The dry, red, itchy skin caused by eczema can significantly affect the quality of your life, but you can find relief with quality and effective treatments. The condition can affect your confidence and self-esteem due to its appearance on your skin. Although the exact reason behind eczema is not fully understood, it is related to hereditary traits and other triggers that cause flare-ups. Working with eczema specialists like Dr. Connie Wang can help you identify your triggers and get to the root of your skin condition for effective management. Here are some ways to identify your eczema triggers, avoid them, and control the disease. Have a look.
Evaluate Your Lifestyle
Eczema triggers are different for every person. Multiple factors can cause flare-ups in different people, so you should take the condition personally. It would help if you got to your specific lifestyle to see what could be causing your skin condition. Factors like foods, chemicals, and clothing materials can be blamed for your eczema flare-ups. It would be great to keep a diary of your daily activities, including anything you have come into contact with and all you have eaten. This can help track down your symptoms by eliminating one product at a time and evaluating the results.
Consider Your Clothing
Some materials used in making clothes can be to blame for your eczema. Scratchy materials like wool can irritate your skin, trigger eczema, or worsen already existing symptoms. Please keep track of your symptoms and note when they worsen after wearing certain clothes. Also, tight clothes can trigger an eczema episode irritating your skin. Additionally, always ensure you wash new clothes before wearing them to eliminate possible irritants and to soften the fabrics. But be careful with some detergents you might be using, which can also contribute to eczema flare-ups.
Evaluate Your Hygiene and Cosmetics
Some beauty products you are using could be behind your eczema flare-ups. If you realize you are experiencing eczema symptoms after using a particular product, you might have to avoid it. When buying your beauty products, look carefully at the ingredients and go for non-irritating creams, lotions, makeups, and soaps if you risk developing eczema. Generally, avoid products with parabens and lauryl since they are common irritants that cause skin dryness and can trigger flare-ups.
Investigate Your Diet
Some particular foods can trigger eczema or contain ingredients that will cause flare-ups. This is very rare, but you want to keep your options open. So, keep a diet diary if you have been experiencing eczema flare-ups and see if a particular food is linked to the symptoms. If you suspect a specific food is causing your symptoms, eat it for a few days to confirm if it is to blame for your situation. Generally, gluten and milk are common triggers for eczema, and you can eliminate them from your diet.
Consider Environmental Factors
Weather can affect your eczema flare-ups. Hot temperatures can flare up your symptoms or worsen existing ones through sweating and overheating. On the other hand, the cold air during winter can cause skin dryness and contribute to eczema flare-ups or worsen existing symptoms. So, you must understand how you are affected to take the necessary preventative and treatment measures.
Learn more about eczema at Elite Dermatology today to understand the common triggers of the situation. Book your consultation appointment today via a call or online and get started.