All You Need to Know about Natural Eczema Skin Care

• Dry itchy skin is a common symptom of the skin disorder eczema
• Eczema treatment can be found in topical medications, a common treatment method for the skin disease that is often recommended by doctors
• If you’re looking for a more natural alternative, however, one that has less potential for harmful side effects, natural skin remedies for treating eczema may be your answer

When you or your child is suffering from eczema, you want to know some effective treatments that are going to alleviate the problem. In most cases, physicians are going to prescribe topical medications to reduce the inflammation. If you prefer to look for natural methods of eczema skin care and prevention, you’ll find some ideas below.

Natural Eczema Skin Cream Options

Some studies have been done on natural creams and gels which can be used to treat eczema skin. A topical ointment made with 2% licorice gel, for example, proved to be better at reducing inflammation and itching in patients with eczema compared to the effects of a placebo. Results of studies done on chamomile cream and witch hazel have not showed such positive results, but they may work for some patients. If you have an herbal medicine practitioner in your area, consider discussing these possibilities with them.

Besides questions about the effectiveness of some of these natural creams, some may cause allergic skin reactions in some people. However, if you don’t have that reaction and you do see improvements, you’ll find these products to be much cheaper than prescription topical ointments.

Probiotics

If you have an eczema skin disorder, probiotics might be a possible answer to consider as well. As you may know from all of the hype surrounding these so-called “good” bacteria, probiotics are found naturally within our digestive systems. Some research suggests that increasing the amounts of these bacteria can provide health benefits, including reducing the risk of developing eczema and maybe reducing outbreaks of eczema in children who already have the disorder.

A massive study involving more than 1,200 women found that taking probiotics up to four weeks before delivering their baby and continuing to give the infant probiotics after birth, significantly decreased the rate of eczema in the children when compared to the effects of a placebo. More research still needs to be done on probiotics as a treatment, but it does show promise with young people.

Other Options

Some of the best ways to prevent or reduce discomfort during an eczema outbreak involve home remedies. For example, keeping a humidifier running in your home can prevent your or your child’s skin from becoming too dry. Dryness seems to be one of the causes of outbreaks. Using moisturizers regularly will also help in this area.

You also want to minimize sweating. Research has shown that sweating can cause itching, and that itching can end up causing a full-blown outbreak.

If you are suffering from an outbreak, one of the best treatments to give you some relief is a cool bath. Add oatmeal to the water to soothe your skin, reduce redness, and stop the itching. At night make cool, wet bandages to apply to the inflamed areas. This will reduce discomfort so you can rest but will also stop you from scratching at night. The scratching is only going to make the problem worse so you want to do anything you can to prevent it from happening.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.