Ointment for eczema
Although medical science is discovering new ways to help patients with eczema every day, treatment is still limited to the symptoms. The affected area is treated. Inflammation causes redness, itching, wetness, dry and cracked areas, pimples, blisters and often secondary infection with bacteria. Milder conditions can be treated with home and over-the-counter remedies. More difficult conditions belong in the hands of a specialist dermatologist.
Natural ointment for eczema
By way of introduction, a number of herbs commonly recommended for making ointments and tinctures can cause further irritation. It is therefore important to use samples first, use them for at least 3 days and test whether the skin reacts to them with redness, itching or peeling. As an ointment base, choose preferably white medical petroleum jelly. Moisturising herbs for dry skin: yucca, aloe. For redness: calendula, chamomile, lily of the valley oil, yarrow, hemp. For itching: aloe, lavender, hemp.
OTC ointment for eczema
There are a number of over-the-counter ointments. Time-tested are especially those containing sulphur, zinc or tar. In liquid and gel versions, they are suitable for wetting forms of eczema, and in solid form for soothing dry and peeling skin. The fewer ingredients an over-the-counter product contains, the better.
Prescription eczema ointment
An experienced doctor prescribes ointments, of which there is a whole range. Among the most effective are those with corticosteroids. The weakest, yet effective ones include hydrocortisone, triamcinolone has a moderate effect, betamethasone a strong one and fluocinolone has a very strong effect. Corticosteroids heal the skin quickly and effectively but unfortunately have an atrophying effect. This means that the more often you treat the affected area with them, the thinner the skin becomes and the weaker its barrier function becomes.
A weak skin barrier means a recurrence of the problem. Dermatologists are aware of this and therefore recommend a whole range of measures to prevent eczema. The most important is to protect the skin barrier in areas where eczematous manifestations recur. There are products on the market to protect the skin barrier, such as Dermaguard barrier cream. It is used to prevent recurrence of eczema and to protect the skin from allergens and aggressive substances in the long term.
