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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Red, itchy, painful skin caused by eczema doesn’t have to get you down. Approaching a diagnosis for you or your loved one with the knowledge that there are good, effective treatments available can put you on the path to soft, clear skin. First, it starts with a bit of knowledge. What better time to start than Eczema Awareness Month?
Here are five misconceptions about the skin condition:
Myth: You can ‘catch’ eczema from someone who has the disease.
Reality: Eczema is not contagious. You can’t ‘catch’ the disease from another person and you can’t give it to someone by touching him or her. Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition where skin becomes inflamed, red and itchy. It is caused by a combination of environmental, genetic and immune system factors which have nothing to do with being contagious.
Myth: Stress causes eczema
Reality: It’s not a cause but a factor that can trigger a flare-up of eczema. The stress of a flare can also make eczema worse.
Myth: Eczema is not serious
Reality: Eczema can be itchy, painful, and take a big toll on someone’s psychological health and quality of life. Because of the physical and emotional strife, it’s important to work with your doctor to get on a treatment plan that will truly make a difference for your skin.
Myth: You can’t go swimming if you have eczema.
Reality: Most people with eczema can go swimming. However, some people who have a severe eczema outbreak find that the high pH in swimming pools or the salt in sea water makes their eczema feel worse, so they choose not to go in. Make sure that before and after you go swimming, you rinse your skin and put on a moisturizer or prescription barrier repair product.
Myth: Eczema can be cured with steroids.
Reality: Unfortunately, there is no cure for eczema. Although steroids are often used to treat eczema, they are not a cure and they do have limitations for treatment. Eczema can be effectively managed by maintaining skin health with a barrier repair product like EpiCeram®. An FDA-approved topical prescription cream, EpiCeram can help manage eczema because it’s formulated with essential lipids to help repair the skin’s barrier, restore skin to a healthy pH, and relieve itching, dryness, and redness.
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