The Moisture Picture

The most important thing when caring for your eczema is to keep your skin well moisturized.
It really is so important that I can’t emphasize it enough. The moisturizer you choose is not really important so long as it is something that works for you – it doesn’t irritate your skin and it keeps your skin moist.
The aim of the moisturizer is to not only moisten dry skin but to replace the natural oily protective barrier that is lacking in the eczema skin. Moisturizers come in several different forms – creams, ointments, lotions and bath oils. They will soften and smooth the skin and improve itching.
The key with moisturizers is to use them regularly, at least twice a day and they need to be applied all over even when the eczema is not present. This will help control flare-ups and keep the eczema at bay.

Mel SinclairRegistered Nurse

A Plan for Treatment

Once eczema is diagnosed, a treatment plan will be made based on:
1)Type and severity of the eczema present
2)Age, health, and medical history (including presence of other conditions)
3)History of previous treatment

The primary goal of treatment is to relieve discomfort by controlling the signs and symptoms. Since eczema is usually dry and itchy, most treatment plans involve applying lotions, creams or ointments to keep the skin as moist as possible. The treatment plan also may require lifestyle modifications and using medication as directed. A topical (applied to the skin) medication may be prescribed to help relieve itching and inflammation. If the skin is infected, a topical or oral antibiotic will be prescribed to kill the bacteria causing the infection. For severe itching, sedative antihistamines are sometimes used. These are available in both prescription and over-the-counter varieties.

Certain types of severe eczema may be treated with phototherapy. Stronger systemic medications, such as corticosteroids and cyclosporine, may be prescribed to treat severe eczema that has been unresponsive to treatment.

Since so many factors affect why a person develops eczema, a treatment plan that works for one person may not effectively control eczema in another person. Sometimes it takes a bit of detective work to find an effective treatment plan.

Identifying Patterns of Eczema

Identifying the type and degree of you eczema rash should initialy be left up to a qualified professional who can properly advise you on an appropriate couse of treatment.

Often times the feeling of isolation over a skin condition can lead to additional stress which aggravates the condition.

You are not alone. A very large percentage of the people suffer from one of the various forms of skin conditions.