How To Avoid Triggers
Irritants
To prevent dermatitis flare-ups, you can try to reduce your exposure to common irritants, which are the following:
- Chemicals
- Soaps
- Detergents
- Perfumes
- Smoke
- Certain fabrics
To reduce eczema caused by the aforementioned, you may try to:
- Use fragrance-free, gentle detergent and soaps
- Wear breathable, cotton clothing
- Wash clothes regularly, and wash newly bought pieces before wearing them
- Keep your nails clean and tidy to prevent cuts and infection due to scratching
- Wear sunscreen, preferably those that offer broad protection against UVA and UVB rays, with an SPF of 15 or higher
- Wash off immediately after swimming in the pool or beach.
Inhaled Allergens
Allergens such as dust mites burrow in mattresses, pillows, and carpets, and other areas with high humidity. Change your bedsheets often and ensure to have these deep-cleaned regularly.
Certain Food
Certain foods trigger eczema and to determine these, you can work with your allergist/ immunologist. Also, keep track of what you eat to more easily identify food triggers.
Stress
Stress, anger, and frustration can cause additional itching and kick-off an itch-scratch cycle that can further aggravate your condition.
Eczema Treatment: Home Care Tips
On top of the prescribed treatments, there are some home care tips to help care for eczema and your skin in general.
Warm Baths and Gentle Cleansers
Try taking lukewarm baths with mild soap or gentle cleansers and air drying or patting the skin to dry instead of rubbing it that may cause irritation. Keep your fingernails short to avoid breaking your skin in case you do scratch.
Moisturize
Put lotion or moisturizer right after drying to help your skin retain moisture.
Avoiding rapid temperature or humidity changes also helps with maintaining moisture as well as avoiding situations or events that make you sweat. A way of doing this is making sure you have humidifiers for the dry weather.
Comfortable Clothing
Wear softer fabrics like cotton and avoid tight clothing or clothing that could scratch your skin with its rough textures. Learning what your triggers are and making an active effort to avoid them is also crucial to treating eczema.
In general, taking care of your skin and making sure it’s properly moisturized is a way of taking care of your skin both preemptively and as one of the means for eczema treatment. Learn more about Skin Health here.
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