How to relieve eczema on your face

How should you wash and moisturize your face?

1. 1Wash briefly with cooler water rather than taking a long, hot wash. Use an emollient wash, a moisturizing soap substitute, or a gentle cleanser instead of traditional soap.
2. 2Avoid scrubbing. Pat your face dry gently, leaving the skin slightly damp.
3. 3Apply moisturizer straight away to help hold moisture in the skin. Choose a mild cream or ointment without fragrance, alcohol, dyes or ingredients you know you are allergic to.
4. 4Moisturize two to three times daily, and more often when needed to keep the skin soft. Morning and evening can be useful anchors. Continue even when the patches improve.

A cream or ointment can be the daily staple, without turning the bathroom shelf into a skincare casting call. Petroleum jelly is one ointment option. Avoid aqueous cream because it can irritate eczema. Use a pump or clean spoon rather than putting fingers into a moisturizer pot, and do not share it. Emollient residue on clothing and bedding makes those fabrics catch fire more easily, so avoid smoking and naked flames.125

What helps the itch right now?

A cool compress can provide immediate but temporary relief:

1. 1Soak a clean washcloth in cool water.
2. 2Wring it out until damp and place it on the itchy patch.
3. 3Remove the compress, then apply moisturizer to the area.

Lasting itch relief depends on getting the eczema under control, which takes time. Scratching can worsen swelling and itching and break the skin. Keep nails short and stay cool, since heat can make itching worse.236

Which medicines are suitable for facial eczema?

Facial skin needs a different steroid plan from body skin. A clinician can prescribe a mild topical corticosteroid, a steroid medicine applied to the skin, such as hydrocortisone 1%. Stronger treatment on the face requires medical direction and a short course. Follow the prescribed amount, frequency and duration rather than increasing them yourself. For facial eczema that does not respond adequately to steroid treatment, prescription options include tacrolimus or pimecrolimus. These medicines can also be used intermittently for maintenance. Initial stinging often improves with continued use; they should not be used on infected eczema. Ask for a review if treatment causes a further reaction or is not helping.45

What should you avoid?

Avoid soaps, detergents and other products that make your symptoms worse; a lotion does not earn a place in the routine just by owning a bottle. If a facial rash changes pattern or worsens with treatment, a clinician can check for allergic contact dermatitis, a reaction to something touching the skin. Do not cut foods out of your diet without medical advice, including while breastfeeding a baby with eczema.1467

For a baby with facial eczema, short nails and eczema mittens can reduce damage from scratching. Do not add an itch relief product unless the child's dermatologist recommends it: some contain ingredients that trigger flares.3

When should you get medical help?

Book a medical appointment for a new suspected eczema rash or symptoms that persist despite moisturizing and avoiding triggers. Atopic dermatitis has no cure, but treatment can ease symptoms and clear the skin.157

Get urgent medical help for blistering, crusting, leaking fluid, pus, pain, swelling, warmth, sudden worsening or spreading, fever or feeling generally unwell. These can indicate infection or eczema herpeticum, a serious herpes virus infection requiring urgent treatment.47