(HealthDayNews) -- Eczema flare-ups that turn your skin red, dry and scratchy are almost unavoidable, but you can decrease their frequency with a specific skin care routine.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these tips:
- Limit your contact with household cleaners, aftershave lotions, detergents and other things that may inflame your skin.
- When you wash the dishes or do other chores that require you to have your hands in water, wear plastic gloves. Also wear gloves outdoors in the winter. Cold, dry air can aggravate your eczema.
- Wear cotton clothes. Wool and synthetic fibers can irritate your skin.
- Use a small amount of mild soap in the bath. The water should be cool or warm and you should soak in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes. Your skin's outer layer will absorb the water and become less dry. Moisturize while your skin is still damp.
