Eczema cream, ointment: what should you use?

There are different types of creams for eczema. Understanding the role of each anti-eczema cream helps optimize treatment.

What do eczema creams contain?

Eczema creams contain active ingredients:

• Anti-inflammatories: these are cortisone creams or ointments for eczema based on immunosuppressants. These anti-eczema creams help fight against plaques and itching, they are applied directly to the plaques;
• Moisturizers: these are emollients. These anti-eczema creams make it possible to fight against skin dryness, they are applied to areas not affected by plaques and on the whole body.

Creams for baby’s eczema and facial eczema creams contain the same active ingredients and are used in the same way to treat eczema; only the strength of some cortisone creams may vary to suit these more fragile skin types.

Are there over-the-counter eczema creams available?

Several anti-eczema creams are available without a prescription, but they are used as a complement and not as a replacement for medical prescription and cortisone creams. These eczema creams are very often recommended by the physician or pharmacist. Emollients help to hydrate the skin but are not applied to eczema plaques. However, medical devices in the form of a soothing repair cream have been shown to speed up the treatment of plaques (by applying the repair cream over the topical corticosteroid, like a dressing) and limit their reappearance (by applying the repair cream to areas usually affected by eczema).

How should you apply eczema creams?

Here are the right habits to adopt on a daily basis. In the evening after the shower or at any other time, imagine you are a painter:

• on any red, rough and itchy areas, apply the cortisone cream and/or medical device;
• on the rest of the body, the emollient is applied.

The treatment of eczema is therefore performed once a day, every day. On the road or on vacation, don't forget your eczema ointments!