A Consultant Dermatologist, Dr Funmi Ajose, has warned mothers to stop arbitrary use of steroid ointment in their babies cream in order not to damage the skin.

Ajose of the Department of Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

Steroid creams are used to reduce skin inflammation caused by conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema.

They are the cornerstone and first-line treatment of these and many other skin diseases.

However, the consultant dermatologist said that it was very wrong to apply strong chemicals on baby’s skin to treat skin infection of any sort without establishing the cause.

“As mothers, if your children have rashes, you have to look for the cause of the rashes first, which can be in their soap or in the wrong ointment applied to their skin.

“A lot of mothers use wrong soap on their babies’ skin and the wrong soap can give problems.

“They also use wrong moisturizers; some of the moisturizers make the children to sweat and when they sweat, they develop rashes.

“So before you even think of adding that over the counter steroid cream like Skineal to your child’s cream, you should, first of all, know whatever it is that is giving your child rashes and stop the use,’’ Ajose advised.

The dermatologist said that using plastic underlay on the baby’s bed when sleeping could also generate sweat and cause rashes.

She also cautioned against adding liquid antiseptic to baby’s bathing water, as doing so could cause the child to develop skin rashes.

Ajose urged mothers to use good quality coconut oil on their babies’ skin, saying it is better than the moisturizers sold in the market.

The skin expert advised parents to always consult qualified physicians if they notice that their children were experiencing skin irritation or any other unusual developments.