How Do I Get Rid of Eczema on My Face?

Home remedies to reduce or relieve symptoms of eczema on your face include: 

• Identifying and eliminating triggers 
• Keeping the skin on the face hydrated
  • Emollients
    • Thick creams (such as Eucerin, Cetaphil, and Nutraderm) or ointments (such as petroleum jelly, Aquaphor, and Vaseline) that contain little to no water
    • Apply immediately after bathing or washing the face for the best results
    • Apply twice daily or more frequently as needed
  • Bathing
    • Lukewarm baths or showers can hydrate and cool the skin and may help relieve itching
    • Use unscented, mild soap or non-soap cleanser sparingly
    • Apply an emollient immediately after bathing, showering, or washing your face
    • Avoid hot baths or showers, or those lasting more than 10-15 minutes 
    • Diluted bleach baths may be recommended to decrease the amount of bacteria on the skin that can cause infections or worsen symptoms 
• Wet dressings (wet wraps) may be used to help soothe and hydrate skin, reduce itching and redness, loosen crusted areas, and prevent skin injury due to scratching

Medications used to treat eczema include:

• Topical steroid creams or ointments 
• Oral antihistamines for itching 
  • Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), hydroxyzine (Vistaril, Atarax), and cyproheptadine cause drowsiness and may be helpful for patients whose itching keeps them up at night
  • Cetirizine (Zyrtec) and loratadine (Alavert, Claritin) cause less drowsiness
• Tacrolimus ointment (Protopic) and pimecrolimus cream (Elidel)
• Oral steroids may be used for short periods to treat severe flares
• Injectable “biologics” such as dupilumab (Dupixent) may be prescribed for adults with moderate to severe eczema that has not responded to other treatments
• Immunosuppressive drugs may be recommended for patients with severe eczema whose symptoms do not improve with other treatments

Ultraviolet light therapy (phototherapy) may also be used to help control eczema in patients with severe eczema who do not respond to other treatments. However, it is expensive and can increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

Types of eczema include: 

• Atopic dermatitis
• Contact dermatitis
• Dyshidrotic eczema
• Nummular eczema
• Seborrheic dermatitis
• Stasis dermatitis

Symptoms of eczema on the face include: 

• Intense skin itching 
  • Itching may be worse at night
  • Scratching may aggravate inflammation and itching
  • Oozing, bleeding, or crusting may occur on areas that are scratched open
  • Pustules, blisters, and red-hot skin may occur in cases of secondary infection
  • Thickened and darkened, or even scarred, skin may occur from repeated scratching
• Clogged hair follicles, which causes small bumps
• Patches of inflamed or swollen skin
• Scaly, rough patches of skin
• Skin flaking 
• Sensitive skin
• Dry skin
• Skin discoloration (especially red or pink)
• Increased skin creasing on the palms and/or an extra fold of skin under the eye
• Darkening of the skin around the eyes