Eczema Rash Treatment

Today I am going to be talking about how I healed my eczema. If you have eczema, then I’m sure you know how insufferable it can be. There are different levels to eczema and I definitely was an extreme case. I had it terribly on my face and at one point a whole top layer of my skin had completely fallen off. It was painful to say the least. The weirder thing about it is that I developed it as an adult. This gave me the impression that I was doing something wrong and it was curable. 

My first recommendation would be to see a doctor or dermatologist. They can prescribe creams, not sold over the counter, that can help soothe for the time being. No matter what they prescribe, do not take steroids. Steroid creams and pills only temporarily fix the problem, but once you get off of it, it almost always comes back much worse. If you are already taking steroids you are going to have to get off them in order to actually heal. That is the first step.

There are also a lot of natural products that can help with healing wounds and irritation. My two favorites were aloe vera gel and tea tree oil. The aloe vera gel is best when it comes from an organic aloe vera leaf. I was lucky because my mom grows that plant in her backyard, but it is also typically sold at your local farmers market like Sprouts. Aloe vera has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. It aids wounds while cleaning them as well and adds moisture to your skin.

Similarly, tea tree oil is known for its anti fungal, anti bacterial, and anti inflammatory properties. When applying tea tree oil you can also choose to dilute it with vitamin E oil that also hydrates and heals skin. The ratio should be 1 drop of tea tree oil for every 2 drops of vitamin e oil. My oh my, this is one of the biggest contributors to my healing. It is recommended to apply at least twice a day, but I used it as necessary so long as you don’t notice any irritation. I personally never had any issues with it. Another tip to soothe itching is to apply ice with an ice bag. It will quite literally numb the itch and if you have eczema you know how annoying the itch is.

Now, these are great tips for the healing process, but if you truly want to cure your eczema it is going to take a big lifestyle change. For me I had to look at my gut health. It is not commonly talked about with your normal healthcare provider, but so much research online points to your gut health being directly correlated with your skin health, along with many other health conditions. Now, the thing about gut health is if it is really bad, it is going to take a few months to a year to really heal depending on the individual. But please don’t let it discourage you because the results are promising and if you have severe eczema then it really is so worth it! Your skin is a reflection of your insides, so if you want to heal your eczema, then let’s heal your gut health.

So, let’s get into it. The easiest step you can take to start healing your gut is to take probiotics. Probiotics are needed to create healthy gut bacteria for a properly functioning gut. My favorite is from Physician’s Choice. They have great ratings and are easy to take. As soon as I started taking them, I noticed a lot more bowel movement and my poop started looking so much healthier. Another great supplement that is easy to take is to start drinking bone broth. Bone broth can actually help heal your gut from any inflammation and contains vitamins and minerals needed to function properly. My favorite bone broth is from Kettle & Fire because they have organic grass fed and/or pastured raised options, which is the best kind to take (more on this later). 

Now, here comes the hard part to gut health. Changes in your diet. The best thing you can do is incorporate more fruits and veggies. If you are not doing this already, you should be eating fruits and/or vegetables with every meal, and it should be at least ⅓ of your portions. Yes, at least ⅓. I personally am not someone who eats out a lot, but I definitely wasn’t eating the recommended portions for a healthy gut. On top of that, fruits and vegetables have all the vitamins and minerals to function properly and it gives our body the ability to heal itself. They are also high in fiber which is essential for gut health. 

This brings me to my next point, if you eat out a lot, you are definitely going to want to cut back and eat real food at home. And, if you don’t do this already please make sure all the ingredients you buy are clean and organic. Your beef should be grass fed and your chicken should be pasture raised (including eggs). This just means it is real organic food and safe for you to consume. These are the best ingredients for a healthy gut. Cut out any processed foods, even protein powders, and consume all your macros from actual food. As a fitness fein that one was hard for me but I promise it is do-able. You will feel so much better about it too. With that being said, even the probiotic supplement should be used temporarily to help stabilize your gut. Eventually you want to obtain your probiotics from the natural foods you are eating. 

By now, if your primary doctor hasn't ordered an allergy test for you, I definitely recommend taking one. A lot of people develop eczema as a symptom to food they are allergic to and if you’re lucky you will find what it is and can cut it out. If you aren’t allergic to a certain food there shouldn’t be a need to cut it out. Allergy testing isn’t needed but can help. 

Another food that contributes to eczema in a lot of people is gluten. There is no allergy testing for gluten but many people have seen improvements in eczema once they cut it out. I decided to slowly cut out gluten because it can be stressful when you notice just how much food contains gluten on top of trying to eat more organically. I didn’t cut it out completely, but if there is a gluten free option I definitely made the change and swapped it out for the gluten free version. I’m not sure if cutting out gluten helped my eczema or if it was the other health regimes I tried, or both, but I definitely noticed improvement in my skin once I consumed a lot less gluten.

In addition to all this, there is one last supplement I took to help heal my eczema and that is black seed oil from GuruNanda. Black seed oil is known to help with inflammatory conditions, and eczema is an inflammatory problem. It is also known to support bone health, gut health (which we already talked about), and boosts your immune system. The reason I like GuruNanda’s oil is because it also contains omegas and vitamin D & K. All of those vitamins are essential for skin health. I was vitamin D deficient (similar to most Americans currently), so taking this supplement helped me kill 2 birds with 1 stone. The vitamin K is to ensure proper absorption of the vitamin D. 

Last but definitely not least, is to limit stress. Stress has also been associated with eczema outbreaks. If you are here and still reading then I have a feeling you might be stressed. I’m sure you really want to heal your eczema on top of any other stress you may be dealing with. Managing stress is easier said than done. If you can cut out anyone or anything that is causing stress, do it. Find activities that bring joy, whether it calms you or just generally makes you happier. One of my favorite things to do besides exercise, was drink a cup of tea before bed. Organic teas have relaxing properties and can also have other health benefits for your gut and inflammation. Even more of a reason to drink them.

Ok, whew. That was a lot. These are all the things I did to heal my eczema. It definitely can be a big change depending where you are on your health journey, but so worth it. I feel healthier and better than before. Hopefully these tips can help you heal your eczema. Please feel free to comment, share, or reach out to ask any questions you may have. 

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