Home remedies for eczema on your face

How to care for your face at home

An emollient is a moisturizing treatment, which is a grand name for something with a very practical job. Emollients include products you leave on the skin and preparations you wash with, which is a broad job description for something usually mistaken for a jar.1

1. 1Wash gently with an emollient soap substitute instead of ordinary soap. Use lukewarm water, not hot water. If you shower or bathe, keep it to 5 to 10 minutes.
2. 2Pat your face dry rather than rubbing it. Apply moisturizer while the skin is still damp to help seal in moisture.
3. 3Apply moisturizer at least twice a day and again when your face feels dry. Morning and evening can make this part of your everyday routine; dryness is a reason to apply more often.
4. 4Keep moisturizing when the eczema looks clear. Regular care helps prevent further flares, rather than only treating the dryness you can already see.

Which moisturizer should you use on your face?

Choose a mild, fragrance free cream or ointment rather than a lotion for dry eczema. Ointments are especially useful for very dry or cracked skin and are less likely to sting. For adolescents and adults with facial eczema, a lighter emollient can be preferable because heavy preparations can provoke acne or a rash around the mouth called perioral dermatitis. Match the texture to the area rather than assuming the thickest option belongs everywhere, which keeps moisturizer selection from becoming a contest won by paste.235

Greasy ointments can also cause blocked, irritated hair follicles, particularly in hot or humid weather. If an ointment makes your skin hotter, itchier or develops irritated bumps, stop the greasy preparation temporarily and consider a cream. Ask for advice if the problem continues. Creams themselves can sting on active eczema, so a different texture is not automatically a comfortable one.5

What should you avoid putting on your face?

Avoid perfumed cosmetics and choose products labeled "fragrance free." "Unscented" products can contain fragrance whose smell has been covered up. Fragrance is not the only possible trigger: preservatives, dyes and other ingredients can cause contact reactions, including in products labeled "hypoallergenic." If a particular product repeatedly triggers a rash, tell your dermatologist; hospital patch testing can help identify a contact allergy.45

Before using a new skincare product, apply it to a patch about the size of a quarter on the inside of your arm every day for 7 to 10 days. If the skin stays clear, you can begin using the product. Do not use aqueous cream for eczema care, because it can irritate the skin and make eczema worse.14

What else helps reduce itching and flares?

Keep cool and avoid overheating or sweating. Cold weather and dry air can dry the skin, while excessive washing also aggravates eczema. Stress, pollen, dust and sunburn are other possible triggers. Look for patterns in your own flares rather than trying to avoid every possible trigger at once. Dermatitis care can include fans and wet dressings to cool hot, inflamed skin; ask your clinician how to use dressings if these are needed.24

How long does home care take to help?

Moisturizers soothe and hydrate skin, but their effects are short lived, which is why they need frequent application. There is no fixed number of days by which a facial flare should clear. Atopic eczema can last a long time, and moisturizing helps relieve discomfort and reduce flares rather than curing the condition. Some children improve as they grow older, while others continue to have eczema as adults.36

When does moisturizer need help from medicine?

Moisturizers address dryness, while topical corticosteroids, medicines applied to the skin, reduce inflammation. Facial eczema can also be treated with prescribed pimecrolimus cream. Have a clinician choose the medicine and strength for your face rather than borrowing someone else's prescription. For a child's prescribed steroid, leave about 30 minutes between steroid and emollient application to avoid diluting it, and follow the child's treatment instructions.26

Use the products that help and tell your dermatologist which ones do not. Book a medical review if treatment is not helping or the diagnosis is uncertain. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can worsen eczema.14

What home care helps eczema on a baby's face?

Babies commonly develop eczema on their face. Use a fragrance free moisturizer and gentle, tepid washing, then pat dry. Apply emollient gently without a thick layer and reapply frequently. Keep nails short and use scratch mittens to limit damage from scratching. Keep babies away from people with cold sores, and do not kiss a baby with eczema if you have a cold sore. Do not remove foods from your baby's diet, or your own diet if breastfeeding, unless a doctor advises it.136

Which symptoms need urgent medical care?

Get urgent medical help for blistering, leaking fluid, crusting, pus, pain, warmth or swelling, particularly if the eczema suddenly spreads or you have a fever or feel unwell. Painful clusters of small blisters on the face can signal a spreading cold sore virus infection called eczema herpeticum. This needs urgent treatment, and infection near or involving the eye needs specialist assessment.15

Use a pump or clean spoon to take moisturizer from a pot, and do not share emollients. Keep away from smoking and naked flames: emollient residue on clothing, bedding and other fabrics makes them catch fire more easily.1