Eczema Care for Warm Weather

Spring and summer can bring out the worst in some eczema, while fall and winter can be harder on others. Regardless of which season affects you the most, here are some warm weather tips to help keep your eczema under control.

Go to the Beach – Salt water has been known to work miracles on eczema. Like many mysteries sounding eczema, no one really understands why salt benefits eczema skin, but there are theories the magnesium in salt helps soothe dry skin. A word of caution, although therapeutic for some, salt can be painful to others with eczema, particularly if there are open wounds. If you’re beach bound, test the waters and listen to your body.

Spend Time at the Pool – At home chlorine baths are sometimes recommended by physicians to kill bacteria on the surface of eczema skin. Since the pool is essentially one big chlorine bath, it’s no wonder that some eczema sufferers find much needed relief poolside.

Time in the Sun – The sun is another natural wonder for eczema. For many, the sun seems to dry up their eczema and leave them flare free, most likely due to the body’s spike in vitamin D production after time in the sun. What about sunscreen? This is a tricky one. Applying sunscreen is important to block the damaging UVA and UVB rays, but sunscreen can also reduce the amount of vitamin D the body produces. Although it will be tempting to soak up hours in the sun in hopes of banishing eczema, limit this time (15 minutes) if you don’t apply sunscreens and stick to early morning or late afternoon hours when the sun’s rays are weaker. For prolonged exposure in the sun, or during peak hours, find a good sunscreen and lather-up. Yes, eczema is a beast, but skin cancer is deadly.

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