Eczema

Eczema

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First...What is Eczema??

Imagine you've built a house out of bricks, but forgotten the mortar in between. Imagine on a cold night, how the heat would seep out between those bricks.​

If you tried to live in that house, it would get pretty miserable pretty quickly.

Now imagine that instead of a house, it's your body: Instead of the bricks, they're your skin cells. If you have atopic dermatitis, commonly referred to as eczema, you don't have anything stopping the moisture in your body (the "heat" in our metaphor from above) from escaping your body.

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What Does Eczema Look or Feel Like?

This can present in several ways, but primarily as a red, itchy, and sometimes scaly rash the skin. Common areas include the crooks of elbows and knees, on the hands, or in the hairline (often confused for simple dandruff).

While there are many diagnoses which may mimic simple eczema, you may increase the confidence of your diagnosis if you have family members with it as well. Asthma, allergies, and eczema frequently travel together and stay with families.

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How Do I Prevent Flares?

The most basic form of care and prevention is to rehydrate the skin and prevent loss of that moisture. You can do that by several simple steps:

  1. Bathe one or two times per day, avoiding cold or hot water (lukewarm or room-temperature is best), for a short period of time - shoot for 5-10 minutes.

  2. The moment you get out of the shower and finish drying yourself with a clean towel, you should apply a layer of Vaseline (yes, just simple over-the-counter Vaseline) to the areas you experience itching and dryness.

  3. Every night before bed, you should apply a thin layer of an "emollient" to your skin. This is what doctors call lotions or creams which soften and soothe the skin. Standard examples are Cetaphil and CeraVe, Aquaphor, Aveeno, and Eucerin; if you cannot find these you should look for a lotion that is dye-free, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic (this means it will not cause acne).

  4. If you start to experience a flare (or sudden worsening) of your eczema, you should use a thin layer of over-the-counter hydrocortisone steroid cream twice daily.

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If any of these fail or you start having worsening symptoms, you should go to your doctor to be seen if something else may be the matter, or if you need a stronger steroid prescription!