What does Eczema look like is one question which needs to be answered for most of the people, though most know what does eczema does to them is causing pain and, moreover, scratching/ itching like crazy. Eczema is known to be caused by a variety of reasons and is also known by many other names. No matter what are the causes of eczema, this skin condition is known to affect persons of all the ages, or races, and of any genetic makeup.
The two main types of eczema:
- Endogenous eczema: In this type, there is no identification of any triggers causing this skin condition
- Eczematous dermatitis: There is an identifiable trigger in the environment such as pollutants and allergens
There is not much known about what are the various causes of eczema. Also, there are some treatments for it, yet these are not effective in helping everyone who has this skin condition, and because of this, many person are left without having treatment.
What does Eczema look like can be answered as Eczema presents as a red rash, and it definitely itches? Also, for unlucky few, blisters may also appear and from them leaks some fluid, which then develops a crust. In this skin condition, skin can get scaly and get thicken and mostly changes the color.
This skin condition of eczema can affect people in different parts of their whole body. And anyone who has eczema there is flaring ups that last some different lengths of durations. Often, the cases of eczema have been occurring in skin folds that mean that skin which rubs together and thus becomes sore and irritated.
Also, with eczema, people have risks and more vulnerability to get infected. This is because of the itching and scratching. What happens is that people scratch these areas of skin affected in such manner and till breaking through the top layer of their affected skin. This top skin layer happens to prevent the bacteria and various other infections from getting into the skin. But as the top layer is missing, bacteria get into the wound and thus causing more infection.
Therefore it is strictly recommended that people with eczema follow this advice of keeping their fingernail short; this will be unable them not to break the skin even if they do scratch.
Also, if eczema happens to the children, parents are advised to help their children by putting mittens, other soft items, etc. on children’s hands, so they don’t cause further harm by scratching away the top layer of the skin.
Treatment of Eczema
As mentioned earlier, there are treatments for curing Eczema, but these are not effective on all or some may help to treat one’s skin condition, whereas another treatment is able to sure other person’s Eczema. Though eczema is said to be very annoying but good news is this skin condition can’t be passed on to other people. That is, it is not contagious.
For treating eczema, there are various medications as well as creams and lotions available:
- Nonsteroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs NSAIDS: For example ibuprofen
- Corticosteroids: drugs which imitate the hormones of our body that naturally should be produced in adrenal glands
The above-mentioned medications treat eczema by reducing inflammations.
For treating inflammation by external applications of
- Antihistamines
- benzocaine
- Calamine lotion: soothes the area while keeping area moist- and even infection-free.
- Creams and lotions which have coal tar as their ingredient helps in reducing the size of the affected area.
Wet bandages are also used for treatment.
If the case is serious, then for treatment, there is the usage of UV lights.
Advice: It is very much advisable that if you have eczema, then it is recommended that you wear clothes of the fabric of cotton and while even sleeping use cotton bedding this is because cotton is a cool fabric and it breathes, thus helps in causing of less itching and even in healing. Cotton is also a soft fabric and does not cause much harm to the skin, therefore known to be skin-friendly fabric.
Home Remedies for Eczema
An eczema is a severe form of skin disease which is known to cause extreme itchiness, skin dryness, and skin getting irritated, inflammation as well as redness.
Eczema often appears on the face and one’s extremities, but still, it’s also known to show up in other parts of skin areas, too.
Eczema is one of the chronic problems of skin condition for many people. Eczema is known to be more common in infants, though many of these kids outgrow it before their school age.
Almost before a rash appears in eczema, always there is itching. Typically, eczema symptoms are:
- Patches of the chronically itching, dry and thickened skin, which is mostly on one’s hands, or on the neck, maybe on the face, and commonly on legs. Children usually have their eczema patches in their inner creases of knees as well as elbows, which are often affected by this skin condition.
- Scratching leads to the development of sores having crusts.
Studies have shown that some 34 million or more people are suffering from common types of Eczema around the world! Most of these people face not only the suffering of itching and pain, which is because of eczema but are also embarrassed and shamed in showing their faces in public because of red and ugly scars and patched on one’s face or arms or on any other part of the body.
For treating the skin condition of eczema in the market, there are loads of expensive lotions, ointments, and creams that are available without needing any prescription over the counter, but these medications, unfortunately, though most of these just don’t work! It’s not that creams and medications are not effective but tend to have side effects and, moreover, are costly. Eczema is easier to control then getting completely cure.
Remedies for Eczema:
- Remove whatever is causing allergic reactions is easiest as well as the most effective way for treatment.
- Prevent getting your skin dry by taking warm showers and no hot baths.
- Use mild soaps/ body cleanser.
- Pat dry carefully and after bath apply onto your skin moisturizing lotions all over the body.
- Avoid lotions and creams which have fragrances or any irritating substances.
- Avoid wearing any tight-fitting or rough, and scratchy clothing.
- Avoid completely scratching of your rashes. If unable to stop yourself, then you can try effective methods such as covering the area with some dressing or wearing gloves during the night, which will minimize further skin damages because of scratching.
- Sweating is known to cause irritating to the rash. Therefore it is recommended that you should avoid any strenuous exercise when you have eczema flares.
- Avoid as much as possible of physical as well as mental stress.
- Eat right, and have adequate sleep, which helps in staying healthy, and moreover, helps to prevent flares.
Homemade remedies for eczema:
- Water: Eczema flares increase because of the dryness of the skin. Water is the body’s natural moisturizer, drink at least 2 to 3 liters of water in a day, this ensures the body doesn’t dry also taking daily showers is also effective.
- cotton: Wear cotton clothes, as cotton is a very smooth and soft material which doesn’t even cause any itching. Wearing cotton clothes will give you much greater relief from itchiness, inflammation, and irritation.
- Fruits and Vegetables: A healthy diet that consists of eating more fruits and vegetables is very effective in controlling the eczema skin condition as fruits/ vegetables contain high levels of vitamins as well as many minerals. Our skin requires key nutrients for staying smooth, supple, and healthy. Most important is Vitamin E and even Aloe Vera. Also, eating foods that are rich sources of selenium, selenium protects the skin from any radical damages. Foods that have vitamin A is also essential as Vitamin A helps in skin repairing natural process. Also, Vitamin C is known to fight against the harmful effects of the sun and prevent damage to the skin’s collagen. Essential Fatty acids and healthy oils like olive oils help in keeping skin more moisturized as well as supple and smooth, which is very important from preventing the skin condition of eczema and skin’s flare-ups.
Home remedies for eczema are known to be more effective because they are easy and more natural ways that are easily adapted by our body and are known to help our body’s healing process also.
Treating Eczema with Emollients
Essential oils come with great healing effects for eczema. They replenish the affected skin by providing natural moisture it requires. The most effective forms of essential oils for treating eczema are the emollient oils. These oils do not contain any drug or active chemical and thus do not cause any side effects. You can put a few drops of emollient oil into your bathtub to have a naturally moistened skin. Using this oil regularly will rid you of the inflamed, dry, and scratchy skin caused by eczema. If your bath under running water, you can apply the oil while you stand under the shower. Benefits offered by both the procedure of application are similar.
Emu oil is regarded as one of the most effective and mildest emollients that can be used for the treatment of eczema. Emu oil works by moisturizing the skin affected by eczema and also reduces the swelling and redness of the ailing skin areas. Emu oil is both non-comedogenic (agents that do not clog skin pores) and hypoallergenic in nature. It is rich in natural antioxidants and skin-softening elements. Our skin can absorb this oil pretty quickly; you will hardly find any oily residue on your skin after applying emu oil. Applying emu oil will reduce the flakiness of eczema affected skin significantly, and the patient will also be relieved from the skin irritation. Other than reducing the eczema symptoms effectively, applying emu oil also protects our skin from bacterial and viral infections.
Applying emu oil accelerates the healing and skin rejuvenation procedures. You can use this remedy of eczema both during the flare-ups and for preventing the further onset of the disease.
Lotions and Treatment of Eczema
Eczema can be of different types; atopic dermatitis is considered as the most severe form of this skin disorder. Atopic dermatitis generally occurs during infancy but continues to bother the person throughout his life. Statistics obtained from a recently conducted survey in the USA show that around 30 million residents of the country are suffering from atopic dermatitis. This eczema type is marked by symptoms like thick, itchy, and dry red patches on the skin. The other form of eczema is contact dermatitis; it occurs mainly due to allergic reactions. Unlike atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis can be cured completely.
Eczema is generally treated using topical lotions and creams. You can get the lotions for eczema treatment both in OTC (over the counter) forms and as prescription medications. The OTC products contain medicinal ingredients in much lower dosages compared to the prescription ones. OTC lotions are used primarily for reducing eczema symptoms like redness, scaling, and itching. The prescription medications, on the other hand, are used to control more severe symptoms of eczema.
Skin affected by eczema fails to store moisture. According to expert dermatologists, a person with eczema must use topical lotions that contain ingredients both for moisturizing the affected skin areas and for sealing the moisture within the skin. The majority of these lotions can be purchased without prescriptions. Steroid based lotions are also recommended to eczema patients. Applying these lotions to the affected regions of the skin helps in decreasing the intensity of the symptoms and also reduces the frequency of the flare-ups. Topical eczema medications containing steroids are also available in the form of gels and creams. You can also get a steroid pill, but they can be bought only through prescription.
One of the most common types of lotion used by eczema patients is hydrocortisone lotion. It helps in reducing the itchiness during the flare-ups. Hydrocortisone lotions help our cells to produce chemicals for guarding our skin against allergic reactions. Another common ingredient of eczema lotions is crude coal tar.
Managing Eczema with Chinese Herbs
According to the theories of ancient Chinese medicine, eczema develops due to the buildup of moisture and heat in an individual’s body. Chinese medicines manage these eczema inducing imbalances with five herbs, which are together referred to as pentaherbs formulation. Treatment using pentaherbs formulation reduces the traditional treatment time required for curing the eczema symptoms. Other than this, the treatment done with this herbal formulation can successfully reduce levels of the key cytokines in the eczema patient’s blood (the levels of key cytokines are mostly high in people suffering from eczema). The five herbs used in the pentaherbs formulation are:
Flo’s Lonicera :
The other name of this herb is Japanese honeysuckle. The main function of this herb is removing the toxins and clearing up the heat from one’s blood. The antibiotic properties of Flo’s lonicera make it an effective remedy for health disorders like hyperlipemia, tonsillitis, and infections of the upper respiratory tract. The phytoestrogens found in Flo’s lonicera gives the pentaherbs formulation its anti-allergic properties.
Herba mention :
The common name of Herba methane is peppermint. This herb helps in regulating the liver. Menthol present in Herba methane acts as a remedy for viral infections, coughing, and pain.
Cortex moutan :
This herbal formulation has a bitter and pungent taste and is used for treating heat accumulation. Cortex moutan is an agent extracted from barks of a peony tree. This herbal remedy is widely used for improving blood circulation and reducing inflammation.
Atractylodes rhizome :
Atractylodes rhizome is basically the stems of atractylodes. Its main function is eliminating the heat; however, this herb is also known to strengthen our spleen, which speeds up the recovery of eczema.
Cortex Phellodendron :
This herbal formulation is added to the pentaherbs formulation for making it an effective remedy for curing allergy symptoms and removing dampness. Cortex Phellodendron is also a rich source of phytoestrogens.
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