Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition. Typical symptoms include rashes, dry skin, itchy skin, blisters, and scaly batches. In this article I would like to share with you some home remedies that can help to relieve eczema.
Identifying Your Triggers
This is no. 1 because everybody’s body type is different and are sensitive to different things. Therefore it is important to identify what triggers an eczema flare-up for you.
Does eczema flare-up when you eat certain foods? What about if you wear certain types of fabrics? Or certain skin products?
If you figured out what are the triggers, avoid them as much as possible.
Proper Diet
You are what you eat. Although eczema is on the skin, it is how the body’s internal health that determines whether a person will have eczema or not.
Watch the following video regarding what causes Eczema from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, and the 4 Types of Food that you SHOULD avoid if you have eczema.
Don’t Scratch
It is very important to resist to scratch because it could lead to dryer skin, thus making it more easily irritated.
If mentally willing to avoid scratching does not work, consider using ice during a flare-up. The ice can numb the area and cut down blood circulation. This is especially useful for people who feels burning-hot skin during the flare-up. However make sure to wrap a towel around the ice instead of of applying it directly on the skin.
Moisturizing Constantly
People with eczema has skin that is more sensitive to irritants and allergens due to the fact that they have a damaged skin barrier. Thus the skin is harder to retain water, leading to chronic dry and itchy skin. Therefore it is important to ensure the skin is moisturized.
Use Vaseline, Emulsify ointment, or any other moisturizing cream at least two times a day (up to ten times if eczema is serious). This is to lock in moisture to prevent dryness and control the eczema.
For people who live places with a dryer climate/season, they can use a humidifier in their house to prevent dryness of the skin.
Take a Dead Sea Salt Bath
Dead Sea Salt has an anti-inflammatory effect. It can also help to scrub away a build-up of dead skin. This also helps to smoothen the itchiness of the eczema.
Emotional Calmness
There is a strong link between stress and skin health. As mentioned before, although eczema is on the skin, the reason for it to happen is internal.
When too much stress hormone is released, it could suppress the immune system and cause the skin to be easily irritated.
Therefore stress management is important to control eczema. Studies have found that regular meditation can help with eczema.
Seek Medical Attention
If the above all does not help, you might want to consider seeking medical attention. No matter its a medical doctor, dermatologist, naturopath, acupuncturist or herbalist, they might offer treatments that can target to your specific situation/body type.