3 Easy After-Shower Treatments for Eczema
Suffering from eczema is no fun. It's ugly and it itches. Some days are worse than others, especially when it flares up. Then, everything you do seems to make it worse. Even taking a shower can be an unpleasant experience. Your skin is redder and you itch more than you did before the shower. It doesn't have to be that way. There are things you can do to make your shower much more enjoyable.
1. Actually, this is during-shower rather than after-shower, but is very important to your overall comfort nevertheless. Take a short shower in warm water, not hot. No matter how good a long, hot shower feels, especially after working out or after being outside in the cold, it isn't good for your eczema symptoms. Hot water opens up your blood vessels, bringing more blood to the surface of the skin. Nerves on your skin become more sensitive. The end result is your skin is redder and your itching is worse. The longer the shower, the hotter the water, the more of the oils on the surface of your skin get washed away. The result is dry skin, again resulting in increased itching and sensitivity.
2. Don't rub yourself dry; pat yourself dry. Rubbing yourself dry is the way you learned to do it as a kid, and it feels so good to do it that way, especially across your back to get places you can't reach with your hands, but rubbing is about the worst way you can dry yourself when you have an eczema flare up. By rubbing, you are further irritating already irritated skin, and you may even cause cracked skin to bleed. Carefully pat yourself to remove the water from your skin. It may take a little longer to do it this way, but you will thank yourself later when you aren't suffering a major flare up.
3. Moisturize with a good, natural lotion or moisturizer immediately after you dry off. Immediately after the shower, your pores are open because of the warm water, so your skin more readily absorbs the moisturizer. It is also absorbed more deeply into the tissues, so your skin remains moister longer. This will prevent or delay the onset of itching due to dry skin. Make sure you use a natural lotion or moisturizer, one without chemicals or artificial fragrances. These can irritate your skin, totally negating the positive effects of moisturizing.
Follow these easy treatments for eczema, and your showers can once again be pleasant experiences instead of dreaded tasks.
1. Actually, this is during-shower rather than after-shower, but is very important to your overall comfort nevertheless. Take a short shower in warm water, not hot. No matter how good a long, hot shower feels, especially after working out or after being outside in the cold, it isn't good for your eczema symptoms. Hot water opens up your blood vessels, bringing more blood to the surface of the skin. Nerves on your skin become more sensitive. The end result is your skin is redder and your itching is worse. The longer the shower, the hotter the water, the more of the oils on the surface of your skin get washed away. The result is dry skin, again resulting in increased itching and sensitivity.
2. Don't rub yourself dry; pat yourself dry. Rubbing yourself dry is the way you learned to do it as a kid, and it feels so good to do it that way, especially across your back to get places you can't reach with your hands, but rubbing is about the worst way you can dry yourself when you have an eczema flare up. By rubbing, you are further irritating already irritated skin, and you may even cause cracked skin to bleed. Carefully pat yourself to remove the water from your skin. It may take a little longer to do it this way, but you will thank yourself later when you aren't suffering a major flare up.
3. Moisturize with a good, natural lotion or moisturizer immediately after you dry off. Immediately after the shower, your pores are open because of the warm water, so your skin more readily absorbs the moisturizer. It is also absorbed more deeply into the tissues, so your skin remains moister longer. This will prevent or delay the onset of itching due to dry skin. Make sure you use a natural lotion or moisturizer, one without chemicals or artificial fragrances. These can irritate your skin, totally negating the positive effects of moisturizing.
Follow these easy treatments for eczema, and your showers can once again be pleasant experiences instead of dreaded tasks.
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