Eczema is a fairly generic term which really means a red, itchy, scaly rash. Actually I have a textbook eczema that’s this thick. So there’s many, many types of eczema that we can talk about.
So If you’re a new patient with eczema, the first thing I’m going to do is sit you down and just get the history of how long you’ve had it, which areas of the body are the ones that are flaring up, and what your triggers are to try and figure out if it’s seborrheic dermatitis, or if it’s something you’re getting exposed to at work or school. So I’ll try and figure out from your history what type of eczema or dermatitis you have.
Once we’ve done that, then I can tell you which things to avoid which may be playing a role, and then we’ll start talking about treatment. And again, the guiding principles of eczema that I talked about before; keeping the baths and showers short, using lukewarm water, using a gentle soap such as Dove or Oil of Olay, and lots of moisturizing after shower and bath. Those are really the guiding fundamental parts of treating eczema.
And then for a more aggressive treatment, we’ll use a topical corticosteriod creams. I’ll write you a prescription for a cream that I think is the right strength based on the severity of your eczema and for the right body, and I’ll give you some guidance as to how long you can safely use it.
