Originally published on Substack.
Think of eczema flares on various parts of your body as small isolated fires that can spread and become extremely destructive if not controlled.
How destructive your eczema fire can be depends a lot on a variety of factors including how early you intervene, how severe it is, the amount of body surface area involved, etc.
Do not let your search for a trigger interfere with actually putting the fire out and stopping the flare. Does a fireman let the fire rage while he or she tries to track down the arsonist or find a faulty electrical box? Sure they may be pondering the cause while working the hose but their main priority is getting the fire controlled. And that should be your major objective as it relates to an eczema flare as well.
In order to highlight the need for you to treat the eczema flare and proverbially “put the fire out,” it can be extremely helpful to take an inventory of what is at stake if you don’t.
Here is a list of the most important factors in jeopardy if your eczema is uncontrolled:
- Decreased quality of life - This should be a no brainer but some patients and caregivers have a hard-time realizing how disruptive an eczema flare can be. The persistent itch and irritation is miserable, decreases sleep and increases the frequency of anxiety and depression. The confidence and productivity of school age children and working adults can decline dramatically.
- Development of Allergies: There is large amount of evidence that points to the development of allergies across an impaired skin barrier. This has been particularly studied in infants and young children but can occur in adults as well. This alone is reason enough to concentrate on keeping an eczema flare in check and doing everything possible to keep your skin barrier intact.
- Skin Changes: Uncontrolled eczema and resultant scratching can discolor (darken or lighten) as well change the texture of the skin. Once these skin changes occur, they can take months at a minimum to improve. Patients often describe feeling embarrassed or ashamed as a result.
- Increased risk of infection and need for antibiotics: Infections with Staph and other bacteria can complicate an ongoing eczema flare. As a result, it often requires a 1-2 week course of oral antibiotics to control the infection. Possible antibiotic side effects including diarrhea and allergic reactions can occur. The potential development of bacterial resistance to the antibiotics should also be considered.
If you have a mild eczema flare, you will likely be affected by the 1-2 factors listed above. If you have a severe flare, all 4 factors as well as many others may be at stake.
The good news is, the chances of these occurring are highly unlikely if you can stop the eczema fire in its tracks and extinguish it before it gets out of hand.
