How Baking Soda Can Treat Eczema

November 21, 2007 by Niko  
Filed under Skin Infection

Patients suffering from eczema can often find comfort in a baking soda bath. Additionally, some sufferer’s also like to compliment their baking soda with oatmeal, to further soothe their symptoms. If you suffer from eczema, or similar skin conditions, you should take care to remember the importance of brief baths, which should never be hot as this can further enhance discomfort. Baking soda baths can be particularly useful where the sufferer is a child. The baking soda is effective yet not too abrasive as to cause discomfort to a child’s skin. A good tip is to use a knotted sock to store the soda, which will allow it to disperse when submerged in lukewarm running water.

The optimum time for sufferers to bathe is around thirty to sixty minutes before they go to sleep. This allows plenty of time to cool down before getting in to bed, to avoid the itching and discomfort this excess warmth can cause. It is also a good idea to avoid perfumed soaps and fragrances, including deodorant, which can cause further irritation. It is significantly better to use baking soda to absorb perspiration, so as to ensure the skin does not negatively react with the substance.

Subsequent to your baking soda bath, it is imperative that you promptly cover your skin in moisturizing cream, or some similar ointment to avoid excess drying of the skin. Again, ensure any product you do apply is free from excess chemicals or fragrances which may cause further irritation to the skin surface. Products like Vaseline and other creams specifically designed for dry skin conditions may be the best in these circumstances. The chemical substance ‘urea’ is also particularly good at soothing sores and dry skin, and is available in a variety of forms without prescription. If in doubt, consult your doctor for advice and information on the best substance to use to preserve your skin at its most vulnerable.

If you suffer from eczema, you should also invest in a humidifier to increase room humidity and prevent the drying and subsequent irritation of the skin. This way, the room is kept at a suitable humidity level, which should reduce the amount of itching and scratching throughout the night which can itself aggravate the condition. It’s a vicious circle, once you start scratching the more painful and itchy it is!

If you can’t justify splashing out for a humidifier then you could place pans of water beside all radiators to allow the evaporation to increase moisture in the room to further avoid ‘drying out’ while you sleep. This way, your skin will benefit from more favorable atmospheric conditions, which will ultimately help alleviate the symptoms you are experiencing.

Eczema sufferers should also consider natural fibers for clothing to avoid causing any unnecessary irritation. Additionally, it may be better to wear cool garments which don’t have a tendency to rub against the skin to avoid aggravation.

So why not try the baking soda bath, in addition to these other methods of reducing the symptoms of your eczema? In fact, many sufferers enjoy this soothing bath every night as part of their routine, to calm the ferocity of the condition.

About The Author:
You can also find more info on http://www.eczemacuretreatment.com/causes-prevention/eczema_causes.html on cause eczema and http://www.eczemacuretreatment.com/causes-prevention/eczema_types.html on types of eczema.

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