Educate yourself about Eczema
What is eczema?
Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, considered one of the most prevalent pathologies in the pediatric population. Eczema affects about one-fifth of all individuals during their lifetime, but the incidence of the disease varies greatly throughout the world.
Symptoms
Symptoms usually involve an extremely itchy rash that causes the skin to turn red, swell, scale, burn, or form small blisters. They can ooze and become crusty if small blisters grow. Eczema typically comes and goes (flares up). A flare-up can start with severe itching that causes a rash, in turn making the itching worse. The skin can thicken over time and itch constantly as a result. Bepanthen® SensiDerm Cream can be used to sooth itching and regeneration of skin barrier, helping your skin to heal, diminishing the feeling to scratch.
Treatment
There is no cure for eczema and no single treatment, but you and your doctor can work together to manage it for yourself or for your child. Due to the pain and appearance of a rash on the child, eczema may be traumatic for families. The goals of treatment are to prevent flare-ups and, when they happen, to prevent infection. Treatment involves preventing environmental triggers when possible, maintaining appropriate skin care, and using medications.
Moisturizers are the mainstay of treatment, including between flare-ups.
- Cover damp skin with thick lotion or cream.
- Avoid soap; use a soap substitute instead.
- Take lukewarm baths or showers.
- Avoid rough, scratchy fabrics such as wool.
- Avoid cold, dry air.