Eczema, known as atopic dermatitis, is characterized by patchy skin due to inflammation or redness. It could cause itching and roughness, or even cracks at the skin surface. There is no known eczema cure. But there are eczema treatments and remedies available to curb the symptoms and get rid of the pesky splotches.
Eczema Treatment and Medication
Antimicrobials
If eczema occurs alongside other kinds of infections, antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral medications are often prescribed.
As their names imply, antibiotics are given if eczema has brought about a bacterial skin infection, antifungal medications are given if eczema has brought about a fungal skin infection, and antiviral medications are given if eczema has brought about a viral skin infection.
Antihistamines
Antihistamines, which are anti-inflammatories for allergic triggers, help with the nighttime scratching due to drowsiness being a side effect and help with managing allergic triggers.
Moisturizers
Eczema’s dryness and itchiness are brought about by the dehydration of your skin.
So one eczema treatment is looking for moisturizers that could help with repairing the skin barrier to reduce transepidermal water loss and better hydrate your skin without causing irritation.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids, which are anti-inflammatory medication that comes in different forms, relieves the inflammation and the itchiness. This medication comes in topical cream or ointment form or could be taken orally or even injected into thick skin lesions.
Phototherapy
Phototherapy is a treatment option that is administered by experts since it involves ultraviolet light exposure.
The afflicted areas are exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB), or a combination of both to treat acute to chronic cases.
Since there isn’t something to cure the condition entirely, it’s important to take extra care of your skin even after the treatments have gotten rid of the symptoms.
Home Remedies for Eczema
On top of the prescribed treatments, there are some home care tips to help care for eczema and your skin in general.
Lukewarm baths with mild soap
Most of these surround grooming and bathing habits so 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.
Using lotion or moisturizer
Putting on lotion or moisturizer right after drying is also said to help your skin retain moisture. Keeping your fingernails short also helps to avoid breaking your skin in case you do scratch.
Using moisturizer or lotion every day is also important since this helps prevent your skin from losing moisture throughout the day. In general, taking care of your skin and making sure it’s rightly moisturized is a way of taking care of your skin both preemptively and as treatment.
Avoiding extreme temperature changes
Staying away from 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.
Wearing soft fabrics
Opting for softer fabrics like cotton and avoiding tight clothing or clothing that could scratch your skin with rough clothing. Learning what your triggers are and making the active effort to avoid them is also crucial to eczema treatment.
How to Prevent Eczema: Avoiding Triggers and Irritants
Besides knowing the different eczema treatment regimens, you must also know about preventing flare-ups. Common causes of eczema are irritants, allergens, microbes, and food.
Irritants and triggers of eczema:
- Harsh soaps or shampoo
- cleaning products like detergents and disinfectants
Allergens vary from person to person, but common ones include:
- dust mites
- pets
- pollen
- mold
- dandruff
- fruit juice, meat, vegetables, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, soy, and wheat
Common microbes like staphylococcus aureus, fungi, and viruses could cause itchiness and irritation, and eventually, worsen eczema.
On top of these irritants, stress and hormones can worsen symptoms, especially during pregnancy or menstruation.
How to Spot Eczema
Symptoms vary not only where these rashes show up but also on the age of whoever has eczema. In this section, we’ll look into what eczema looks like for babies, children, and adults.
For babies up to two years of age, eczema is likely to show up on the head, scalp, or cheeks. These rashes also have a tendency to bubble up and leak fluid.
Since they are babies, this itchiness could interfere with sleeping patterns and cause fussiness and rubbing.
In children, eczema often appears in the creases of the body.
- elbows
- knees
- upper thigh area, under the buttocks
- neck
- wrist
- ankle
The appearance of the rashes could be bumpy and a shade lighter or darker than the skin tone. They could also thicken or develop into knots that constantly itch.
The same is true for adults.
They could also be prominent from the neck up like the neck, face, and the area around the eyes through dry and constantly itchy skin.
Compared to children and babies, the rashes could be scalier and lead to even more skin infections due to exposure.
Learn more about eczema or atopic dermatitis, here.
