How to manage eczema

The best way to manage a child’s eczema is to:

• Gain their cooperation
• Distract the child to prevent them from scratching
• Become familiar with the child’s response to different environmental conditions
• Educate yourself and others about the condition and learn to be sympathetic
• Reduce stress for both yourself and the child
• See your doctor if the eczema continues to flare

How do you avoid an eczema outbreak?

Many things can be done to avoid an eczema outbreak.

Most importantly, the skin should be kept moist by using a daily moisturiser.

Other ways to prevent an outbreak include:

• Wearing 100% cotton or soft fabrics – avoiding rough, scratchy fibres and tight clothing
• Using rubber gloves with cotton liners
• Having lukewarm baths and showers using a non-soap cleanser or hypoallergenic bath oil
• Avoiding extremely hot water
• Gently patting, not rubbing, the skin dry with a soft towel
• Applying a moisturiser within 3 minutes after bathing to “lock in” the moisture
• When possible, avoiding rapid changes of temperature and activities that raise a sweat
• Removing carpets and rugs from houses (if possible) and giving your pets a dander treatment
• Ventilating the house as often as possible
• Avoiding stuffed toys that harbour dust mites
• Changing bed linen regularly, vacuuming mattresses regularly for dust mites and avoiding feather-filled pillows
• Reducing daily stress
• Learning what triggers eczema and how to avoid these triggers