Tips from a Dermatologist: "Never Itch in Silence."

Fall and winter are challenging times of year for people with sensitive skin rashes, like eczema, and psoriasis, because the cooler air tends to easily suck moisturizer out of our skin, leaving it dry, flaky, cracked, and fissured.

The good news is that Dermatologists now have many new treatments for eczema, even ways of preventing flares of eczema. The bottom line is that you should “Never Itch in Silence.” So what can be done?

First, it’s long been known that moisturizing the skin tends to cut down on flares of eczema. Helpful options include Cetaphil® Lotion, Eucerin® Cream and Lotion, and Cerave®.

An organic and natural option coming from the nuts of an African tree is Shea Butter. My family of four Dermatologists started manufacturing a product from Shea Butter – GlycoShea™ Facial&Neck Cream – in the 1980s, with what’s called an Alpha-Hydroxy Acid – Glycolic Acid – originally discovered in pineapple and sugarcane – and thousands of people in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi have benefitted from GlycoShea Hand and Body Cream and GlycoShea Facial and Neck Cream. You may want to check out the GlycoShea line of moisturizers – with the added benefit that their Glycolic Acid smooths the appearance of fine lines in the skin – by going to www.Bigriversilkskincare.com (1-901-753-0168).

The good news is that Dermatologists now have several new treatments to help eczema patients with the itching, dryness, and rash. For years, we have used prescription topical (meaning “on top of” the skin) steroid creams and ointments. We also have non-steroid ointments available – tacrolimus and pimecrolimus. Now we also have a new steroid-free ointment based upon boron technology called Eucrisa® Ointment. And we also have a biologic injectable medicine – Dupixent® – which works directly on the immune system.

My own Dermatology practice is in Cordova, TN, a suburb of Memphis, TN, but there are over 12,600 Dermatologists in the United States. To find one close to you, go to the American Academy of Dermatology website – AAD.org. You can plug in your zip code, and voila, you’ll have a list of Dermatologists close to you.

And remember that the National Eczema Association (NEA.org) supports a helpful web site and offers health fairs periodically to raise awareness of the growing number of helpful mediations and treatments. So if you or a family member suffers from eczema, do not itch in silence. Join the community of people with eczema by connecting.

Furthermore, there is now a way of curing flares of eczema, which can sometimes be due to the development of an allergy to a preservative, fragrance, or even a mixing agent called propylene glycol, through a type of allergy testing, called allergy patch testing. This type of testing is available in Cordova TN at Rheumatology and Dermatology Associates (www.Rheumderm.com). And to find a list of Dermatologists in your area that offer this type of testing, simply go to the American Contact Dermatitis Society website, ACDS.org, and plug in your zip code. So “Never Itch in Silence!”