6 Tips for Managing Eczema During Winter

Kids are no strangers to eczema — the itchy, inflammatory skin condition affects between 10 to 20% of all children. And millions of these kids carry eczema into adulthood, which is why nearly 32 million Americans of all ages are dealing with eczema.

While eczema is a year-round issue, it can flare up during colder winter seasons. Winters in Texas may not be snowy, freezing affairs, but they can still be cold and dry — two conditions that cause eczema flare-ups.

To help those in your family who are dealing with eczema, the Neighborhood Pediatrics team, including Dr. Sharon Lucas and Dr. Rachel McConnell, shares strategies for keeping skin healthy and eczema to a minimum.

Create a barrier with petroleum products

If it’s a particularly cold or windy day, we recommend getting petroleum-based skin products that are soothing and create an extra layer over the primary barrier — your skin. If you send your child out to play on a cold, windy day, dab petroleum products across exposed areas of skin.

Moisturize throughout the day

Moisturization with oil-based, fragrance-free moisturizers is crucial for people with eczema. And we’re not talking about just once, but several times throughout the day, especially during winter.

In winter, our already dry climate becomes drier, and there’s no relief indoors as people fire up heating systems that further dry out the air surrounding your skin.

Keep baths brief and only lukewarm

While it may seem counterintuitive when discussing water, hot baths can really dry out skin. During winter, ensure baths are kept short and that the water is lukewarm, which is much kinder to skin than hot water.

Stick to cotton clothes and refrain from wool

During winter, we often need to layer up more, so make sure the layer that touches the skin is 100% cotton. You can also experiment with synthetic products to see how they work against your or your child’s skin.

We can save you from one experiment; however, wool is not a good idea. Wool and eczema do not work well together, so no wool hats, mittens, socks, or any other pieces of clothing.

Set up humidifiers

If anyone in your home has eczema, indoor humidifiers keep the air inside your home moisturized, preventing skin from drying out.

If you only have one humidifier, the bedroom is ideal; however, more humidifiers work best.

Have products on hand to catch flare-ups

It’s always a good idea to have an eczema toolkit on hand to handle flare-ups. This kit may include topical steroid creams, prescription medications, wet wrap supplies, and more.

We’re happy to sit down with you to ensure your eczema toolkit is complete and ready to handle any winter flare-ups that occur in your family. We can review more customized strategies for managing eczema during the chillier months.

For expert eczema care and treatment, we invite you to contact us today at our office in Shenandoah, Texas. You can schedule an appointment by calling us at 832-843-2049 or using our online booking feature.