You may already feel that you’ve reached your breaking point if you are coping with eczema. I know when it was very bad for me last summer, I burst into tears when someone told me that I had to be very careful to avoid getting a bacterial infection. This was not an easy thing to hear given that the struggle with dermatitis was so rough already. But, you don’t want to get impetigo or a staph infection on top of an existing case of atopic eczema or another type of dermatitis.

First of all, it’s interesting to me that some researchers point out that staphylococcus aureus is on the skin already of many sufferers of atopic eczema compared to the rest of the population. They say this is true for those dermatitis sufferers that aren’t even infected. This is already a mystery. It might explain why the body is in defense mood to begin with and an important cause of the problem.

Aside from this though, bacteria such as staph or strep can cause problems for eczema patients. Remember that the skin is often dry, raw and cracked. This creates an opportunity for bacteria to invade. Other infections that may occur are impetigo (especially for kids in a bunk situation or at day care centers), fungal infections or even a herpes infection. The skin is in a vulnerable condition, the immune system is weak and it can be invaded.

Steps that can be taken are to cut your nails and your own children’s nails very short to help avoid any scratching to the eczema skin. Teach your kids to gently tap the itching areas with a wet towel or paper towel instead of scratching. If you are at home, jumping into a bath made with oatmeal is soothing. At night, taking benadryl or an antihistamine will help prevent the itching and scratching cycle.

Go over in your own mind or with your kids with eczema how scratching an itch only aggravates the problem and it is not a cure. It may feel good momentarily , but it is only followed with a need again to scratch the area. Some people get aggressive and scratch till it bleeds, thinking this will clear out the problem. This is not a wise thing to do. It is better to soothe the area with moisturizers, oils and cold compresses. Don’t try to scratch it out. Remember that infected eczema is no picnic. Let them know and remind yourself that getting rid of eczema will have to start all over if the scratching infects the area. It is similar to picking off a scab that was healing. Most kids can relate to that!

Remind yourself and your children (if they are dealing with atopic eczema) that not scratching makes you stronger as a person too. It is an important life lesson and one that develops new skills and coping devices that will get carried into other areas of life. Keep this in mind when one’s resistance seems low and there is discouragement. When you master a challenging situation like itchy eczema psychologically you learn life skills that will remain with you in other situations that are rough.