Living with eczema is realizing that you want to seek quick relief when flare-ups with red, itchy skin occur. You're probably tired of trying a wide variety of products by now, but some items can leave your skin feeling drier and more irritated.
Aside from medications, there are many options you can try at home to help improve symptoms. Below you will discover the best natural remedies that can help replenish moisture and protect your skin's natural barrier. If you're taking prescription medications for eczema, it's a good idea to check with a doctor before trying new home remedies.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for eczema, so treatment focuses on managing the symptoms of the disorder, which include inflammation, itching, and cracking of the skin. These natural eczema remedies can help soothe your skin and relieve symptoms.
Natural treatments to improve eczema
There are several home remedies worth trying to improve skin problems. Most of them are harmless and do not worsen the severity, however, it is better to ask a doctor before carrying out any of them.
Use moisturizers with glycerin
People with eczema are missing key agents in the skin barrier that keep the skin intact and well hydrated, which means that treating and preventing eczema flare-ups starts with replenishing the skin's moisture. Even in mild cases of eczema, using a thick moisturizer, in the form of a cream, ointment or oil, will help hydrate the skin and improve the skin barrier.
Moisturizer should be applied twice daily for the best results. This hydration improves the skin's barrier, reduces the number of eczema flare-ups, and increases the amount of time between flare-ups.
As for the best cream for eczema treatment, some studies have found evidence for moisturizers that contain glycerol (also called glycerin), but the strongest evidence was using the moisturizer along with whatever medication your doctor prescribes.
Use coconut oil for eczema
Coconut oil may be helpful for some people with mild eczema on the hands, feet, or other parts of the body because it has antibacterial properties. This oil can help kill the stafoliococcal aureus, which is a bacteria commonly found on the skin that can increase inflammation and cause skin infections in people with atopic dermatitis.
Some studies have found that applying virgin coconut oil daily to the skin helped with mild eczema symptoms more than mineral oil.
apply sunflower oil
Sunflower oils have been shown to reduce some symptoms of eczema, especially itching, when used on the skin. Complementary and alternative medicine establishes that sunflower seed oil has anti-inflammatory and barrier-restoring effects on the skin, and it can improve skin hydration.
Science says that using 20 percent sunflower seed oil on children's skin helps increase skin moisture levels and decrease eczema symptoms. However, it did not work any better than a regular moisturizer. So the researchers note that the oil can be used as an alternative treatment for mild eczema, but it's not necessarily better than other moisturizers.
Try creams with colloidal oatmeal
Just 1 percent colloidal oatmeal cream protects the skin's barrier, moisturizes and has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties, all of which can help relieve eczema symptoms.
In addition, colloidal oatmeal acts as a skin prebiotic, which means it helps stimulate beneficial bacteria and microbiome diversity in the skin, which can be helpful in reducing inflammation.
However, some people are sensitive to colloidal oatmeal, so it should only be used if it helps improve symptoms and should be stopped if you notice it makes them worse. Some doctors also advise against the use of colloidal oatmeal in infants and young children who do not eat oats due to the theoretical risk of developing an allergy to oats.
Bathe with baking soda or diluted bleach
Baking soda can help relieve itching. To take a baking soda bath, add 1/4 cup of the ingredient to a warm bath. You can also mix it with enough warm water to form a paste and apply it to your skin to help stop the urge to scratch.
However, this treatment is not suitable for everyone, especially if you have any open wounds. Talk to your doctor before trying this treatment.
On the other hand, although it may seem intimidating, dilute bleach baths can actually help improve eczema symptoms. To prepare a bleach bath, mix 1/4 cup unscented household bleach with a full tub of warm water and soak the entire body (from the neck down) or just the affected areas for about 10 minutes. When you're done, gently towel dry your skin and apply moisturizer.
You should not do it more than three times a week and this remedy is most effective when combined with other eczema treatments. It should also be used only for more serious cases, and you should talk to your doctor before trying it.
Add apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has long been used as a home remedy for eczema. Is there some evidence that apple cider vinegar may help balance the skin's pH levels. If your doctor recommends you try a bath with this vinegar, mix a cup of apple cider vinegar in a full tub and soak for five minutes several times a week.
Try exposing just a small patch of skin to apple cider vinegar before treating larger areas to see if it helps or irritates the skin.
Habit changes to improve eczema
You will not only improve eczema flare-ups and their symptoms by applying ointments to the skin. It is also necessary to change certain daily habits to reduce the appearance of this skin problem.
Take short showers
This strategy can help prevent skin from drying out and, when used with a moisturizer, can help "lock" water where it's needed. It is recommended to bathe every day, either a bath or a shower, with lukewarm (not hot) water, for only 5 to 10 minutes maximum. In addition, soap should also be used only on the face, underarms, and groin area. Doing it on all skin can damage it and increase dryness.
Lastly, when you get out of the shower or bath, gently pat your skin dry and apply any medicated moisturizer your doctor has prescribed to problem areas, then rub regular moisturizer all over.
Keep stress under control
There is a strong link between stress and eczema. Stress triggers a physical inflammatory response in the body, accelerating the urge to scratch, which then further irritates and degrades the skin. This makes the eczema worse and creates a vicious cycle. This is why managing stress can be extremely helpful in managing symptoms. There are many different types of stress management techniques that can be used, depending on the severity of the eczema and whether the person is a child or an adult.
The main techniques that can help can be meditation, going to a therapist, exercising regularly or practicing mindfulness.
Sleep better
Along with stress, lack of sleep can contribute to eczema symptoms. Flare-ups and sleep work like a two-way stress because eczema can disrupt sleep, and the sleep disruption and resulting stress can make eczema worse. Sleep disorders are also linked to other mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression.
Therefore, improving the quality of sleep is key when this skin problem appears. To achieve this, it is advised to follow a bedtime routine that includes applying moisturizer, avoiding screen time two hours before bed, maintaining a dark environment for sleeping, and practicing mindfulness meditation or muscle relaxation therapy. progressive.
acupressure for eczema
Acupressure is an alternative medicine technique that applies manual pressure to specific points on the body, just like acupuncture, but without the needles. This can help with itching and lichenification (when the skin becomes thick and leathery) associated with eczema. However, larger studies are needed to confirm this.
At best, we can say that acupressure can help some people control itching/scratching, which can help reduce the severity of an eczema flare-up.