4 practical ways to tackle eczema

If you have eczema, then you know the trouble and pain that it causes. It can severely restrict your day-to-day activities mostly due to the itch and the distress it causes.

However, eczema need not be devastating; a few changes in your lifestyle and understanding the disease can go a long way in helping you to manage it better. While the eczema symptoms will surface from time to time, eczema medications can be used when the infection or flare-up is severe. You also need to know how to manage the infection effectively, so that the treatments really help you. Here are 4 ways that can help you tackle eczema.

  • Understanding your infection: It is important to understand what causes the flare-ups. If you know what triggers the reaction, then avoiding these triggers can mean that you would need far fewer eczema medications. Although it is not harmful to take the medicines, avoiding the triggers will help you to save yourself from the worse flare-ups making the medicines more effective.
  • Dry, itchy skin: Several people who suffer from several types of eczema complain about dry skin. The best way to tackle this would be to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. Ensuring that you moisturize your skin as soon as you shower helps the skin to absorb the cream better. This will prevent flare-ups, which may then require eczema medication.
  • Temperature: Typically, people with eczema do not react to extreme changes in temperature very well. Such drops or increase in temperature robs the air of the moisture making your skin dry and itchy. So, if you are already susceptible to infection, this can make it worse. Make sure you keep the temperature around your home comfortable. Use humidifiers where necessary.
  • Scratching and sweating: While eczema and its flare-ups are always associated with an itch, it is best not to scratch the skin. Try using a cold compress, baths, and moisturizers to calm the flare-up. If this does not help, eczema medications may be used to prevent a further downward spiral of the infection. Sweat is also a major cause for flare-ups and therefore, should be kept to a minimum.

Eczema is not a life-threatening infection; therefore, using a little caution will help you to keep the flare-ups to a minimum.