Managing Eczema

18, Dec 2021 | DermaCare

What is Eczema

Eczema is a common condition where the skin to become dry, itchy, and red, and tends to develop in people that also have allergies, asthma, and hay fever.

Potential causes of eczema are:

  • Things that cause the skin to become dry, and open to irritants or infection

  • Genetic factors: eczema often runs in families

  • Immune system dysfunction triggering inflammatory responses in the skin.

These isn’t a cure for eczema, although some people may ‘grow out of it’, so the main goal of treatment is to soothe the skin and eliminate itching which if untreated, can make eczema worse.

Symptoms

  • Itching and redness making people scratch causing the skin to become raw and open to infection.

  • The skin can get rough, leathery, and thicken, with a grainy and blistered appearance. 

  • Weeping, scabbing, and crusting when blisters burst, either naturally or because of scratching

  • Children with eczema often have dry, scaly skin. Dry skin can be a predisposing factor to developing eczema.

  • Eczema can disturb skin pigmentation pale patches of skin to appear

Preventing Eczema

Because there’s no cure for eczema, prevention and management are key to help alleviate the symptoms and prevent future bouts of eczema.

  • Use moisturizer often (at least twice a day) even when there are no symptoms to ensure the skin maintains its moisture levels. But avoid petroleum based moisturizing products as these can irritate the skin.

  • Wear pure cotton or cotton-mixture clothes instead of (scratchy) wool or (moisture trapping) synthetics.

  • Use soap-free cleaners instead of soap as soap will strip oils (moisture) from the skin.

  • Avoid washing clothes with enzyme detergents and fabric softeners as these can irritate the skin

  • Take short showers or baths with warm instead of hot water, and after bathing, gently pat rather than rub your skin dry using a soft towel.

  • Avoid allergy triggers such as peanuts, eggs, seafood, milk, soy and chocolate if you are sensitive to them, and watch environmental factors such as heat, sunlight, and cold can irritate the condition.

  • Keep fingernails short and wear cotton mittens at night to control damage caused by scratching.

Treatment

The main goal of treatment is to reduce itching, which is uncomfortable and makes symptoms worse. In some mild cases eczema can be managed by avoiding triggers and moisturizing, but often treatments are needed to control the condition.

The primary treatment for eczema are corticosteroid creams and ointments that can reduce itchiness and redness. However long-term use is discouraged as corticosteroids can thin the skin, making the condition worse in the long term.

This is where Primal Herbaria DermaCare comes in. DermaCare is a plant-based moisturizer, infused with herbs traditionally used to support wound healing, reduce allergic reactions and inflammation, and soothe the skin.

When applied to the affected area it can moisturize the skin, reducing the itchiness and redness, supporting the skins healing, reducing the need for corticosteroids.