HEALTH KNOWLEDGE

Since we do not know the underlying cause of eczema, we are left to treat the symptoms of the condition. The most effective eczema treatment for you may have to be found by trial and error. Sometimes one treatment works well for one person but not for the next.

Eczema is an irritating skin condition. The condition was not common before World War II, however has grown since that time to the point that one of nine persons in the UK will be treated for eczema in their lifetime. This may be a once in a lifetime occurrence or may happen many times.

With medical doctors, corticosteroids are the primary method of treatment. With some patients this treatment is more effective than it is with other patients. There are some serious side effects, including skin infections requiring antibiotic treatment. If the cream accidentally gets into the eyes it may cause cataracts. The least amount and strength that is effective should be used.

There are several alternative treatments that can also be tried. Many of the alternative treatments have fewer side effects and some may be just as effective as the treatment with prescription corticosteroids.

One method that was tried during the 1980s was behavior modification. Since suffers of the condition can begin to scratch habitually, irritating the skin further, behavior modification helps them to stop the scratching to allow the skin to heal. This method of treatment was found to be somewhat effective in many cases.

Light therapy that uses ultraviolet light can be used with some patients. UV light is not effective unless used with prescription medication to increase its effectiveness. These medications along with the light itself can increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

For some persons, a change in diet may lessen the effects of eczema. Dairy, coffee, corn, eggs and nuts have all been linked to the disease. Sufferers may benefit from eliminating all the food triggers. If the eczema clears, the patient can attempt adding these products back one at a time to see which if any are triggers.

The itching of eczema may be treated using oatmeal. It may be applied as a cream or in a bath. In addition, there are many soaps that contain oatmeal that may be helpful.

Seawater as well as other salt waters have been used and shown effective when children suffer from eczema. The antiseptic properties of salt water may help to heal the outbreaks; however, use of seawater can often be painful at first.

Chinese herbs are sometimes used to treat eczema. While tests have been ran with the herbs, it is not the scientifically preferred blind tests. In other words, the eczema may have gotten better because the subject knew that they were taking the herbs.

Since the underlying cause of eczema is not known, we must continue to treat the symptoms. Once we understand this condition, better we may be able to develop an eczema treatment that addresses the actual cause of the disease. Once the cause has been taken care of, the subject may no longer suffer from the itching and pain of eczema.

There are a lot of creams from eczema that can give you the clear skin you want. Eczema treatment takes as long as two weeks or less.