How To Prevent Your Eczema Worsening From Bacterial Infections

Although eczema is not contagious or infectious, when you itch and scratch yourself, you can get a secondary infection from bacteria. Dry skin can cause eczema symptoms to become worse and increased permeability of the skin means that it is easy for it to be invaded by a viral or bacterial infection. This essentially means that you can be locked in a vicious cycle of itching and scratching yourself every night.

Other than bacterial infections like staphylococcal and streptococcal infections, secondary infections may also extend to herpes simplex, viral molluscum, and warts. Additionally, there are other skin problems that can result from a worsening eczema. These include crusting or scaling of the skin, cheilitis (inflammation around the lip area), papules (small, raised, rough bumps on the skin), and darkened eyelids.

Keeping your skin hydrated is one of the easiest ways to stop skin infections from eczema. This is to prevent yourself from scratching your scaly skin. Some gentle moisturizers that I recommend are Cetaphil, Eucerin or even Vaseline at least two to three times. Check with your physician to see what he or she recommends as well.

It is important that you do not allow your skin to become dry or to the point of feeling dry and scaly. If that happens, moisturise more times than what you are currently doing. It is also important to hydrate yourself inside by drinking six to eight glasses of water a day. This helps to guard against infections by flushing out toxins from your organs.

If you have broken or cracked skin, then it is easy for bacteria to come into your body through your skin. Bacteria can be introduced into your skin from scratching yourself through dirty fingernails. Thus, the way to prevent this is to try to keep from scratching.

Cutting your fingernails short helps in this situation. If you find that you scratch at night while you sleep, then you may want to find a pair of cotton gloves and wear them while you sleep so that you cannot damage your skin. Keeping your dry skin moisturized is also absolutely critical to control the itching. If, despite all your efforts, you still have cracks or breaks in your skin, then you need to apply an antibiotic cream to the area and bandage it. However, antibiotic cream should not be used for long periods and its use should be advised by your skin dermatologist.

There are other ways to help prevent eczema related infections, too. An air purification system in your home or office can filter out many of the allergens that can cause a flare-up of your eczema. A humidifier can add moisture to the air and keep your skin moist, too.

Include fatty fish, like sardines and salmon, as well as flax seeds into your diet. These foods have omega-3 acids in them, which help remove swelling in the skin. Avoid hydrogenated oils as much as possible because they can worsen your eczema.

If you suspect that you may have already been inflicted with a bacterial infection, seek help and take immediate action. You do not have to live with itching and scratching yourself every night, as I have found. I have improved my skin condition tremendously by understanding more about how to prevent eczema.