Eczema is a form of inflammation of the upper layers of the skin and the term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent or recurring skin rashes. Usually indicated by dry, red, flaking skin, in serious cases the victim may even have oozing or even bleeding Traditionally, eczema treatment using anti-itch drugs, often antihistamine, can reduce the itch during a flare up of eczema, and the reduced scratching in turn reduces damage & irritation to the skin.
Moisturizing creams and lotions are used to help ensure the dry skin Any Eczema patient will tell you how important it is to keep the skin moisturized and to cease using any product that has the opposite effect. Very dry, flaky skin will use a thick ointment, called an emollient. This rule of thumb means that for dry flaky skin, only thicker ointments can be safely used.
For mild-moderate eczema a weak steroid cream or ointment may be used like Hydrocortisone or Desonide corticosteroids and although they do not cure eczema, they are highly effective in controlling or suppressing the symptoms in most cases. Eczema sufferers are usually warned about the problems of corticosteroid overuse and the skin problems that can be caused when it is applied to frequently.
Recent studies provide hints that diet and nutrition can play an important role in eczema treatment as a food allergy may trigger atopic dermatitis. It may be some time before the results of these studies are complete but for a proportion of Eczema victims, this must be good news as they may be able to control their Eczema by avoiding certain foodstuffs. Although it does depend on the person afflicted, the foods that can cause Eczema are: coffee, nuts, eggs, dairy products, wheat and Soya.
Non-conventional medical approaches to eczema treatment include traditional herbal medicine and alternative therapies. Patients should inform their doctor, allergy consultant or dermatologist if they are pursuing one of these treatment routes. It would be fair to say that there are probably more treatments available for the treatment of Eczema with these therapies than with conventional medicine but there is still no guarantees of their efficacy.
Eczema can mean that the problem areas of skin allow bacteria to infect the system so antibiotics are used to help alleviate this problem as well as cure the condition. To make matters worse, the Eczema sufferer can cause this problem themselves by constant scratching. This can escalate the infection which causes further problems until the necessary antibiotic is administered. Although it ha mixed results, Ultraviolet light in the UVA spectrum is having a positive effect with certain individuals. On the negative side though, we now know that exposure to UVA light can cause skin cancer after prolonged exposure. Additional help on this subject will be available from your doctor or allergy specialist.
The author is an expert in the field of health and fitness. You can find further articles like this at: Health Blog.
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