cloth compress for 10 minutes
- Teach gentle pressing or patting instead of scratching
- Distraction, play, stories
- Ayurvedic oil or ghrita before bed at night, a cool room
- For severe itching the doctor may prescribe an antihistamine
The Parents’ Mind
The child’s itching and sleepless nights exhaust the whole family. Comments from relatives and neighbours (“isn’t it contagious?”, “it comes from dirt”) and a flood of creams and remedies add to the confusion. Remember, eczema is not contagious, not caused by dirt, and not your fault. Consistent daily skin care is the biggest treatment; results show gradually. In older children, also pay attention to shame and self-confidence about their skin.
Season Wise
Winter, dry air and hot water make eczema worse; apply the Ayurvedic oil more often, use a humidifier, no wool directly on skin. Summer, sweat, prickly heat; loose cotton clothes, wipe sweat, light coconut oil, a cool room. Spring, pollen and kapha, hives and allergy may increase. Monsoon, humidity, fungal infections; keep skin dry and clean.
By Prakriti
- Vata: very dry, cracked; more oil and ghee, especially in winter.
- Pitta: red, burning, oozing; cooling lepas (chandana, shatadhauta ghrita), less spicy food.
- Kapha: thick, very itchy, hives; light food, not much sweets and dairy, turmeric.
Common Myths
- “Eczema is contagious”, wrong.
- “Bathe more, use more soap, it will stay clean”, wrong; the skin gets drier.
- “Steroid creams are always bad”, safe for the right amount and duration on the doctor’s advice; avoiding them out of fear makes eczema worse.
- “Stop milk and it will heal”, not without diagnosis.
- “It is heat, feed cold things”, it needs understanding by dosha; cold drinks and ice cream increase kapha.
Precautions
- Swelling of lips, eyes or tongue, breathing difficulty, vomiting, anaphylaxis; emergency.
- Oozing, yellow crusts, fever, boils, infection; see the doctor.
- Suddenly spreading, painful blisters (especially on eczema), herpes infection possible; see the doctor urgently.
- Poor weight gain, check for unnecessary food restriction.
- Patch test before any new oil or lepa.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do: daily Ayurvedic oil or ghrita (2–3 times), short lukewarm bath, cotton clothes, short nails, trigger diary, balanced dhatri diet, the doctor’s cream as directed.
Don’t: scented soap and detergent, hot water, wool and synthetics, stopping foods on guesswork, advertised creams, strong household pastes, scolding for scratching.
Case Studies
Case 1: Infant eczema
8 months; eczema on cheeks, elbows and knees, waking at night; bathed with scented soap in hot water; the doctor gave a cream for flares. In Ayurvedic terms pitta-kapha predominant vicharchika, with stanya dushti from the dhatri’s diet; the vaidya gave a short lukewarm bath, a soap-free cleanser, shatadhauta ghrita applied the “soak and seal” way, triphala washes on oozing areas, less spicy and fermented food and no incompatible food for the mother, and guduchi and manjishtha for the mother (dhatri chikitsa). Within two weeks the oozing stopped and the doctor reduced the cream; within two months the skin was soft, sleep peaceful, the cream stopped, and with ghrita and diet the next winter had no flares. (Results may vary from person to person.)
Case 2: Wrong restriction
3 years; because of eczema the parents themselves stopped milk, wheat, eggs and peanuts, and within six months the weight dropped. The allergy specialist found allergy only to eggs; other foods were slowly restarted. The vaidya gave bala chaturbhadra for agni, haridra khanda in a child dose, daily snehana with jatyadi ghrita, and nutrition like ghee, milk and ragi. Weight came back, eczema was controlled and the cream was rarely needed. (Results may vary from person to person.)
Case 3: Hives after a viral illness
6 years; the day after a cold and fever, hives all over the body with itching; no breathing trouble or swelling; the doctor gave an antihistamine. The vaidya gave haridra khanda and guduchi in child doses, cold water compresses, sandalwood lepa, loose clothes and light food. Within two days the tablet was no longer needed and within five days relief was complete; guduchi before the season kept hives away the next year. (Results may vary from person to person.)
When to See a Doctor Immediately (Red Flags)
- Swelling of lips, eyes or tongue, breathing difficulty
- Oozing, crusted eczema with fever
- Sudden painful blisters
- Effect on sleep, eating or growth
- No improvement despite the routine
- Reaction immediately after a specific food
About Dr. Nikul Patel
Dr. Nikul Patel (BAMS) is an Ayurvedic physician at Lifecare Ayurveda and has been practising since 1999, that is, for 27 years. In children’s skin allergy and vicharchika, he gives gentle guidance through skin care routines, correcting the dhatri and child diet, gentle external snehana and rakta shodhana herbs in child doses, in coordination with pediatric and skin specialists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a child’s eczema contagious?
No, eczema is not contagious.
What is the most important treatment for eczema?
The Ayurvedic oil or ghrita given by the vaidya 2–3 times daily and avoiding triggers.
Should foods be stopped in eczema?
Only after the doctor’s diagnosis; restriction on guesswork harms nutrition.
When are hives dangerous?
With swelling of lips, eyes or tongue, breathing difficulty or vomiting, an emergency.
Does Ayurveda help in eczema?
It supports through dhatri and child diet, gentle oils and ghritas and rakta shodhana herbs; along with skin care.
People Also Ask
What is vicharchika?
An eczema-like kshudra kushtha in Ayurveda: itching, eruptions, darkening, oozing.
What is shatadhauta ghrita?
Ghee washed a hundred times with water, a cooling, skin-softening traditional application.
Is coconut oil okay for eczema?
Gentle snehana for many children; do a patch test first.
Does eczema go away as the child grows?
Many children improve significantly with age.
What is dhatri chikitsa?
Treating the child through the breastfeeding mother’s diet and medicines, Kashyapa’s method.
Conclusion
Skin allergy in children, especially eczema, needs patience and consistency. Along with avoiding triggers, no restriction without diagnosis and the doctor’s advice when needed, Ayurveda can be the main path: daily snehana with shatadhauta ghrita and coconut oil given by the vaidya, rakta-pitta-kapha balance, dhatri and child diet, and haridra khanda and manjishtha in child doses make the child’s skin soft and nights peaceful, reduce the need for creams and prevent repeated flares. Every child’s results may differ.
Dr. Nikul Patel (B.A.M.S.)
307, 3rd Floor, Shalin Complex, Above Farki Lassi, Krishnabaug Char Rasta, Maninagar, Ahmedabad – 380008
Timings: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM | Saturday–Sunday: Closed
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