What Wet Wraps Can Do For Your Eczema

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What Wet Wraps Can Do For Your Eczema

When nothing else seems to bring relief and your eczema prone skin is red, swollen, terribly itchy and cracked then perhaps it is time to discuss wet-wrap therapy as a source of relief with your doctor. Research into this kind of therapy has proven that it does indeed bring relief as well as soothe and re-moisturize the sore skin. One study that looked at the effectiveness of wet wraps on children suffering from severe atopic dermatitis yielded successful results. In the span of one week a seventy-four percent decrease was found in itching habits of the children. As well they were also able to experience more fitful sleeps. Even after the two week wet-wrap therapy ended, improvements continued to be noted. This kind of therapy has also shown significant improvement in those suffering from moderate to severe hand dermatitis.

Wet wraps make use of wet bandages that are "wrapped" as the name suggests, around the sore skin. In order to prepare for the wet wrap, the eczema sufferer must first soak in a bath that includes an emollient oil. After the bath is completed, moisturizer is used on the skin. In cases where the eczema is severe, meds such as steroid or anti-itch creams can be applied to the affected skin. The bandages used in the wet-wrap therapy are made wet by allowing them to soak in either a special moisturizer or warm water. After they are significantly wet, the bandages are wrapped carefully on the area of the body suffering from eczema. A wet wrap can be used on every spot of the body where there is eczema and this includes the sufferer's face. In order to keep the moisture in even more, dry bandages are put over the wet bandages.

There are a number of advantages to wet-wrap therapy. These include the rehydration of the damaged skin, more fitful night's sleeps, less severe itching less often, a decreased incidence of redness and swelling and a lesser chance that the staph (staphylolcoccus aureus) bacteria which is on the skin in small quantities will develop into an infection.

Wet-wrap therapy however does have its negative side. It can take a great deal of time to do from start to finish and children often have a hard time sitting still t for the entire procedure. As well many children and adults alike find it difficult to be wrapped in wet bandages and cannot sit for a long enough period of time to allow the wet wraps to do their job. Sometimes moistened pajamas or another piece of clothing is used to treat babies or children in place of bandages. It is essential to always make sure that the temperature in the room where the wet-wrap therapy is taking place is such that the patient will not get cold.

Wet-wrap therapy is done over the span of a week or two, and generally no more. It is important to hydrate the skin a number of times throughout the day with an appropriate moisturizer after the wet wrap have been completed. Also other methods for decreasing flare-ups must continue to be utilized, such as avoiding allergens and irritants as well as using steroid creams or other forms of medications.