I always ask my patients ‘What is the worst thing about your eczema?’ The top answer is always – the itch. Eczema causes a lot of unpleasant symptoms; my patients often express how difficult it is to live with the constant itch. If itchiness wasn’t a symptom, eczema would be a much easier condition to cope with and much simpler for the health care professional to treat.
The itch is responsible for the vicious itch-scratch-damage cycle, which drives all the other eczema symptoms. The urge to scratch caused by the constant itchiness, damages the skin and causes ‘flare-ups’. As a result the skin becomes red, weepy and sore. This vicious itch-scratch cycle then needs to be broken with eczema treatments. However, this is often easier said than done.
For lots of people, itch is the most difficult eczema symptom to deal with. The itch affects the skin and everyday life. Itch means that you feel uncomfortable from the moment you wake. You are often constantly tired, as itch stops you from sleeping properly. Itch can make you feel irritable and affect your concentration at school and work.
How do eczema sufferers cope with itch? For most people with eczema, itch is part of life, which they deal with on a daily basis. People who have had eczema since childhood do not know a life without itch. Adults and children with eczema learn to cope with itch in lots of different ways. Parents try to keep their children distracted with toys and games, in the hope this will stop them from scratching. To press, squeeze or rub the troublesome area is another common way sufferers try to get a moments relief from the incessant itch. Health care professionals need to be giving good advice on treating eczema.
Practical advice includes keeping the skin cool, comfortable and maintaining a barrier between the skin and fingernails (which should always be kept short and clean). Therapeutic clothing, such as Dreamskin Health garments, are an essential adjuvant treatment, which can reduce itching and scratching in eczema, prevent damage and help reduce the number and severity of eczema flares.
