I’ve struggled with eczema since I was a child.  Growing up I often felt as if I was all on my own with this skin condition.  Everyone seemed to grow out of it while mines seemed to just get worse.  I would say my eczema is more severe than other cases.  I get flare ups on the palms of my hands, my back, my legs, anywhere on my arms and even my scalp.  When I started college, I found that many young people struggle with managing their eczema just like me.  Every day I’m learning new ways to control my flare ups and keep them to a minimum.  In this article, I will share the things I’ve learned and hopefully it will help others who deal with eczema on a daily basis.

The key to keeping your eczema under control is moisturizing your skin and retaining as much moisture as possible.  This applies when you are cleansing your skin as well.  When you bathe or take showers, it’s imperative that you use soap that doesn’t dry out your skin.  Showers will dry your skin out anyway but you don’t want to use any scented body washes or bar soaps.  Black soap, shea butter soap and Dove Intensive Care body wash are great soaps and body washes you can use.  Also Neosporin’s Eczema Essentials body wash is great.  This body wash is pricey however, and you don’t get a lot of product for the price either.  Also, make sure you don’t scrub too hard when bathing.

When choosing lotions, make sure you once again, stay away from scented lotions.  The fancy, body shimmer lotion from Victoria’s Secret is nice but, you should be using it very sparingly.   Lotions you choose should have a very thick consistency.  This is because; when you have eczema your skin soaks up moisture almost instantaneously.  You will have to deal with looking greasy for a while but, you won’t be itching and your skin won’t look terribly dry.

If possible, you should seek help from a dermatologist.  In high school, my eczema was the worst it had ever been.  Once I went to see a dermatologist and was prescribed specific medications and ointments my skin made a huge turn around.  I still struggle with my skin but it’s nothing how it used to be.  Also, to control the urge to scratch, I take allergy pills.

Eczema is tricky.  Most people grow out of it once they reach the age of ten, but others like me aren’t so lucky.  Preventing and managing flare ups require diligence and tedious trial and error.  There’s always more to learn about skin care but, taking the time to continuously work on your eczema will give you the results you desire.

Brandi Giles, Editor of Health & Beauty

Source: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/atopic-dermatitis-eczema