Since moving to our new house, my husband’s eczema is getting worst. Usually I do not pay too much attention to my husband’s skin condition, other than to remind him to apply his prescribed skin cream occasionally. But like most men, unless he is dying, I cannot get my husband to take his skin condition seriously.
This post is a discussion of some adult eczema treatment tips to help manage this skin condition. Being the shopper for household products, I hope to indirectly improve my husband’s eczema by changing some household products that are known to cause skin irritation.
What are the symptoms of Eczema?
My husband has a form of eczema also known as atopic dermatitis. Symptoms vary from person to person, but the most common symptom are dry and itchy skin. There are often cracks behind the ears and rashes on the cheeks, arms, and legs. Scratching and rubbing make the symptoms worst.
95% of patients develop eczema before the age of five. This disease may go into remission for months or even years at a time. It is rare for adults to suddenly develop eczema.
Common causes of eczema flare-ups?
Like the symptoms of eczema, causes of eczema flare-ups also vary from person to person. But the most causes are:
- skin infections
- wool or synthetic fibers in clothing or sheets
- detergents
- some perfumes and cosmetics
- dust or sand
- substances such as chlorine, mineral oil, or solvents
- pollen
- cigarette smoke
- dust mites
- animal dander
- foods (eggs, peanuts, milk, fish, soy, or wheat)
- temperature (hot baths/showers, sweating, becoming chilled)
- climate (low humidity)
Practice proper skin care to prevent eczema flare-ups
The main goals of adult eczema skin treatment include:
- keeping the skin healthy
- treating skin flare-ups as they occur
Preventing eczema flare-ups by keeping the skin healthy
- Avoid long or hot baths and showers (limit to 15 minutes).
- Use a mild bar soap or non soap cleanser such as Dove, Basis, Johnson & Johnson baby wash, or Oil of Olay.
- Avoid personal hygiene products that contain alcohol.
- Keep fingernails short and clean to prevent spreading the bacteria. Apply a cold compress to the irritated area to reduce inflammation.
- Bath oils are usually not helpful.
- Consider wearing moisture wicking or loose-fitting cotton clothing. Sweat and synthetic fabrics often irritate the skin and trigger eczema flare-ups.
- Double rinse your clothes to fully get rid of laundry detergents. Use a fragrance free and neutral pH detergent.
Treating eczema flare-ups as they occur
Learn to recognize the initial signs of eczema skin infections. Initial signs may include tiny pustules (pus-filled bumps) on arms and legs, crusty yellow blisters, and oozing areas. If symptoms of a skin infection develop, consult with your doctor and begin treatment as soon as possible. Treatments that your doctor could prescribe include:
- topical corticosteroids creams
Steroid creams and ointments are the most common prescribed medication for eczema. Over the counter corticosteroids creams are not as strong as the prescribed steroid creams and ointments (which is true in every medication). The frequency and strength of the medication depends on the severity of symptoms, areas to be treated, and the patient’s age.
Side effects from long term use include thinning and stretch marks on the skin.
- systemic corticosteroids
When topical corticosteroids creams are ineffective, your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids taken orally or injected into the muscle. Typically these systemic corticosteroids are used only in severe cases and given for a short time.
Side effects include skin damage, thinned or weakened bones, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, infections, and cataracts. It is dangerous to suddenly stop taking steroids, so it is important to work closely with your doctor while taking these medications.
- phototherapy
Another treatment include ultraviolet A or B light (or both together) for mild to moderate eczema. Sometimes when eczema do not respond to light therapy alone, then a combination of ultraviolet light therapy and a drug called psoralen (also known as photochemotherapy) may be helpful.
Side effects from long term use include premature aging of the skin and skin cancer.
- immunosuppressive drugs
Severe cases of skin eczema that failed to respond to other forms of medication, immunosuppressive drugs such as cyclosporine may be used.
Side effects from long term use of cyclosporine include high blood pressure, vomiting, nausea, headaches, kidney problems, tingling or numbness, and a possible increase in cancer risk.
Antibiotics and antihistamines may also be used to treat eczema skin infections. Though medication is useful, trying to eliminate the skin irritant in the first place might be worth trying beforehand. In the meantime, I will be doing more research about using soap flakes as an alternative to laundry detergent and switching my husband over to Johnson & Johnson baby wash.
Until next time and thanks for stopping by Small Steps to Health.
Photo by: Per Ola Wiberg.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Our son who is four has suffered from severe Eczema since he was a baby! It has been so hard for all of us in our family to see him going through this…itching, bleeding, all kinds of creams including topical and oral steroids, meds of all kinds and even chickweed and dead sea salts!! We had become desperate for answers and even took him to specialists at a children’s hospital-all for them to tell us that they felt he was a “gray area” and they could only continue with all of the above treatments. It was really hurting his body as he became steroid dependent and we were only treating his symptoms. The poor kid could barely eat w/o a flareup. Anyway- our prayers have now been answered, as my step dad introduced us to Vidazorb probiotics (ne nearly had to plead w us after all we had tried) but thankfully IT HAS WORKED! He is off all meds except an antihistamine and can eat almost anything now. He is a normal and happy boy and we are eternally grateful and thankful for this blessing! Caroline *mommy of two
@Caroline – Thank you for sharing your story. I am really glad that your family was able to find a treatment that works for your son.
My middle sister also had severe eczema when she was a child. Being 12 at the time, I only remember the crying, the bleeding skin, and the many treatments she went through during elementary school. Eventually my mom took her to a Chinese healer. My mom had to make these poultices to wrap the infected areas on my sister. She was about 6 at the time. The child had to go to school smelling like a Chinese herbal shop. To this day, my sister cannot talk about her elementary school years without bitterness about the kids that made fun of her bleeding hands and stinky smell. I think that is partly the reason why of all the siblings, she is the only one who hates school. Two years of Chinese medicine and my sister is just like any other kid, except for skin sensitivity that would break out in hives if she touch certain things (but this at least is easily within our family’s control).
But now that I think about it, my middle sister started showing symptoms of eczema when we brought our first washing machine. Prior to that, my mom and I would hand wash our family’s laundry with bar soap. I need to talk to my mom about this idea a little more to see if I am remembering this right. I know that laundry detergent is culprit for some eczema sufferers.
Thank you for your comment Caroline.
i am 14 yrs old sufferring by eczema..it is so difficult for me to have this kind of eczema..being a student i is very stress for me,,, i am treating this by using an ointment dermovate..the eczeme is in my hand fingers ,,,although i’m using a ointment it seems they are being more spreading in my hands,,,and why? i am looking pitty bec. i cannot eat like sea foods,egg,chicken,,and oth.sometimes i’m crying bec. i want to eat the menu we have but it is not recommended tom eat…. i hope that my eczema will be treat some of these days… tnx…
danica (nhike)…?
@danica – do you still use conventional laundry detergent when you do your laundry? If you check any of the eczema forums, you will find that it is the chemicals in conventional laundry detergent that might be aggravating sensitive skin.
http://www.itchybaby.co.uk/laundryandclothing.html
Switching over to soap flakes or eco-balls might help with your situation. Thanks for the comment. I hope that you can find your solution soon. I know that my sister grew out of it after her teens, hopefully it will be the same case with you.
The Made from Earth Pure Aloe Skin Treatment is GREAT for dry and/or sensitive skin. I used to get eczema-like rashes on my face during winter time. This cream has solved the problem completely. It is absorbed by the skin very quickly, there’s no greasy residue.
If you are prone to acne breakouts this cream will also work for you since the aloe has astringent properties. My sister who is prone to acne used it for her dry skin, and her skin looked AMAZING. Its amazing what a bit of pure aloe can do for your face. I recommend this from the Made from Earth product line.
Hello Asithi.
I’m Andrea mum to Josh, my itchybaby. Very well written article, I found it via the link to my site. I was just curious as to whether you made the switch away from detergents to soap for your Husband, and weather you thought it had helped?
I’ve had feed back from children’s skin, and I have an adult friend who’s benefited from Eco balls. Just always interested to hear from people who’ve tried the change away from synthetic detergents and if it makes a difference to adults too.
Andrea – we have not made the switch from synthetic detergents, but my husband is using Johnson & Johnson baby wash and a topical corticosteroids cream prescribed by his doctor. These two things helped a lot. The eczema patches on body are gone, except for the small patch on the back of his neck. For some reason that area still flares up occasionally, especially when it is hot and humid.
We have made the switch over to Sun & Earth laundry detergent. It made a big difference on my husband”s skin. The patches of eczema are gone, even the one on his neck! It is a little pricey, just like the T gel he uses for his hair, but since it helps, it is worth it.
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