How To Deal With Eczema On Your Body

Eczema is a condition that can affect a lot of people, whether it’s something they have when they’re young or it’s a condition they develop later on in life. The causes of eczema are also vast, so the type of eczema, or dry skin condition you have, may be caused by a different irritant to what yours is.

Dealing with eczema can be a pain but it’s something that is manageable if looked after properly. It’s a skin condition that can disappear and come back, or you may be able to do enough to rid it for good.

If you’ve got eczema currently and you’re having trouble tackling it, then there are some great tips to make sure you take control of it. Here are a few helpful tips to deal with eczema in your body.

Moisturize the skin at least twice a day

Moisturizing your body is key, especially as it can help to hydrate the skin and deal with the issues that dry skin brings to the surface. It’s important to try and find the best creams that are going to work down deep into the skin and not just on the surface level.

When it comes to moisturizing, it’s good to make sure you’re doing this at least twice a day when you can. Ideally, once you’re out of the shower, have the moisturizer ready to lather onto the skin. You could always do the same in the evening by taking a brisk shower and then applying the lotion.

It’s worthwhile having a concentrated moisturizer for just your face and then a general moisturizer for the rest of the body. There are also some great balms that you can get, that are helpful for those extra dry areas of the body that tend to be the target of eczema too.

With your hands in particular, these can get quite dry at times, so eczema on hands is quite common. It’s worth carrying round a hydrating hand cream to help tackle any spells of dryness on the hands.

Apply anti-itch creams

When skin is irritated, it can become itchy and that’s often the case with eczema. The level of itchiness can vary but any slight itchiness in the body can be torture not to itch. However, even if you were to itch it lightly, you may inflame the skin more and cause the recovery process to go back to square one.

With that being said, you’re best off applying some anti-itch cream to soothe the area and make it more manageable as a result. There are over-the-counter products that you can get but you may find that you need more effective options from your doctor.

Be sure to apply these creams liberally and to the affected areas. If you’re on the move, consider carrying this cream with you so that you can provide some much-needed relief. 

Find distractions to avoid scratching

Talking of itching, it can be hard to deter yourself from the itch itself. It may be just too tempting to scratch and if that’s the case, then it’s important to find something to distract you. These distractions could be squeezing a stress ball or perhaps reading a book or listening to music.

Anything that is going to help avoid the scratching is going to help greatly. It may take some time to find the appropriate distractions that do enough to stop you from thinking about it. Remember, scratching the eczema is only going to make it worse and could lead to scarring.  

Ask your doctor for oral allergy medication

Your doctor may be able to help you when it comes to dealing with eczema. It’s the best place to go to when you’ve discovered you have eczema and need to get it seen. They may suggest you speak to a dermatologist for more targeted insight and resolutions.  However, your doctor may be able to help if the eczema is linked to an allergy.

You may have allergies to certain ingredients in detergents for example. Or it might be in the cleaning products that you use to clean around the home.

Speak to your doctor about oral medication for allergies. They may be able to recommend a prescription that helps tackle the irritation from the inside out. 

Be aware of the environment you’re in

Understand your environment and question whether this is something that is causing you trouble. When it comes to skin problems of any kind, we often forget that the environment our body is in on a daily basis could be contributing to the issue itself.

For example, your home might be quite damp or it could be one that is humid and quite dry in comparison. These environments can impact your skin in more ways than one. It might be that you need to make some changes to your home in order to better the condition of eczema itself.

There are other environments your body is in that could be contributing to eczema. Perhaps it’s your workplace? What about the local gym you go to? It’s worth identifying all the potential hotspots that are flaring up your eczema and doing your best to control it. Sometimes, it’s not possible to avoid it completely but you can limit your time in these environments.

Take daily baths or showers

If it helps to ease eczema, then it might be worth taking daily baths or showers. Be wary of how hot these baths or showers are, but it could be what you need to help keep your skin in good condition.

For baths in particular, it could be a good opportunity to fill your bathtub with eczema-friendly bath oils. Essential oils like lavender and rose oil are said to be useful for those who deal with skin irritations and skin problems in general. However, what might work for some, might not work for you, so it’s good to play around with what you put in or leave out of the bath.

Avoid irritating your skin

The worse thing you could do when it comes to dealing with eczema is to irritate it even more. If there are things you do typically that would inflame the skin further, then avoid doing them. Perhaps it’s wearing certain clothing types that cause friction, for example.

The more you can do to avoid further irritation, the better. It’s something that you may want to try out when you find your skin becoming more irritable. Is it an item of clothing you’re wearing or could it be something you’ve picked up and it’s come into contact with the skin?

With eczema that goes away and comes back, it’s often a case of learning what the triggers are and setting those parameters to avoid it at all costs.

Keep to sensitive detergents for clothing

If detergents are a problem for your eczema, then try to stick to sensitive detergents where possible. This is important to help with your clothing, which of course has direct contact with your skin. Be mindful of what detergents work for you and avoid the ones that don’t with a bargepole.

Dealing with eczema is something that can be difficult, especially when each case of eczema is unique to each person. With that being said, make sure to take these tips and try them to help benefit your battle with this skin condition. It might be something that goes away with time and for others, it may be something that just needs to be lived with.