Treating Eczema Scars
People who have had a lifelong struggle with eczema tend to find it frustrating when eczema lesions appear on the face, scalp, hands and arms. After all, these are often open areas that people can see in public (and we wouldn’t recommend covering your face out in public). This tends to make the same people self conscious about their appearance, and in more extreme cases, bitter or paranoid. And if lesions appearing in the most unwanted of places isn’t bad enough, sometimes eczema scars are left behind as an annoying reminder. Having a lot of unwanted scars can be just as bad as lesions, and the number one question people ask when it comes to eczema scars is “how do I get rid of them?”.
Well, there’s good news tonight, as we will offer some advice as to how to treat and heal your eczema scars, as well as how to prevent them from occurring outright.
What Causes Eczema Scars?
Let’s start with the why and how of eczema scars. Regardless of the type of eczema (atopic, contact, seborrhoeic, etc), many of the symptoms are common, such as red or brown colored inflamed rashes that tend to be itchy, scaly, cracked, blistered, or oozing. Scarring occurs when an inflammation becomes so intense that it breaks the surface of your skin. This is usually brought on by continuous scratching of lesions (the itch-scratch cycle), but can also occur by severely cracked skin and untreated blisters. A lack of treatment or care for your eczema in and of itself will lead to worsened conditions and consequences, which include scarring. Eczema scars will appear to have different properties such as the shape, size and color depending on the severity of the eczema. For example, surface scars caused by scratching may appear white to a light pink, while deep scars caused by blister may appear red or a brownish color.
How to Prevent Eczema Scars
The absolute best way to deal with eczema scars is to prevent them from ever occurring, By using the following methods of preventions, you will reduce the probability of developing scars, if you don’t already have any, and obtaining any more if you do.
Keep your skin clean. As eczema weakens and breaks the top layer of skin, it allows airborne infections to set in. And once you have an infection, your wounds will stay open for a longer period of time. When wounds are open for a long period of time, your body will begin to rush to close it. This sounds like a good thing, except that when you body closes open wounds in a rush, it produces thick, rubbery collagen filled skin as opposed to the your soft, natural skin.
Another thing you’ll want to do is to avoid scratching at all costs. This sounds like a very hard thing to do at times, as scratching an itch can be so relieving at times, but in truth, what you are really doing is tearing your skin, and any dirt and germs found underneath your fingernails, or on your fingers and hands will be forced into the wounds when you rub into them via scratching. It is even more imperative to keep a close eye on your children if they have eczema, as they will be more prone to scratching without fully realizing the long term effects.
How to Treat Eczema Scars
In the event that scars are already left behind on your body, the thing you’ll most likely want to do is to find a way to reduce them, or to remove them altogether. If that person is you, than this section of the article is for you. Before we list treatment methods, we would suggest that you consult your dermatologist first, and ask him or her what to do about your scars, as they will have better knowledge about your skin personally.
Using Topical Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps you body to create new skin cells, as well as increase skin cell turnover. Vitamin C also brightens skin tones, which means your scars will blend in with the rest of your natural complexion. You can find vitamin C body creams and lotions at beauty and cosmetic stores. Alternatively, you can create a vitamin C compress yourself to apply over scarred skin. You should soak a washcloth in concentrated lemon juice, then apply the washcloth to the scar(s). This method is more effective if the skin has been exfoliated prior to application (see below). You should do this three times a week.
As an added note, vitamin E creams and lotions are also good for many of the same reasons as vitamin C products.
Shea Butter
Simply put, shea butter works wonders on your skin. Shea butter works to deeply hydrate the skin, and by applying shea butter to your scars once a day, your skin will work actively to rejuvenate and rebuild your skin.
Baking Soda Scrub
By using a baking soda scrub to exfoliate your skin, you are helping to remove dead and scarred skin cells. It is also ideal to exfoliate the skin before applying topical vitamins to the skin. You can create a baking soda scrub by mixing 3 tbsp. of baking soda with 1 tbsp. of water. The baking soda mixture should have a pasty texture. Rub the baking soda paste onto the scarred area (which can be loosened prior to this method by applying olive oil directly to the scars, then in five minutes, covering the skin with a hot washcloth until it cools). When rubbing, use deep, circular movements. In two to three minutes, rinse the baking soda paste off with water.
Skin Massage
If you should have one of the rubbery, collagen filled scars, be mindful that your body is looking to replace that skin with your normal skin just as much as you would like it gone. Your bloodstream is what sends nutrients and protein to the scarred tissue in order to begin restoration. Therefore, when you massage your scars, you increase blood flow to the affected area, and in effect expedite the process.
Scar Treatment Cream
There are indeed creams that you can purchase to help with the removal of scars. The ingredients found within are usually the same that you would find in the above and similar methods, such as lemon juice. You want to be sure that they are made using natural ingredients, as rubbing chemicals into broken or infected skin may only cause an aggravation. You can find these creams in many drug stores, but it will require a few applications a day for several weeks (about 8 to 12) before you will see results.
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