Eczema Skincare: 10 Important Do’s and Don’ts

young woman washing skin for eczema skincare
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Living with eczema can be a burden. The constant itching and the redness of the skin can drive anyone crazy. Although there is no proper cure for it, there are certain ways in which you manage it through eczema skincare.

Eczema is most common in people who do not have enough ceramides in their skin. In short, dry skin is the leading cause of eczema in people. When the skin is unable to retain the moisture, it automatically turns dry, and eczema is a common result of it.

Eczema can also get worse with certain foods and certain substances (called trigger factors) in soaps and detergents can cause eczema to flare up. Like psoriasis, it could be hereditary as well.  But without any cure, we can only manage eczema flare-ups through home remedies such as eczema treatment creams. 

That said, is there any more we can do for eczema skincare? What other skincare products or ingredients should we look for aside from an eczema treatment cream?  Can eczema spread?

Let’s find out.

What You Should Do in Eczema Skincare 

If you’re wondering whether can eczema spread, it’s not contagious. It can, however, spread to various parts of the body, and scratching the skin can make it worse. Before moving on to what you should not do, let’s first talk about what you must do if you have eczema. 

1. Eczema Skincare Do: Make sure to wash your hands

It’s highly recommended that you keep washing your hands as per the CDC guidelines in order to ensure cleanliness. Infections can spread due to unhygienic activities, and people with atopic dermatitis are prone to infections. So make sure to clean your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. 

Nonetheless, frequent handwashing can lead to dry and cracked skin. In addition, antiseptic washes and antibacterial washes are often quite harsh on the skin. Therefore in order to counter this,  make sure to moisturize after washing your hand. You can also apply an eczema treatment cream from time to time.

2. Eczema Skincare Do: Moisturize your skin at all times 

The primary problem with eczema is dry skin, which can only be managed by keeping your skin moisturized. The importance of regular moisturizing can not be overstated.  After taking shower or washing your hands, and it should be the first thing you must do. Surprisingly, water can steal the moisture out of your skin, but a good moisturizer will help you retain it. A product like Aveeno Eczema Therapy helps relieve the itching and can help reduce flare-ups associated with eczema.

3. Eczema Skincare Do: Add tar shampoos and gels to your routine

Tar can enormously help you in managing mild cases of eczema.  As a keratoplastic, it can cause the skin to shed dead cells from its top layer and slow down the growth of skin cells.

You can add the ingredient to your routine by using tar shampoos and gels, and eczema treatment creams.

4. Eczema Skincare Do: Increase the use of vitamin E

Another great hack is to use vitamin E to cure the symptoms of eczema. Vitamin E contains anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties that soothe eczema to a great extent. So make sure that you lookout for this ingredient when you buy your eczema treatment cream. But, it’s also best not to go overboard with it as it can lead to toxicity. Also, consult with a doctor if you’re on any medications before using vitamin E.

5. Eczema Skincare Do: Use Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is gaining a lot of hype due to its incredible hydrating properties. It consists of hydrating agents that deeply moisturize the skin and soothes eczema as well. Therefore, look for eczema treatment cream or other skincare products (like Cetaphil Pro Eczema Soothing Moisturizer) with this wonder ingredient.

What You Shouldn’t Do in Eczema Skincare

Now that you’re aware of what you have to do let’s move to what you should completely avoid if you have eczema.

 6. Eczema Skincare Don’t: Use soap

Soaps usually leave your body more dried than before. It can damage the outer layer of the skin and strip the natural oils from your skin, which is the first reason why you should completely avoid using them. If you can, move to soap-free shampoos and cleaning options.

7. Eczema Skincare Don’t: Spray on perfumes or fragrances

Several products in the market come with great fragrances, but you must avoid them. Apart from that, perfumes further work as an irritant that can trigger your eczema. So, make sure to add perfume or fragrance-free products to your skincare to avoid flare-ups.

8. Eczema Skincare Don’t: Use alcohol

Many products in the market, especially face masks, wet tissues, come with a high quantity of alcohol. It’s best to avoid these products as alcohol pulls out the moisture from the skin. If you don’t want your eczema to worsen with time, then simply get alcohol-free products. 

9. Eczema Skincare Don’t: Take hot showers

As soothing and relaxing as it is, warm water can also strip out the moisture from your skin. It’s recommended for people with eczema to avoid taking long warm showers. If you have to, then moisturize your skin right after your shower and use an eczema treatment cream.

10. Eczema Skincare Don’t: Use anti-bacterial cleansing gels

Most people think that eczema is caused by poor hygiene, hence, they turn to anti-bacterial cleansing gels, which only worsen the case. By now you know how can eczema spread. These anti-bacterial gels only simply strip the natural oils from the skin and trigger more flare-ups. 

Conclusion 

If you are having trouble with managing eczema, then these tips will do wonders for you. Eczema cannot vanish completely, but you can indeed manage it through proper eczema skincare — keeping yourself hydrated and moisturized at all times. 

Now that you know which ingredients are helpful for this skin condition, make sure to look for them when you purchase your eczema treatment cream. A cosmetics ingredients checker can help you with this.

It may not be contagious, but now you know how can eczema spread — scratching the itchy rash can cause open sores, which may become infected. And because eczema is also caused by certain types of foods, it’s also essential to pay attention to what you’re eating. If you see your eczema triggering up after eating certain foods (such as citrus fruits, dairy, and eggs), then it’s best to avoid them.

And while living with eczema can be burdensome, you can lighten the load if you know how to deal with it.