Eczema is a chronic medical condition that causes the skin to become inflamed and itchy. This skin condition is often sometimes referred to as atopic dermatitis. It is caused by a gene mutation that prevents the skin from properly retaining moisture. Since the skin is a lot drier than normal, it is extremely susceptible to bacteria and irritants.
Symptoms of Eczema
The symptoms of eczema routinely appear in waves. This means that you can go weeks with absolutely no symptoms before a flare up occurs that causes the skin issues to return. In addition to the dry itchy skin, you may also develop patches, scales and bumps on the skin. It is very common for all of the symptoms to get worse at night. Scratching the skin will exacerbate the symptoms too. If you are not careful, the skin may start to bleed due to the irritation. While there is no permanent cure for eczema, you can keep your skin issues under control with the right treatment plan. It will only take one short trip to the doctor before your eczema treatment starts. The doctor will be able to quickly diagnose your condition with an examination of the skin. They will then determine the best treatment options based on the location and severity of your case. Most patients suffering from this painful skin condition will start their treatment by taking medication.
Treatment Options
There are a number of corticosteroid creams that help repair the skin and stop the itching. This cream is placed directly on the inflamed areas of the skin after it has been moisturized. You will not be able to go in direct sunlight when wearing the corticosteroid cream. The doctor may also prescribe oral medications if you are dealing with a bacterial infection on the skin. If your skin does not respond well to the medication, then there are few other things you can do to treat your eczema. Light therapy involves exposing the skin to a small amount of ultraviolet light. Exposing the skin to the controlled levels of ultraviolet lights helps suppress the inflammation causing your problematic symptoms.
Wet dressings are another treatment option for people with severe eczema. The wet dressing treatment involves wrapping the skin in steroid cream and wet bandages. This is designed to quickly moisturize the damaged skin. This can be done in a doctor's office or at home with the help of a professional nurse.