You may get eczema when:
If you have asthma or hay fever, you may get eczema often.
Eczema often runs in families.
If you have mild eczema, you may have patches of dry, scaly skin on your arms or legs. It may itch.
If the eczema is bad, you may have painful itching. You may itch, especially on the:
It may bother you to:
Eczema often gets worse in the winter when indoor air can be very dry.
Your healthcare provider will:
For mild eczema:
Severe eczema can be harder to treat. You may find it helpful to:
Ask your healthcare provider if allergy shots might help you.
Use antihistamines. Antihistamine pills can help you itch less.
Use steroid creams. Steroid creams or ointments can help your rash and itching. Your healthcare provider will tell you how to use this medicine. Do not use the cream more often than your provider tells you.
Be sure to use medicines exactly the way your healthcare provider prescribed them.
Put cream or ointment on your skin. Use moisturizing cream or ointment, rather than water-based lotion, many times a day.
Don't take long, hot baths.
Try not to scratch the eczema.
You could scratch the skin open and get an infection. If you think your skin might be infected, call your healthcare provider to see if you need treatment for an infection.
To prevent mild eczema, you may need to:
Severe eczema is an inherited problem. We do not know how to prevent this kind of eczema. Because it may flare up when you are stressed, it may help to try to have less stress in your life. When a flare-up happens, follow your healthcare provider's advice to get the eczema back under control. See your provider if it is not getting better.
Developed by RelayHealth.
Published by RelayHealth.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.
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