At-Home Tips on How to Keep Your Eczema Triggers at Bay

If you live with eczema, you might be used to hiding patches of itchy, cracked, and blistery skin. After all, who wants to expose them by wearing shorts or a bathing suit? 

In addition to the physical symptoms and discomfort, eczema can also affect self-esteem, sometimes causing people to avoid social situations.

The experienced, compassionate providers at the Center for Dermatology in Lawrenceville, Georgia, not only provide the most advanced treatment for eczema, but we educate our patients about how to avoid triggers and manage flare-ups. 

Different types of eczema

Eczema is more than a simple rash — it’s a group of chronic inflammatory skin conditions affecting more than 31 million Americans. Also known as dermatitis, eczema causes multiple uncomfortable symptoms that can lower quality of life.

For lighter skin complexions, eczema shows up as red and angry-looking. If you have a darker skin tone, eczema may appear brown, gray, or purple and ashy.

The most common types of eczema include: 

1. Atopic dermatitis

This type develops when your skin can’t maintain a normal moisture barrier to protect against irritants. Symptoms include:

• Dryness
• Itchiness
• Scaly patches
• Blisters that ooze or crust
• Bumpy areas
• Rashes
• Skin infections

Atopic eczema typically emerges during childhood but can last well into adulthood. Unfortunately, flares, or times when symptoms worsen, are a hallmark of atopic eczema. 

Though the itching that it can cause can feel unbearable, try to leave your skin alone as much as possible to avoid exacerbating your symptoms and further irritating your eczema.

The Center for Dermatology team can create a customized treatment plan by evaluating you carefully and pinpointing the type of eczema.

Successful treatment for eczema is two-pronged: lifestyle changes and medications, including topical medications, and for severe symptoms, oral medications. For certain patients, biologic medications are best. These target specific parts of your immune system to relieve symptoms. 

2. Contact dermatitis

As its name suggests, contact dermatitis symptoms appear when your skin comes into contact with an allergen or irritant. 

Irritant contact dermatitis symptoms develop when your skin touches something harsh, like detergent; allergic contact dermatitis symptoms emerge when your skin touches allergens like latex, which is in adhesive bandages and latex gloves, or nickel.

3. Neurodermatitis

Symptoms of this type are provoked by excessive, aggressive scratching of the skin, resulting in thickened, scaly patches of skin.

4. Dyshidrotic eczema

Allergens are the culprits for this eczema type that causes itchy blisters on the hands and feet.

5. Seborrheic dermatitis

This chronic form of eczema causes red, itchy, flaky, scaly patches in areas with lots of oil glands, such as the face and scalp. It typically starts with an overgrowth of yeast on the skin, but genetic and environmental factors can influence its onset. 

What you do at home impacts your eczema 

We mentioned the importance of lifestyle changes in treating eczema. These include using only gentle skin care products, avoiding showers that are too hot, and slathering on the moisturizer post-shower.

Understanding your eczema triggers is also crucial. Eczema triggers include:

• Extreme temperature
• Strong house cleaning products
• Clothing or bed linens that contain wool or polyester
• Products that contain the antibacterial isothiazolinone, such as baby wipes
• Metals like nickel in jewelry and household utensils
• Dust mites
• Juices from fruits, vegetables, and meat
• Scented candles
• Laundry detergents and fabric softeners containing chemical additives
• High stress levels

You can tame these eczema triggers by using only the most gentle, dermatologist-approved skin products, sticking with natural cleaning products, being mindful of the jewelry you wear, and keeping your home and bedding clean and free of dust mites.

Avoid exposing your skin to juices from food, keep your indoor air at a moderate temperature, stick to using fabrics like linen and cotton and tame your stress.

Being aware of and careful about what you expose your skin to can go a long way in avoiding eczema flares.

Call our office at 770-682-2500 today to schedule an appointment, or book online. For your convenience, we also offer telehealth appointments.