How to help eczema at home - No.23 Skin
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How to help eczema at home

20 September 2021

First, is it eczema?

  • Is your skin dry, cracked and flakey?
  • Is it itchy or tight?
  • Is it on your hands/eyelids/back or chest?
  • Is it in elbow creases or behind your knees (most commonly in kids)?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then it could be eczema. It is best to seek advice from your GP or one of our doctors.

How to help at home:

  1. Don’t scratch! We know it is hard, but it exacerbates the condition. Cutting fingernails can help you resist the urge to scratch.
  2. Use warm, not hot, water when washing and don’t use soap (more on this later).
  3. Wear natural fabrics, such as cotton but be aware that fibres from wool can pull at dry skin. Avoid zips or accessories that might rub against eczema.
  4. Avoid known allergens. Sounds obvious, but worth repeating.
  5. Manage stress. If you can break the stress-eczema-stress cycle you remove a potential trigger for flare-ups. Use strategies that work for you and that you can stick to, e.g. regular exercise, yoga and meditation.
  6. Keep hydrated: eczema is a dry skin condition so it goes without saying that it’s really important to keep your skin hydrated with a good moisturiser.
  7. Use a good sunblock.

How to keep your skin hydrated:

  1. Use moisturisers
  • Moisturisers can be lotions, gels, creams, ointments
  • Generally speaking, the oilier the moisturiser the better it will hydrate and therefore the better it will be in combating itchiness.
  • Ointments, for example, usually contain fewer preservatives than creams so are usually less irritating and less allergic but they are oily, which isn’t ideal for some people.
  • For any treatment to be effective it has to be compatible with your lifestyle, which is why we would recommend sticking with the moisturiser you use on a regular basis. If you feel comfortable using it, you’re more likely to use it.

2. Don’t use soap – use soap substitutes

  • Soaps and abrasive products will strip your skin of its natural oil. Dry skin will just become drier.
  • Moisturisers can be used as soap substitutes. e.g. Aproderm, Dermol, Aveeno, Epaderm, Oilatum & Hydromol.
  • Some of these products also come in a form designed to be used in the shower and bath
  • Most moisturisers can usually be used as soap substitutes – and although they may not foam up like ‘regular’ shower and bath gels, they will clean just as efficiently without drying the skin.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions about your eczema, or your skin in general.

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