Neither me or my husband have problem skin, either now or when we were growing up, so I was surprised when my baby girl developed a really mild eczema. "Atopic dermatitis" they call it because it's hereditary. It seems that if one or both parents have asthma, their child may develop eczema. So that's where she got it then, because I'm asthmatic.
I first noticed Salma had sensitive skin when she was just a couple of weeks old. Straight out of the hospital, we had her using Drypers brand of diapers, and either Anakku Wet Wipes or Bebe (which was the cheapest selling brand at the store). She started to develop nappy rash, and I quickly went online to my trusty babycenter site to find out what may be the reasons for diaper rash. Chafing from wet diaper, detergent and/or fragrances from wet wipes were the causes most relevant to Salma. When we switched to Mamy Poko diapers and stopped using the Bebe wet wipes (which has strawberry-like scent), her nappy rash stopped immediately and I didn't even need to use a nappy cream. I tried several brands of wet wipes, and the ones I found that were most suited to her skin were Anakku, Guardian's brand of wet wipes that are surprisingly very gentle and cloth-like, and Johnson & Johnson, the blue pack. We got free Huggies samples once, and when I tried them, the nappy rash returned, so the answer to a nappy-rash-free tushie for Salma is Mamy Poko. Kinda tough though, cos it's the most expensive brand of diaper out there! Haven't tried Pampers yet, and will try to find a small pack to see if she can take them. But I love Mamy Poko diapers though, they are soft and cloth-like.
At about 3 months old, Salma started to develop an acute facial rash, which most likely was a result of her constant drooling. Now at almost 4 months, there are patches of rough reddish skin developing around her elbows, neck and around the eyes and forehead. And also behind the ears, which she scratches all the time. Our pediatrician advised us to stop using soap (we use Johnson & Johnson's Top to Toe Wash and Baby Milk Bath) and opt for a non-soap cleanser. She recommended Cetaphil, which is gentle enough for babies to use and are soap-free. For a stronger moisturizer, she recommended Cetaphil Moisturising Cream, which she prescribed in a small round jar. And wow is it amazing! It gets absorbed by skin really fast and wipes on really smoothly and is non-greasy. It's almost like water. And after 2-3 applications, the rough skin around her elbows have disappeared. Now just to continue using it everyday. I really want to minimize her eczema asap.
So where to buy Cetaphil in Malaysia? Well I tried looking at Guardian and Watson's, and they only stock the Cetaphil cleanser, which I bought, quite expensive, one bottle of 470 ml (need to check) is about RM44. I also bought the Cetaphil bar soap, which is cheaper, at about RM24. Found the Cetaphil Moisturising Cream online at Acmamall.com where I bought it for around RM44 also. Acmamall.com is convenient too because you can pay using maybank2u.
Cetaphil is also great as a make-up remover and facial cleanser cos its super gentle. So for those mommies out there with sensitive skin, you should try it. If you can't find it at your local pharmacy, then you can buy it on Acmamall.com, they stock it there.
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