Winter eczema on hands tends to be a skin condition that makes the top layer of your skin itchy, scaly, and dry. Sometimes, this skin condition can be so itchy that you can even have trouble sleeping.
The symptoms of winter eczema on the hands are severe itching, scaly and dry patches, raised and small bumps on the hands, scaly skin, dry and cracked hands, and sensitive skin. Eczema usually worsens in winter due to indoor heating systems and dry air. The flare-ups can even be caused by the increased layers of clothing and bed coverings along with taking increasingly hot baths.
In this article, we will properly understand the details about winter eczema on hands and symptoms, along with tips that can help treat and prevent this condition.
What is Winter Eczema?
Winter eczema can be understood as a skin condition that makes your skin red, inflamed, and sometimes extremely dry. Eczema is more often diagnosed in children. However, this does not mean that they cannot occur in adults. Eczema is common in winter because, during this time, the air tends to be drier than usual.
Eczema can be further caused due to stress and exposure of the skin to certain types of allergens, infections, and skin irritants.
Tips to Prevent and Treat Winter Eczema on Hands
To effectively prevent and treat winter eczema on your hands, here are five tips that you can easily follow into your routine:
1. Use Gentle Skincare Products
Your skin tends to become more sensitive due to the changing temperature in winter. With this, your usual skincare products might flare your winter eczema on hands and cause increased skin irritation. This is why you should opt for gentle skincare products during the winter.
Make use of thick moisturizers immediately after showering and reapply them whenever your skin feels dry. You can also opt for moisturizing and gentle soaps that do not dry out your skin. Additionally, avoid harsh detergents in your routine.
2. Avoid Taking Hot Baths
Do not take very hot baths in the winter as it dries out your skin, further increasing the winter eczema on hands. Rather, use warm water to shower. You can also reduce the frequency of your shower by including moisturizing products in your bath. You can also limit your time in the bath and avoid long showers. Do not rub your skin after bathing with a towel. Instead, you should pat your skin dry.
3. Incorporate Vitamin D
Vitamin D is extremely important for your skin and helps it repair itself. Taking vitamin D supplements might help alleviate the symptoms of winter eczema on hands. You can also spend some time in the sun during the winter to get vitamin D. However, always remember to use sunscreen as sunburn might further worsen your symptoms of eczema by drying out your skin more.
4. Using a Humidifier
In winter, the air tends to get much drier both inside and outside your home, which can further flare up the winter eczema on hands. Due to this, you may experience symptoms such as cracked skin, pain, and skin irritation. Using a humidifier in your home will help combat the dry heat and add moisture back into your body. It is also recommended to properly maintain your humidifier to avoid fungi and bacterial growth.
5. Natural Remedies of Eczema
There are also some natural remedies for winter eczema on hands that might provide relief, including applying sunflower seed oil or coconut oil on the skin, massaging your skin, incorporating probiotics, and more. You can also make your diet eczema friendly as certain foods such as eggs, shellfish, and milk can further worsen your symptoms.
Incorporating the aforementioned tips into your daily routine will help you effectively manage and treat winter eczema on hands. You can easily create a daily routine while keeping these tips in mind, which will provide relief from the pain, itchy skin, and rash. If you feel that the symptoms of winter eczema on hands are getting more severe, you should consult a medical professional.