Dermatitis
tends to take a very varying development and rarely persists without phases of healing in between: that means, dermatitis occurs in bouts or episodes.
There are a number of possibilities to prevent the occurrence of dermatitis or to keep the inflammations as mild as possible. This is something everybody can do.
The measures must be chosen according to the causes and triggers of the skin condition on one side and according to the occurring skin problems on the other side.
Everyone who has dermatitis or wants to protect his or her skin against developing dermatitis can take several measures, and often it is a good idea to combine them.
Please find some hints below:
 Avoid possible or already known trigger factors. More... |
It is very important to avoid strong trigger factors. In most cases, it is easy to detect which influences dry out the skin..
 The most frequent cause is water (washing, showering). That doesn’t mean, of course, that you shouldn’t wash any more. But it might be recommendable to reduce the frequency of water exposure and to use mild detergents. The water contact should also be as short as possible. For that reason, showering is encouraged more than bathing. The detergents should be chosen according to your skin type and condition. Please use only detergents that have about the same pH-value as the human skin (5.5 on the pH scale). They are called pH neutral detergents. This will avoid damage to the protective skin layer.
If you know your allergic triggers, please avoid them (e. g. costume jewellery). For many triggers this is possible, but for others you may need professional support (physician, nutritionist) to be successful.
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| Apply adequate skin cleaning and skin care. More... |
If you already have dermatitis or want to avoid getting it: adequate skin cleaning and skin care are important measures to keep your skin healthy and to alleviate the consequences of skin problems.
 Intensive water exposure makes the skin dry and can lead to dermatitis. Therefore it is recommended to avoid intensive water exposure (e. g. bathing for longer than 15 minutes). Shorter water exposure is to be preferred (e. g. showering).
Additives with a slight conditioning and moisturizing effect lessen the drying-up of the skin produced by water contact. It is a good idea to use conditioning products with as few ingredients as possible, to reduce the possibility to become allergic to or irritated by one of them.
The best choice in skin cleansing products are mild synthetic detergents. Their pH value should be around 5.5, corresponding to the pH value of the human skin, to avoid damage of the protective skin barrier.
 It is important to use skin cleaning and care products you feel comfortable with: you should find them relaxing to your skin and notice a reduction of your itching or skin dryness.
And they should be adequate to your skin type and condition, especially regarding their fat content: in summer and with warm weather, highly greasy products are usually experienced as uncomfortable, the skin feels clammy and “closed” then. In winter, when the heating dries up the air anyway, greasy ointments can be much more welcome. |
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| Take care of your dermatitis. More... |
Has dermatitis occurred anyway, there are various substances available to soothe the skin.
 Beside the pharmaceutical agent, the lipid content of the cream or ointment is important. Oozing dermatitis prefer a treatment with a more fluid cream (lotion): it will cool the skin, take away the itch and stop the development of blisters and the discharge of lymph. In dry dermatitis, however, a fat cream (ointment) will make the skin more elastic again. The helpful pharmaceutical substances can be added to any kind of lotion or ointment. In this, it is important to observe not only short-term, but also long-term effects. Cold water may be nicely cooling and take away the itching for the moment, but in the long run it will dry out the skin even more: the afflictions are reduced for a short while and come back more strongly later.
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| Ask for professional help. More... |
Dermatitis is a skin disease. Light dermatitis often heals without additional measures. But dermatitis that lasts for a longer time or appears frequently should receive professional treatment.
 The physician will try to find out together with you, like a detective, the causes of your skin problems. As soon as there are some “suspects”, more detailed examinations and testings can be carried out. If you find the triggers of the dermatitis, you can take measures to deal with the skin problems in everyday life. Sometimes it is not possible or also not enough to avoid the triggers completely; in that situation there are a number of other measures that can be taken to bring the dermatitis to a quick healing. These measures will be adapted to your skin condition and your personal situation.
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| To be avoided: scratching! More... |
 It is very important to prevent drying-up of the skin. When your skin itches, please don’t scratch! The itching may cease for the moment when you scratch, but the scratching usually leads to lesions and wounds that will aggravate the situation.
Better beat or press lightly onto the skin with the palm of your hand. Wet packs should only be applied on skin that you have lotioned before, to avoid the skin to dry up. Heat often worsens the itch.
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| Be patient. More... |
 Be patient
Dermatitis can be rather annoying, as it often appears without warning and without a visible reason. The skin problems come quickly and take a long time to leave. This may be a hard strain on one’s patience. It is very important to keep to your treatment routine patiently. This will help you to be successful in getting rid of them again.
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| Don’t give up, but become an expert. More... |
In the course of life, dermatitis appears in many people. There is no reason to bury one’s head in the sand.
 There are a lot of things one can do to avoid dermatitis, and even when it occurs, you can learn to deal with the situation by applying adequate treatment and skin care measures. Many people with dermatitis become “experts” about their skin condition and know when to take which measures. And there is a lot of information to be found if one knows where to look for it.
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