Even when nothing else seems to be working, wet wraps can be an effective way to treat eczema. What are wet wraps and how are they used? This article has the answers.
Some patients find that despite utilizing many different kinds of treatment, their skin remains terribly itchy, reddened, swollen and inflamed. In such situations, the doctor may consider using wet wrap therapy to treat eczema. As the name implies, wet wraps make use of moisturized wraps or bandages on the skin.
Just how effective is this therapy? Research indicates that wet warps soothes and moisturizes eczema-affected skin while relieving itching. One study probed the effects of using wet wraps on children who had severe atopic dermatitis. The researchers found that the children's itching habits reduced by a full 74% after just one week of therapy. Eczema sufferers often cannot sleep well because of the urge to itch - the children in this study were able to sleep better after the treatment. The wet wrap treatment continued for a period of two weeks and the children continued to show improvements even after treatment ended. The study concluded that wet wraps are a highly effective way to treat eczema.
To prepare for the wet wrap process, a bath containing emollient oil is prepared and the patient soaks in it for a while. After the bath, a moisturizer is applied to the skin. In cases of severe eczema, steroid medications or preparations to control itchiness may be applied to the skin.
The wet wrap uses moisturized bandages. They are prepared by soaking bandages in warm water or in moisturizers. After the bandages are adequately moisturized, they are wrapped on the areas of the skin. Practically any part of the body can be treated in this manner. To prevent the bandages from losing moisture too rapidly, they are covered with a layer of dry bandages. Children and babies may be wrapped in wet pajamas instead of bandages. The room temperature should be maintained at a sufficiently high level so that the patient feels comfortable.
Wet wrap treatment is done over a two week timeframe. After the wraps are taken off, the patient must moisturize his skin at frequent intervals. If the eczema flare-ups are being caused by environmental irritants / allergens, the patient must take care to avoid them. Steroid creams or other medications prescribed must continue to be used.
Using wet wraps to treat eczema has a number of advantages.
Re-hydration of the skin is the key to controlling eczema symptoms. And wet wrap therapy does just that. This is the factor behind all the other benefits offered by this treatment.
Most patients find that both the severity and frequency of their itching goes down significantly. This by itself is a major improvement for many eczema sufferers. Other symptoms like redness and swelling also decrease. Because the skin condition improves, the patient has lower chances of getting bacterial infections. For these reasons, wet wraps are considered an excellent option to treat eczema.
This therapy does have some disadvantages. The whole process including the preparatory stage is time consuming. Children have a difficult time sitting still while the wet bandages are being wrapped.
After the wraps are in place, many adults and children are very uncomfortable with the sensation of wetness on their skin. The bandages must be retained for a period of time for the treatment to work - this is tough for many patients.
Despite these limitations, wet wrap therapy is an effective way to treat eczema. It continues to be used by many patients for the benefits it offers.