The reddened, itchy skin of eczema can be very uncomfortable, especially for babies and small children who do not understand what is going on. Even adults can suffer from eczema, though it less common as you get older. For more information on this skin condition, keep reading the following article.
When you have eczema, you should take caution to clean the skin gently. Once you have washed your skin, and it is still moist, apply a good moisturizer to the skin within three minutes to ensure the moisture is sealed into the skin. You may even want to soak in a nice oatmeal bath as well before you moisturize.
If you have allergies, being exposed to what you are allergic to may make your eczema worse. Eczema is not an allergy, but some common allergens that could trigger eczema are dairy products, eggs, wheat and tomatoes. Other things that could make your eczema flare up are pet dander, pollen, dust and mold.
Common treatments for eczema include topical creams and ointments that contain cortisone. You could try hydrocortisone that can be purchased at your local drug store. If this doesn’t soothe your eczema, you should talk with your doctor about possibly getting a stronger prescription from him. These will work like other steroid creams, but will be able to be used for a longer time.
Be careful when you put on sunscreen. You never know what may cause you to have an outbreak of eczema. The higher the SPF, the more likely it is that the sunscreen may cause you to have an issue. Try and find something with an SPF of around 35. That should protect your skin from the sun and keep it in good shape overall.
Try to be aware of anything that triggers your eczema. Flare ups of eczema can be particularly unpleasant. It is important to know what makes your eczema worse. Do scented soaps or lotions aggravate your skin? Make note of anything that causes your eczema to flare up, and make a point to avoid it.
There are several things you can do to keep yourself from scratching your eczema. The best thing to do is keep it covered. Loose clothing may work, or try bandages or dressings on the afflicted area. Keep your fingernails trimmed short, and consider wearing gloves when you go to bed to avoid scratching while you are sleeping.
Discuss medications with your doctor. If an over-the-counter medication doesn’t do the trick, a prescription one might. Use store-bought and prescription medication as directed. Straying from the instructions could cause more harm than good. At the very least, it will be ineffective, resulting in a waste of both effort and money.
Keep your sweating to a minimum to keep eczema symptoms to a minimum. Your eczema symptoms will not like sweat when it hits. If you’re an active person, it’s important to cool down the minute you finish any physical activity. Showering immediately after working out is a great idea.
Dust can cause issues. Rather than dry dusting, use a damp dust method instead. This will help capture the dust, rather than simply spreading it around the home. Also, because rugs and carpets are a beacon for dust, try not to have them in the house if at all possible.
A warm bath can be very soothing for itching eczema. Make sure, however, that the water is neither very hot nor very cold. Baking soda in your bath water or some colloidal oatmeal is a soothing technique. You might also try putting a bit of bleach into your bath to help get rid of skin bacteria.
Should your eczema start to bother you, do not itch, no matter how tempted you are to do so. Scratching not only makes itching worse, but it can actually irritate your skin and even cause infection. Try to find other ways to deal with the itching; apply cold compresses to the affected area or use medications.
Now that you have finished reading this article, you should be much better informed about eczema. It can be a very unpleasant condition, so you need to find a way to treat it and prevent it from flaring up again. The tips that you have read here should point you in the right direction.