Winter is known for being the worst season for eczema, but summer can also present some challenges. Here's how to protect your skin. For people with eczema, summer isn't always so sweet. The soaring temps and warm-weather activities, like swimming and spending hours in the sun, can be eczema triggers.
Why does eczema sometimes get worse in the winter? You may find that eczema flare-ups occur more frequently or get worse in the winter. Dry air combined with indoor heating systems can dry out your skin. Eczema flares up because the skin can't stay moist on its own.
Cold, dry conditions sap the natural moisture from your skin, and dry skin can cause flares, especially with eczema. People also tend to take hot baths or showers in the winter, which further dries out the skin and causes more itching, since hot water can damage the outer layer of skin that holds in moisture.
During the winter and summer months, the ambient temperatures of both indoors and outdoors are more likely to fall outside of comfortable ranges. Because of this, it is common for people with eczema to experience flare-ups during these months.
Humidity. Very dry air (low humidity) can extract moisture from the skin and make eczema worse. Even if the weather is wet, humidity tends to remain low in winter. As the temperature drops, so does the air humidity.
Covering the skin increases the potency of topical treatments, which may make them more effective.
The climate that suits most with atopic eczema is neither too hot, nor too cold, and where the humidity is neither too high, nor too low. If being on holiday means going somewhere different - be prepared: the climate may be different to what you are used to.
For a severe outbreak, apply steroid cream and then wrap a wet bandage around the area to keep it moist. Light therapy from the sun or with a UV ray device at your doctor's office may ease outbreaks, too. For strong eczema itching that keeps you up at night, try oral antihistamines.
Some people find that their eczema improves with exposure to sunlight (this is particularly true of the contact and discoid types), while others experience a worsening of their condition. Rarely, eczema is directly caused by exposure to ultraviolet light (sunlight). The term for this is 'photosensitive eczema'.
Your Skin Is Thirsty
For people prone to eczema, skin that's too dry can easily become irritated, itchy, and break out in itchy, red patches. You can rehydrate your skin by drinking plenty of water, moisturizing well, especially after showering, and running a humidifier.
No, having eczema doesn't automatically mean you have a weak immune system. It does mean that your immune system is sensitive, often overreacting to things that aren't real threats to your body. Some people with eczema have a primary immunodeficiency disorder that may make them more likely to get infections.
In a small study (11 participants) of children ages 2–13 with eczema, 80% of those taking 1,000 IU of vitamin per day for one month showed improvement in their symptoms. In another study with 30 participants, all of those taking 1,600 IU of vitamin D daily showed significant improvement in their eczema.
There's no cure, but most people can manage their symptoms by getting treatment and by avoiding irritants. Eczema isn't contagious, so you can't spread it to another person.
With proper treatment, flare-ups may last one to three weeks, notes Harvard Health Publishing. Chronic eczema such as atopic dermatitis can go into remission with the help of a good preventative treatment plan. “Remission” means that the disease is not active and you remain free of symptoms.
Inflammatory foods can trigger an increase in symptoms. Added artificial sugars, trans-fats, processed meat, red meat, refined carbs, and dairy all cause inflammation in the body. Foods containing nickel. Nickel is an ingredient known to encourage symptoms of dyshidrotic eczema.
Affected areas may be red (light skin) or darker brown, purple, or ash gray (brown skin). Dry, scaly areas. Warmth, possibly also with some swelling.
AVOID SCRATCHING. Scratching the rash may spread the inflammation, lead to infection and even leave scars. Atopic dermatitis occurs in individuals with tendencies towards allergies and who seem to have very sensitive skin. The persistent itching often encourages scratching, causing the skin to become raw or leathery.
There's no known cure for eczema, and the rashes won't simply go away if left untreated. For most people, eczema is a chronic condition that requires careful avoidance of triggers to help prevent flare-ups. Age is also thought to play a role: About 60 percent of people who have eczema developing it as infants.
Even if your eczema has been largely under control, it's possible for it to change over time. Sometimes people come into contact with a new irritant or develop a new allergy that causes their disease to flare up again, which causes the medication to no longer work, according to Piliang.
Eczema may improve after childhood, but it can return later on at any stage of life. Eczema can also suddenly appear for the first time in later life, for reasons that can be difficult to determine. Skin becomes drier as we get older, which can lead to roughness, scaling and itchiness.
Potassium high foods: Bananas, avocados, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, white beans, and salmon. Potassium is another inflammation-fighting food that can help reduce eczema symptoms.