How do I get rid of eczema on my breasts?
How do I get rid of eczema on my breasts?
Getting rid of breast eczema can be difficult if its cause is something you can’t control, like genetics. However, you may have some control over your environment and stress levels. Try to determine what triggers or worsens your breast eczema, and then avoid it. The goal is to reduce itching and discomfort and prevent infection and additional flare-ups.
Consider these home remedies and tips:
- Use a humidifier if dry air makes your skin dry.
- Avoid rubbing or scratching your skin.
- See a psychiatrist for medication and a therapist for counseling if you experience poor mental/emotional health symptoms.
- Apply hydrocortisone cream or ointment. Hydrocortisone is a corticosteroid combined with an anesthetic pain reliever. It relieves itching and discoloration.
- Moisturize your skin using a cream or ointment. Lotions usually don’t work as well. Apply several times a day, including after your bath or shower. Moisturizers help trap moisture in the skin.
- Bathe or shower in lukewarm — not hot — water. Limit the amount of time you spend in the water to under 15 minutes.
- Use mild soaps or other products that are free of perfumes, dyes and alcohol. Look for products labeled “fragrance-free,” “hypoallergenic” or “for sensitive skin.”
- Use mild laundry soap, and thoroughly rinse your clothes.
- Use skin products that contain ceramide. These products replace some of the “glue” (the barrier) missing from your skin.
- Wear cotton clothes. Wool, silk and other fabrics can dry your skin.
- Take over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines for severe itching.
- Take prescription medications. Your healthcare provider may prescribe steroid creams, pills or shots. Long-term risks include side effects like high blood pressure, weight gain and thinning of the skin. There are newer medications, called topical immunomodulators (TIMs), that show progress in treating patients who don’t respond to other treatments. They change the body’s immune response to allergens and have fewer side effects.
- Try phototherapy. Phototherapy uses ultraviolet light, usually ultraviolet B (UVB), from special lamps. The ultraviolet light waves found in sunlight can help certain skin disorders, including eczema.