Best Places To Live With Eczema

Types Of Facial Eczema

Eczema is actually a term for a group of conditions that cause itchy, red, and inflamed skin rashes. The types of eczema that are most likely to appear on the face are:

• Atopic dermatitis: This is the most common type of eczema overall. It is very common on the cheeks and chin, especially in infants. It can also appear around the eyes, on the eyelids, and around the lips. It can, however, occur anywhere on the face or the rest of the body.
• Contact dermatitis: This is also a common type of eczema. It is a skin reaction to a specific irritant. On the face, it is usually found around the eyes, the hairline, and in areas that contact perfumes and jewelry, like the neck and earlobes. But, like atopic dermatitis, this type of eczema can occur anywhere.
• Seborrheic dermatitis: This type most often occurs around the hairline, in the eyebrows, around the ears, and on the sides of the nose.

Adults Who Have Eczema

One in eight children have eczema at one time or another as do one in twelve adults. Some of the latter are adults whose eczema has lingered on, while others will have eczema for the first time in adulthood. Some people will have had eczema for the first time as babies or young children and then experience several years of remission only to have the eczema re-appear suddenly and sometimes severely in their adult years. Since one of the homilies that seems to have attached itself to the condition is you will grow out of it, it is small wonder that adults with eczema become quite desperate.

Eczema Coping Tips Good Hygiene

Skin affected by eczema is more vulnerable to a range of infections, including impetigo, cold sores and warts. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus may cause a secondary infection of impetigo, and possibly contribute to the symptoms of eczema.Suggestions for washing include:

• Take lukewarm baths or showers, and avoid really hot showers.
• Dont use ordinary soap, as the ingredients may aggravate your eczema. Wash your body with warm water alone. For armpits and groin, use soap-free products, such as sorbolene cream.
• Bath oils can help to moisturise your skin while bathing.
• When towelling dry, pat rather than rub your skin.

Also Check: Will My Baby’s Eczema Go Away

Eczema Coping Tips Diet

In most cases, eczema isnt caused or made worse by diet. If you notice that your eczema seems to get worse after eating a particular food, you may be an exception to this. See your doctor or dietitian for proper allergy testing and dietary advice.Never self-diagnose or you risk depriving yourself of enjoyable and nutritious foods for no good reason. Unnecessarily avoiding certain foods can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Red Skin Syndrome Is Not Eczema

I joined the Eczema Association of Australasia after becoming desperate for an end to my itchy, red skin. I was first diagnosed with eczema around the age of 20 and prescribed a mild steroid cream for the rash on my chest. The rash cleared and the unfinished tube of cream sat idle in my bathroom cupboard for years. In my late twenties and thirties, I occasionally developed a small patch of dry skin, which I sometimes treated with a topical steroid cream or with a nonsteroidal emollient. It wasnt until my early forties that my skin rash become problematic.

You May Like: Dyshidrotic Eczema On Bottom Of Feet

Questions & Answers About Food Allergy

Does food allergy cause eczema? No! Eczema is a genetic skin problem caused by a defect in the skin barrier. It is not an allergy. Is there an association between food allergy and eczema? Yes! Find out more below from the answers to 20 common questions about food allergy :

1: What is food allergy?

Food Allergy can be divided into two types immediate and delayed. Symptoms of immediate food allergy usually begin very quickly after eating the food, nearly always within less than 15 minutes but very rarely up to as long as 2 hours.

Symptoms include hives , swelling, sudden sneezing and nasal blockage, eye symptoms such as itch, redness and watering. There may also be abdominal symptoms such as pain and vomiting but these are rare without other symptoms. In some instances more severe symptoms such as breathing difficulties or collapse can develop. This is known as anaphylaxis.

Infants can also develop delayed allergy to cows milk, cows-milk-based baby formula and other forms of dairy . These symptoms can occur between 2 and 24 hours after ingestion . They include a combination of tummy symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, blood in the stools , tummy bloating, reflux.

These infants are not at risk of anaphylaxis because the mechanisms of these types of reaction are quite different. Dairy can occasionally also make eczema worse, but this is not as common as is widely thought.

2: Is food allergy common in Ireland?

3: What are the most common food allergies?

However:

Eczema Can Be A Physical And Emotional Burden Were Bringing Attention To How This Chronic Skin Condition Affects The Quality Of Life Of Adults And Kids Alike

Image credits: Shutterstock

Maybe you already know what it feels like to live with eczema. If not you, someone in your household or someone you know is suffering from it. Finding a management plan, including treatments that work, can help ease the itch and discomfort to help improve the overall quality of life for them and their family. Dermatologist Dr. Sonya Abdulla helps us understand why eczema is more than skin-deep.

Don’t Miss: How To Treat Hyperpigmentation From Eczema

General Tips For Coping With Eczema

Other tips to manage your eczema include:

• Keep your fingernails short longer nails are more likely to injure your skin when you scratch.
• If the water in your area is hard or alkaline, consider installing a water-softening device.
• Swim in the sea in warm weather whenever you can seawater is known to reduce the symptoms of eczema.
• Use sun exposure for limited periods for example, when swimming at the beach. This can help relieve eczema symptoms. But be aware that ultraviolet radiation is a risk factor for skin cancer and premature ageing of the skin. Also, if sun exposure causes overheating, this can also aggravate eczema.

More Tips For Good Measure

A team approach is at the heart of LeBovidges clinical practice. She urges AD families to include their children as active participants in their own skin care.

For instance, parents can turn it into a game in which they and their child take turns rubbing in moisturizer. Teens can incorporate self-care into special spa rituals in the evening, perhaps before doing their homework and crashing for the night.

With the wealth of available conventional and complementary wellness strategies, LeBovidge hones in on her own top five:

Also Check: Things To Do For Eczema

Whats In Your Eczema Toolkit

It bears repeating that anxiety and depression are prevalent among people with AD, and young patients are especially vulnerable. Its obvious that AD takes an emotional toll, but stress also appears to exacerbate the condition, says LeBovidge. If a child is feeling down, she strongly urges you to bring it to the attention of your family physician.

Wellness takes practice, and while practice doesnt always make perfect, it will get easier over time. Start by putting together your own wellness toolkit. Build the quality of life you want and need, one day at a time.

Corticosteroid Creams And Eczema

Eczema is a chronic condition. That means it is not curable and has to be controlled. It is a condition where the skin is constantly inflamed. For over 50 years, topical steroids have been known to be highly effective in controlling this inflammation. There is no other medication that works as well or as efficiently. One of the main functions of skin is to maintain a barrier to the outside world. In eczema the barrier is damaged. Steroids rapidly repair the damaged skin barrier without irritating the skin.

Read Also: Eczema On Heel Of Foot

What Skincare Products Should Be Used

Use a moisturizer that is fragrance free and contains ceramide, which helps the skin barrier. Click here to read more about the best moisturizers for eczema.

Look for a body wash that is free of chemicals such as phthalates/paraben/dyes/fragrance/formaldehyde/SLS. Click here to read more about thebest moisturizers for eczema.

Eczema Coping Tips Beauty Products

Suggestions for using beauty products include:

• Remember that even hypoallergenic cosmetics can irritate your skin. Whenever possible, keep your face free of make-up.
• Avoid perfumes, fragranced skin lotions and strongly scented shampoos.
• When using a new cosmetic, try testing it first on a small, inconspicuous area of skin such as your forearm. If you experience a reaction, dont use the product again.

Don’t Miss: Can A Bleach Bath Help Eczema

Eczema Around The Eye

When eczema occurs on the face, it often affects the skin around the eyes or eyelids . Eczema that develops near the eyes needs special attention because the eyes themselves can be affected.

Those with eczema around the eyes are more susceptible to certain eye problems such as conjunctivitis , inflamed cornea, and changes in the shape of the cornea .

What Causes Atopic Eczema

While the exact cause is not known, certain factors are thought to be important in its development, these include an inherited predisposition to have a weakened skin barrier, as well as altered inflammatory and allergy responses. Atopic eczema most frequently begins in infancy but may also develop for the first time in adulthood. It affects approximately 1 in 5 children and 1 in 10 adults in Ireland.

For most children affected, the disease is mild. However, often those who have seemingly outgrown the condition will continue to have life-long sensitive skin and may have recurrences of eczema following long symptom-free spells.

Atopic eczema can run in families and frequently occurs alongside other atopic conditions, including hay fever and asthma.

Although there is no cure for eczema yet, treatment are available to manage the condition.

Read Also: Baby Has Eczema Only On Face

Emollients For Treating Eczema

Emollient creams add moisture to the skin. Apply moisturisers each day to clean, dry skin. It is especially important to moisturise after showering and bathing, and when living or working in an air-conditioned or heated environment. You may need to try several different brands until you find the emollient that works best for you. Ask your doctor, dermatologist or pharmacist for advice.

Traveling With Eczema The Advanced Guide To Packing

Dont go wheels up without reviewing our detailed plan for traveling with eczema.

Getting away is an exciting, welcomed break from the day-to-day. With the holidays just around the corner, travel of some kind lays ahead, whether its heading home or off to a sunny resort.

For people who live with eczema, preparing for travel means an entirely different level of organization, planning and calculation for even a simple trip. Getaways come with unfamiliar environments, foods and climatesand precautions must be taken to minimize eczema flares. CLn® Skin Care knows what it is like to travel with eczema, so weve assembled tips and a packing list to make trips less stressful for you.

You May Like: Can Eczema Look Like Hives

Try To Reduce The Damage From Scratching

Eczema is often itchy, and it can be very tempting to scratch the affected areas of skin.

But scratching usually damages the skin, which can itself cause more eczema to occur.

The skin eventually thickens into leathery areas as a result of chronic scratching.

Deep scratching also causes bleeding and increases the risk of your skin becoming infected or scarred.

Try to reduce scratching whenever possible. You could try gently rubbing your skin with your fingers instead.

If your baby has atopic eczema, anti-scratch mittens may stop them scratching their skin.

Keep your nails short and clean to minimise damage to the skin from unintentional scratching.

Keep your skin covered with light clothing to reduce damage from habitual scratching.

How Can I Manage Eczema

You can find a whole host of useful tips on our eczema Factsheet but here are 3 top tips to follow:

Recommended Reading: Best Eczema Products For Face

Eczema / Dermatitis Treatments

• Emollients. Emollient lotions and creams are prescribed for treating atopic eczema and dry skin, and are, in their simplest form, mixtures of oil and water.
• Topical steroid creams. It is sometimes necessary to apply topical corticosteroids , as these reduce inflammation in the skin caused by eczema.
• Wet wraps. Sometimes, special pyjama-like garments that are used for children may also help certain areas of your body that have not responded to the usual topical application of emollients and steroids.
• Calcineurin inhibitors. Calcineurin inhibitors are an alternative to steroid creams. Like steroid creams, they reduce the skin inflammation and can lessen itching.

There is more detailed information about each treatment on our downloadable eczema Factsheet

Im constantly physically and mentally exhausted. I have blood and skin in my bed every morning, skin coming off in my clothing, and have to cover myself in emollients etc My children dont want to be near me when Im sticky. Patient with severe eczema.

How Do You Manage Eczema During Winter

Moisturize! This is one of the key ways to help eczema whether in the summer or winter. The drier the skin, the more likely it will flare. During winter, you should reapply a moisturizer frequently,, especially if you are outside in cold weather.

There are different types of moisturizers . Ointments have an oily texture that makes it greasy, but helps lock in moisture well. The oil also helps the skin to repair.

You can try this product in the winter .

Read Also: Why Do I Have Eczema On My Arms

So What Is The Best Overall Climate Suited For Eczema

There are many types of eczema, and the triggers differ from person to person, it is impossible to pick the perfect temperature. So let us examine the overall climate suited for people suffering from eczema based on hot and cold weather triggers.

Since most people suffering from eczema claim that cold weather flares up the symptoms more than hot weather, due to the result of dry skin, the suitable condition would be places that have the following characteristics:

Most hot areas have humidity because the air contains more water vapors. Low Humid regions are suitable for eczema because it is warm enough, but the sweat does not evaporate quickly, which means that the amount of moisture you lose in humid weather is way less compared to hot or dry climates.

The sweat caused by humidity is enough to keep your skin moisturized externally so if you continue to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day, your skin will not lose too much moisture.

If your symptoms, however, flare up because of the humidity, it is most likely because your sweat glands are blocked. So frequent exfoliating can ease your skin to help you cool down faster and sweat moderately. You can also use a humidifier at 50% in winter or summer to set a stable temperature inside the homes or working environment.

For Parents And Caregivers The Heartbreak Of Watching Their Child Suffer Is Real

Understanding when theyre uncomfortable can be challenging since children communicate differently than adults, Dr. Abdulla tells us. It involves a lot of interpretation of cues including scratching or rubbing and monitoring for signs of discomfort.

Eczema can result in sleep loss and affect the childs activities, acceptance by peers and education. In the Eczema Society of Canada survey, it was identified that 25% of children who miss school due to their eczema miss 10 or more days a year.3 All this can cause added stress, exhaustion, anxiety and guilt for parents and caregivers,3,4,8 on top of the commitment and effort it takes to manage the condition.

Skincare and treatments play a large role in the management of young patients, which takes time. Time that may already be limited due to competing interests from other life commitments but also trying to engage the child in the active treatment plan. Avoiding playtime triggers can be difficult too. Many of the activities that kids engage in can flare their eczema. This includes anything that gets them messy as well as water activities.

Image Credits: Shutterstock

Read Also: Best Eczema Cream For Toddlers