In my experience, and from the countless medical articles I have read on this subject (my son has eczema), the answer is: it depends.
"Home-remedy" can mean a lot of things...do you mean "natural" or "organic" or how our grandmother's would have define it: "whatever's on the shelf"?
The factors that play a role in treating and preventing eczema are:
- What is the cause of eczema (in other words, the type of eczema you have)
- The location of the eczema on your body
- Symptoms experiencing (ie, currently red & itchy vs. dry patch) will also largely depend on what type of treatment you choose.
When my son's eczema is in the "red, itchy & leathery-feeling" stage, there is no home remedy that I have found to help stop the itch and redness. If I do nothing, or apply a home remedy, it continues to become worse. The only thing I have found to work when the eczema is at this stage is to apply a 0.1% hydrocortisone topical ointment to the area. This medication is not to be used on a consistent & regular basis, as there are minor side effects (bleaches skin, for one!). It does take care of the offending eczema overnight (yeah!)..it's wonderful.
When my son's eczema is no longer itchy, and is more of a "dry patch", I use Aquafor, which is a type of vaseline. There are numerous "natural" products on the market for the extreme-dry skin that you can try.
Home remedies (I define as "what's on the shelf, is not harmful and is one ingredient"), are primarily used to soothe the "dry patch" of skin, and include all products that you would think as "moisturizing": oatmeal baths, use of olive oil or palm oil similar to lotion. I have read that the spice turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory agent, and can be added to the olive oil.
Other home remedies include the avoidance of the allergen, which is why it is important to note the location of the eczema on your body, as well as what type of eczema you have (what are you allergic to?). Is it from hair products, jewelry, clothing? Certain detergents or soaps? The allergens can be from the environment (dust mites, pets), can be from seasonal allergens (pollen, molds, trees), or can also be from foods consumed, or even from excess stress.
For instance, my son's eczema flares up when he's in the grass, so our primary treatment is avoidance of grass: hiking his socks all the way to his knees, he must wear shoes at all times outside (poor guy--I love being barefoot in the grass!). We make sure the grass is mowed the day before we go outside (not the day-of). We can get him to wear little kid gardening gloves sometimes, but his little wrists still get grass on them. Some parks cause flare ups more than others...it's all trial-and-error, unfortunately.
Lastly, beyond avoidance of allergens, application of topical creams (OTC or "home remedy"), watching diet, managing stress, are some daily routines you can change or "techniques": using gentle/mild soaps, patting yourself dry after shower instead of scrubbing with the towel. Apply lotion, cream, oil...whatever...within 1-2 minutes after gentle towel-drying. Keeping a food and activity log to track what you eat, what you were exposed to, and corresponding this with your flare ups can help you track the cause(s) and trigger(s) of eczema. Seems like a lot of work, right?
There are prescription medications that help with extreme flare-ups. My sister-in-law swears by hazelwood necklaces for her two daughters who have extreme eczema. I've seen their eczema symptoms improve, but am not sure if she's changed their diet also (most of their allergies are food-related). If anyone is interested in the hazelwood necklace, you can send me an email and I will tell you the company she used (my intention is not to sell products, and I am skeptical at best).
I'd love to hear other's thoughts and experiences to treat eczema!
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In my experience, and from the countless medical articles I have read on this subject (my son has eczema), the answer is: it depends.
"Home-remedy" can mean a lot of things...do you mean "natural" or "organic" or how our grandmother's would have define it: "whatever's on the shelf"?
The factors that play a role in treating and preventing eczema are:
- What is the cause of eczema (in other words, the type of eczema you have)
- The location of the eczema on your body
- Symptoms experiencing (ie, currently red & itchy vs. dry patch) will also largely depend on what type of treatment you choose.
When my son's eczema is in the "red, itchy & leathery-feeling" stage, there is no home remedy that I have found to help stop the itch and redness. If I do nothing, or apply a home remedy, it continues to become worse. The only thing I have found to work when the eczema is at this stage is to apply a 0.1% hydrocortisone topical ointment to the area. This medication is not to be used on a consistent & regular basis, as there are minor side effects (bleaches skin, for one!). It does take care of the offending eczema overnight (yeah!)..it's wonderful.
When my son's eczema is no longer itchy, and is more of a "dry patch", I use Aquafor, which is a type of vaseline. There are numerous "natural" products on the market for the extreme-dry skin that you can try.
Home remedies (I define as "what's on the shelf, is not harmful and is one ingredient"), are primarily used to soothe the "dry patch" of skin, and include all products that you would think as "moisturizing": oatmeal baths, use of olive oil or palm oil similar to lotion. I have read that the spice turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory agent, and can be added to the olive oil.
Other home remedies include the avoidance of the allergen, which is why it is important to note the location of the eczema on your body, as well as what type of eczema you have (what are you allergic to?). Is it from hair products, jewelry, clothing? Certain detergents or soaps? The allergens can be from the environment (dust mites, pets), can be from seasonal allergens (pollen, molds, trees), or can also be from foods consumed, or even from excess stress.
For instance, my son's eczema flares up when he's in the grass, so our primary treatment is avoidance of grass: hiking his socks all the way to his knees, he must wear shoes at all times outside (poor guy--I love being barefoot in the grass!). We make sure the grass is mowed the day before we go outside (not the day-of). We can get him to wear little kid gardening gloves sometimes, but his little wrists still get grass on them. Some parks cause flare ups more than others...it's all trial-and-error, unfortunately.
Lastly, beyond avoidance of allergens, application of topical creams (OTC or "home remedy"), watching diet, managing stress, are some daily routines you can change or "techniques": using gentle/mild soaps, patting yourself dry after shower instead of scrubbing with the towel. Apply lotion, cream, oil...whatever...within 1-2 minutes after gentle towel-drying. Keeping a food and activity log to track what you eat, what you were exposed to, and corresponding this with your flare ups can help you track the cause(s) and trigger(s) of eczema. Seems like a lot of work, right?
There are prescription medications that help with extreme flare-ups. My sister-in-law swears by hazelwood necklaces for her two daughters who have extreme eczema. I've seen their eczema symptoms improve, but am not sure if she's changed their diet also (most of their allergies are food-related). If anyone is interested in the hazelwood necklace, you can send me an email and I will tell you the company she used (my intention is not to sell products, and I am skeptical at best).
I'd love to hear other's thoughts and experiences to treat eczema!
June 7, 2009 - 1:39pmThis Comment
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