Are you suffering with eczema? If you do, do you feel that it is outside of your control? If you are in this situation, know that you are about to find some answers. Read on to learn helpful information about eczema.
Attempt to avoid stress as much as possible if you are dealing with eczema. Stress tends to make eczema flare up. Use meditation or yoga as a stress reduction technique and it may help reduce your eczema. You may be able to make your flare up not even occur.
Dry, itchy skin is one of the hallmarks of eczema. To reduce these symptoms, you must use a moisturizer. Moisturizers do not just hydrate your skin. Rather, moisturizers seal in moisture and natural body oils. This will stop the skin from becoming dry and brittle.
Make sure that your nails are clean and trimmed. Even if you are already aware that scratching is bad, you may still find yourself scratching in your sleep. This may make a rash worse, and if your nails are long it will make the problem worse. Make sure you clean under nails regularly.
Use ointments for moisturizing. They can help soothe eczema because they make a protective layer. You don’t get this from creams or lotions. For this reason, ointments are significantly better for areas where skin has cracked open due to eczema.
To prevent a flare up of your eczema, try to reduce sweating. It can cause your eczema symptoms to get much worse. If you enjoy working out, make an effort to cool off your skin immediately following your activities. Take a shower right away after a workout.
A warm bath can give you relief from eczema. Make sure, though, that the water is not overly hot or cold. Add some Epson salts, baking soda and/or colloidal oatmeal to the water for soothing relief. One other option is adding 4 ounces of bleach to an average 40-gallon bath tub of water to eliminate any bacteria that may be on your skin.
Research that has been done recently has shown that reminders in the form of text messages can help you deal with atopic dermatitis. This skin condition is common for anyone suffering with eczema. Harvard showed that teens and adults found great benefit from this program. Patients in their study did better keeping up with their treatments and had fewer symptoms than the control group. Many wished the program could continue.
Moisturize your skin when it is damp. At this time your skin is more likely to retain moisture. Use a towel to blot your skin so it stays damp and maintains its natural oils. Then, put your moisturizer on. Do this quickly after a bath to retain the most moisture.
Pay attention to your clothing choices. Garments close to the skin can actually produce eczema flares. Shop for cotton or cotton-blend clothing. Other fabrics are more likely to irritate the skin. Also, watch how you’re washing your clothing. Fabric softener and strong chemical detergents should be avoided.
Hot Showers
Try not to take hot showers. Hot showers can irritate the skin. If you are struggling with eczema, try to limit the amount of hot showers you take. Take room temperature showers instead. Use something gentle to clean the skin, and apply a moisturizer afterwards.
The article that you have read can help you to improve your quality of life. Now you know that you can control your disease. Use what you’ve learned to feel comfortable again.