rashes on baby's face-please help urgently

Hi Doctor,
my 7 month old daughter has rashes on her face. since 3rd month she has rashes on the area near and behind ears. her doctor gave Zocort for 5 days. the rashes were gone. i did'nt apply the zocort again. after some time the rashes were gone without doing anything. recently she has developed rashes on her forehead. i used zocort for 5 days. it was gone but re appeared. it's very itchy. baby always rub and shows discomforts. the rashes and redness are not that much severe to look at but very uncomfortable for the baby. can you please suggest me what should i do? i don't want to use the steroid treatment(zocort) as it may have side effects like make her dependent on the medicine. skin thinning, hyperpigmentation etc. should i wait? are the rashes on babies gone by themselves?

i'm very much worried. please help.

thanks,

sarah

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm anything without examination but it can be due to eczema.

Wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites. You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate wymptoms a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide) which are available on prescription.

If still the symptoms do not improve then pls get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.
I hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.