Tips on treating eczema

The following article is sponsored by University of Utah Health Care.

In Utah, winter means skiing, snowboarding, Jazz games and Temple Square lights. For many people, it also means battling eczema a.k.a. atopic dermatitis, which affects about 10 to 20 percent of infants and 3 percent of adults. Itchy flare-ups strike even short-term visitors to the nations second driest state.

A lot of patients will visit or move from other areas of the country and their eczema will flare when theyre out here, said Erika Summers, M.D., a dermatologist with University of Utah Health Care. Well see transplants from California, even India, and they havent had any eczema for years until they come here to Utah.

She recommends migrating to balmy Florida for the winter, but then where would you ski?

Eczema has no cure and its exact cause is unknown, but it can often be controlled through treatment. Rashes commonly appear on the face, neck, eyelids, back of knees, elbows, hands, feet and nipples. Most people with the condition have had it since they were young children, and about 50 percent of kids outgrow eczema by the time theyre teenagers, Summers said.

Itching can be really severe for some people where it really impairs their quality of life, and many patients with severe eczema are embarrassed about their physical appearance, Summers said.

For Utahns with eczema who are intent on living through the dry winters that give the Beehive States slopes their trademark fluffy powder, Summers offers several tips for fending off irritated and inflamed skin.

First and above all else: moisturize. It seems obvious but many people with eczema simply arent moisturizing enough or properly, Summers said. Its important to thoroughly moisturize twice a day.

Avoid lotions, which tend to be more drying in the end, Summers said.

Opt instead for creams such as Eucerin, Cerave and Cetaphil and hypoallergenic ointments such as Aquaphor. Many people dislike the greasiness of ointments, Summers said, so she recommends using it before bed.

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Tips on treating eczema