When Eczema Sticks

I meet so many patients with eczema, who often cry with relief, when they are allowed time to talk about their unpleasant eczema symptoms and how their eczema affects their life. The symptom of itch is key for everyone with eczema and health care professionals are aware of the itch-scratch-damage cycle (something I discussed in a previous blog http://bit.ly/11YvN2f). However, many health care professionals perhaps do not realise how painful and distressing severe eczema flares can be.

Everyone with eczema has the potential for a severe flare – this is generally associated with infected eczema. My patients often become very distressed when they have a severe eczema flare and describe intense itch, eczema spreading all over their body, red, burning skin; wet and weepy skin which sticks to clothes and bed sheets. Literally, when eczema is this bad, clothing and bedclothes sometimes have to be peeled off the skin; causing intense agony and skin damage; as the outer layers of skin are removed. The skin becomes so painful; nerve pathways alter and the person with eczema cannot even touch their skin. In this situation, the person with eczema quickly becomes exhausted, as they are unable to sleep. Skin healing is inevitably delayed and the sufferer's quality of life diminishes.

Severe flares can sometimes be isolated to areas of the body for certain groups of people with eczema. For example, I often see babies with severe facial eczema and adults with severe hand eczema. Face masks and gloves often stick to these wet and weepy areas. This causes a great deal of distress for not only the sufferer but also the caregiver, who has to peel clothing off of their young child's skin.

I am describing a severe flare of eczema; and I hope that most people with eczema would seek medical help and treatment before this situation escalates but sometimes eczema can become very severe, very quickly. Firstly, the correct treatment with a course of strong steroids and antibiotics is essential. Secondly skin comfort and assisting skin healing is crucial. Emollients are very important and need to be used liberally.

Therapeutic clothing provides comfort by keeping skin cool and reducing itching in all stages of eczema. When eczema becomes severe and leads to sore, wet and weeping skin, it is vitally important that therapeutic clothing does not stick. DreamSkin Health is the only therapeutic clothing with a unique polymer coating. The polymer is non-adherent, so does not stick to skin; so in severe eczema flares this means that skin damage is prevented and healing accelerated. In addition, the polymer, reduces moisture loss, provides a protective barrier against irritants and helps keep skin cool.

In severe eczema flares, clinicians will always treat the skin but remember to also prescribe for assisting skin healing and preventing skin damage.

Eczema Expert