Eczema symptoms include itchy

Eczema symptoms include itchy, red, and dry skin caused by inflammation. It’s most commonly found in children, although adults can get it. It is also called atopic dermatitis and is treated with oral medications, steroid creams and light therapy .

What Are the Symptoms of Eczema?
Almost always, your skin will itch before a rash appears in eczema.

Typically, eczema shows itself as:

Patches of chronically itchy, dry, thickened skin, usually on the hands, neck, face, and legs (but it can occur anywhere). In children, the inner creases of the knees and elbows are often involved.
If scratched, dry patches of skin and open sores with crusts may develop and may get infected.
Call Your Doctor About Eczema If:
You develop an itchy rash and have a family history of eczema or asthma.
The inflammation doesn’t respond within a week to treatment with over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams. You may need more aggressive forms of treatment.
You develop yellowish to light brown crust or pus-filled blisters over existing patches of eczema. This may indicate a bacterial infection that should be treated with an antibiotic.
During a flare-up of eczema, you are exposed to anyone with a viral skin disease such as cold sores or genital herpes. Having eczema puts you at increased risk of contracting the herpes simplex virus.
You develop numerous painful, small, fluid-filled blisters in the areas of eczema. You may have eczema herpeticum, a rare but potentially serious complication caused by the herpes simplex virus.

What Are the Treatments?
Good skin care is key. If your eczema is mild, that might be all you need, along with some changes in your daily habits.

If you have severe eczema, you may need to take medicine for it, too.

The basics:

Soap and moisturizer. Use a mild soap or soap substitute that won’t dry your skin. You’ll also want a good moisturizer in cream, lotion, or ointment form. Smooth it on right after a shower or bath, as well as one other time each day.

If your eczema is severe, you may find that it helps to take baths with a small amount of bleach added to the water. That kills bacteria that live on the skin of people with eczema.

Short, warm showers. Don’t take very hot or very long showers or baths. They can dry out your skin.

Stress management. Get regular exercise, and set aside time to relax. Need a few ideas? You could get together with friends, laugh, listen to music, meditate or pray, or enjoy a hobby.

Get a humidifier. Dry air can be stressful for your skin.

Medicines
If your doctor decides you need meds to treat your eczema, those may include:

Hydrocortisone. Over-the-counter cream or ointment versions of it may help mild eczema. If yours is severe, you may need a prescription dose.

Antihistamines. Ones you take by mouth are available over-the-counter and may help relieve symptoms. Some of these make you drowsy, but others don’t.

Corticosteroids. Your doctor may prescribe these if other treatments don’t work. Always follow your doctor’s directions when taking steroids by mouth.

Ultraviolet light therapy. This may help if your skin condition is severe.

Drugs that work on your immune system. Your doctor may consider these medicines – such as azathioprine, cyclosporine, or methotrexate – if other treatments don’t help. There are also prescription creams and ointments that treat eczema by controlling inflammation and reducing immune system reactions. Examples include pimecrolimus (Elidel), which is a cream, and crisaborole (Eucrisa) and tacrolimus (Protopic), which are ointments. You should only use these for a short time if other treatments don’t work – and you should never use them on kids younger than 2, according to the FDA.

Injectibles. Dupilumab (Dupixent) is an injectible medicine for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. It works by controlling the body’s inflammatory response. This medicine is given every two weeks as an injection and should only be used by adults.

Prescription-strength moisturizers. These support the skin’s barrier.

Home Remedies for Eczema
Home remedies for eczema may be as simple as changing your laundry detergent or fabric softener or as difficult as moving to a new climate or changing jobs. Removing whatever is causing the allergic reaction is the easiest and most effective treatment.

Prevent dry skin by taking lukewarm (not hot) showers or baths for no longer than 10-15 minutes. Use a mild soap or body cleanser. Dry yourself very carefully (pat yourself dry, instead of rubbing vigorously) and apply moisturizing skin lotions all over your body. Avoid lotions with fragrances or other irritating substances. (Avoid wool/mohair and other irritating fibers)

Avoid wearing tight-fitting, rough, or scratchy clothing.

Avoid scratching the rash. If you can’t stop yourself from scratching, cover the area with a dressing. Wear gloves at night to minimize skin damage from scratching.

Anything that causes sweating can irritate the rash. Avoid strenuous exercise during a flare.

If the allergy-causing agent cannot be removed or identified, the next step is to lessen the allergic inflammatory response.

Apply a nonprescription steroid cream (hydrocortisone) along with anti-itching lotion (menthol/camphor, such as calamine). The cream must be applied as often as possible without skipping days until the rash is gone.
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in pill form may be taken for the itching. Caution - you should not take this medication if you need to drive a car or operate machinery, as it will make you sleepy. You may want to try loratadine (Claritin) or xyzal (levocetirizine) as they are non-sedating.
Clean the area with a hypoallergenic soap every day. Apply lubricating cream or lotion after washing.

Avoid physical and mental stress. Eating right, light activity, and adequate sleep will help you stay healthy, which can help prevent flares.

Do not expect a quick response. Eczema is easier to control than cure.

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