Eczema is a type of skin condition that causes the skin to be irritated and inflamed. The most common type of eczema is called atopic eczema. Atopic refers to the inherited tendency to develop allergic conditions like asthma and hay fever. The cause to eczema is unknown but it is thought to be an overactive response of the body’s immune system to an irritant. There is no cure to eczema up to date.

You can however, manage the flare ups and symptoms effectively with medications and avoidance of irritants and substance that you are allergic to. The aims in treating eczema are to prevent and relieve itching. Always keep the skin moisturized with ointments or lotions. You can reduce itchiness by using cold compresses and topical medication such as hydrocortisone 1% cream.

When you itch, you may introduce infection into your skin that may aggravate your condition. Your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic cream to eradicate the infection. You can also control the frequency of your flare ups. Avoid sweating and overheating, reduce stress levels, avoid scratchy material (wool), use clothes made of cotton that can absorb sweat, avoid harsh detergents, soaps and solvents and watch the food that you eat. Avoid having anything that may cause an outbreak.

For the scarring that is caused by eczema, your doctor may be able to give you prescription for an ointment or a cream. If your scars are very severe, the dermatologist may even consider suggesting a more invasive procedure like dermabrasion and laser resurfacing. To avoid scarring, avoid scratching in the first place. Eczema can be tricky to treat and it is an annoying condition to have, but with proper care and avoidance of irritants, achieving remission is possible. Hopefully, this gives you useful insight to what you are going through.