Is there anything else we can do to stop the eczema getting worse?

Apart from following the advice in the chapter on treatment, there
are some general measures that can be of benefit. As with other
bits of general advice in this book, the measures may apply much
more to people with an atopic type of eczema:
• Avoid any pets with furry or hairy coats, such as rabbits,
hamsters, cats, dogs and horses. We don’t advise getting rid
of existing pets, but you might want to consider not
replacing them when they die.
• Clothes and bedding should be of cotton or even silk as
these are less irritant than wool and synthetic materials.
• Keep fingernails cut short, and consider wearing cotton
gloves or mittens at night.
• Try to use a non-biological washing powder and rinse
clothes thoroughly after washing to remove traces of soap
powder. It might be useful to use an extra rinse cycle on the
washing machine.
• Pollen can sometimes make eczema worse. Adult eczema
sufferers can ask a relative or friend to cut the grass; if your
child is affected, cut the grass in the evening after he or she
has gone to bed.
• Wear cotton gloves when doing housework such as
vacuuming, polishing or dusting, keep the room well
ventilated, and if your child has eczema, ask him or her to
stay out of the room you are cleaning.
• Keep cool; sweat can irritate the skin, leading to intensely
itchy, dry, eczematous skin.
• Avoid handling or preparing irritant foods such as citrus
fruits, onions, chillies, raw vegetables (especially tomatoes)
and salty food.
• Cigarette smoke can be an irritant to eczema so encourage
smokers to keep their habit outside the home.I have been recently advised that my daughter’s eczema is
aggravated by teething, smoke and cat or dog hair. She is
18 months old. Could you please advise on such claims –
she hasn’t had any tests?
It depends a bit on who is giving you this advice and whether it is
general or specific. Teething has been reported as causing flares
of eczema on the face in young children, but this could be related
to the increased dribbling causing irritation around the mouth
rather than to any direct effect of teething. Smoke is irritant to the
skin so this is good advice – try to make sure that your daughter
is not exposed to any smoke.
Cat and dog hair can be a problem, and this is usually a direct
allergic effect so could show up on a blood test. It is very unfair to
make young children have blood tests as you may already have a
feeling that the family pet is causing a problem. It is interesting
that it is not cat hair itself that causes the problem but something
in the cat’s saliva, which coats the hairs after all the washing that
cats do. With dogs, the allergen is in the hair itself. Try to keep the
pet out of your daughter’s bedroom, and keep a play mat handy to
put down on carpets that may have pet hair on them.