Bad Eczema Flare Up? 11 Tips To Bounce Back in 1 Week

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This blog post is all about how to bounce back from a bad eczema flare up in 1 week.

Once upon a time, a girl with eczema went on vacation without packing her tried and true eczema products.

It wasn’t until she arrived at her destination that she discovered nearby stores didn’t carry the moisturizer she needed and she was forced to use a different one.

If you happen to suffer from eczema, you probably know all too well how the rest of this story unravels.

So if you haven’t figured it out, said girl is me.

If you’re wondering how and why a self-proclaimed eczema expert ended up in this predicament, read on!

What Lead to My Recent Bad Eczema Flare Up

I went on a weekend trip to Vegas and instead of packing my CeraVe Moisturizing cream and risking it having to be thrown out in TSA, I went without and planned on picking some up a nearby store when we arrived.

However, the CVS Pharmacy next to our hotel (shoutout Planet Hollywood) was out of the trial size of my cream. And I, being the stubborn frugal that I am, refused to pay the inflated Vegas price of $24 for a cream that would cost me under $12 at home.  

So, instead, I purchased the travel size of the Cetaphil that they did have in stock.

No big deal right?

Wrong!

I began applying the Cetaphil on Thursday night. But as with any delayed reaction allergen, the damage didn’t surface right away.

I was actually fine for the first twenty-four hours but as soon Saturday morning came around, I began experiencing the reaction.

Against my better judgement, instead of stopping use and realizing the Cetaphil was breaking me out, I continued to apply it.

My thought process was “my skin NEEDED a moisturizer and anything was better than nothing.” 

So, continuing on. 

As the day unfolded Saturday, I experienced even more redness and the itch started to pick up.

And by Sunday morning (which was also my last time applying the products)….

Well, I’ll just let the picture speak for itself.

As you can see, my eyes were nearly swollen shut and I could barely open them. Not only that, my neck and the cracks of my elbows were covered in rashes.

I knew when I woke up Monday morning it was too late to reverse it quickly and I was just going to have to ride out this flare and go back to my tried and true process of recovering.

Here’s a picture of my face on our last day in Vegas (Monday) at the worst of my flare.

Obviously, this is not the worst my eczema has ever been. But after a couple years of nearly clear skin, this was extremely unsettling.

However, once I started incorporating the following tips, this was the timeline of my healing:

How To Recover From a Bad Eczema Flare-Up in 1 Week

1. Identify and Eliminate the trigger 

Before you can begin the healing process, it is super important to first identify what flared you up in the first place. Once you have identified your trigger, you can then hopefully eliminate it and begin the steps to heal the damage done.

Note: If your trigger is something out of your control like a season change, you can still take steps to limit your exposure and these tips will help ease up the severity of your flare-up. However, you obviously won’t get as immediate relief as you would for a physical trigger that you have the ability to eliminate.

2. Use Hydrocortisone or Steroid at Your Own Risk

Once you’ve eliminated and identified trigger, it’s okay to use something a little stronger to facilitate some itch and inflammation relief.

Do keep in mind, though: the longer and more you use steroids on your skin, the harder it will be for your body to adjust to not having them. So use discretion when using.

I’ve included in depth tips on how I use steroid creams in short term for relief of my eczema in this post.

Here’s the hydrocortisone cream I used by Aveeno:

3. Use an Anti-Inflammatory to Reduce Swelling and Inflammation

An anti-inflammatory medication can be great to use short term for temporary relief of the swelling and inflammation customary to an eczema flare up.

I use over the counter Benadryl, usually taking 1-2 pills morning and night. I’ve noticed the itch always seems to be worse at night so if I don’t take it during the day I’m sure to take some at night.

4. Temporarily Convert to a Minimalist Skincare Routine

After you have completed the first two steps above, it’s back to the basics from here.

By this I mean, I simply resort back to what has helped me time and time again in the past.

One of the things is cutting out the fancy skincare products and temporarily converting to a minimalist skincare routine. This is only during the healing phase and not to say you can’t go back to using other products.

If you want to see what all my minimalist skincare routine for eczema entails: I outline it all in this post.

Basically, it is made up of using only eczema-safe products like natural oils, a gentle cleanser, and my tried and true CeraVe moisturizing cream.

5. Use Ice Packs for Itch Relief During a Bad Eczema Flare Up

A great physical tool for taking away the itch of an eczema flare up are ice packs. Ice works to numb the area as well as the receptors in the skin that cause the itch of eczema. It’s one of the few things that actually works for me to take away the itchy-crawly sensation of eczema.

Remember: stopping the itch is half the battle of healing eczema. If you are continually re-opening the skin from damaging the skin barrier (itching) you will be climbing an uphill battle for healing.

The ice packs that work the best for me are the ones that don’t cause a lot of wet condensation, like these:

6. Hot Salt Showers

Another great way to calm the itch during an intense eczema flare up is to use Epsom or Sea Salt during your shower.

Some people will say to take a salt bath, but those have often left me feeling more itchy and don’t work for me.

What does work is this:

Applying salt directly to your flared-up spots (I know, pouring salt in the wounds, ouch!), letting it sit and sizzle for a minute, and then rinsing it with hot water (more burn!).

Don’t get me wrong, it stings. Pretty badly in fact.

But it’s so worth it. Because immediately after, you are left with skin that does not itch at all.

It might sound crazy but it really works so well!

Following a salt shower, my skin can go many hours without the slightest itch.

Here’s the salt I use to relieve the itch of eczema:

7. Get Alot of Rest

Did you know, according to Byrdie’s article: The Truth About What Your Skin Really Does at Night, when we sleep, our skin switches into ‘recovery mode,’ and the regeneration process during sleep can be up to three times faster than during the day.

And I must say – as a recovered eczema sufferer, this makes total sense.

I mean, do you really have eczema if you haven’t woken up to a pile of flakes on your bed sheets?

Gross, yes!

But also proof of the crazy amount of skin regeneration your skin goes through as you are catching z’s.

So, takeaway: if you are suffering from insomnia due to the stress of your flare, it may be helpful to use a sleep aid short term.

Regardless of which route you take, the important thing is you are getting ample rest so that your skin can heal.

You and your skin will feel ten times better just be incorporating this tip!

8. Stress Management

I know, this is so hard.

I even find myself struggling with this and the slightest flare up can send me into PTSD flashbacks to when my eczema was at its worst.

One stress management technique that I find extremely helpful is reciting positive, reassuring mantras to myself.

A couple that really resonate with me and I find the most soothing are:

• “You have healed before, you will heal again.”

and

• “Everything I need is within me.”

If mantras aren’t your thing, don’t fret. There are so many things you can do to help manage the stress of eczema.

I have outlined them in this post.

9. Drink Plenty of Water During a Bad Eczema Flare Up

If you want to give your body the best shot at repairing itself in any way, it’s essential to give it what it needs to do so.

Staying hydrated from the inside ensures your body is functioning at its optimal level.

Remember, your body wants to heal and preserve itself. It’s your job to make that task a little bit easier by doing something as simple as staying hydrated. 

If you’re like me and have a hard time staying hydrated, this jug might be a great way to keep you on track.

10. Wear Minimal Makeup

It’s really important that you don’t overdo it when it comes to what you’re putting on your skin during an eczema flare up. And makeup happens to be one of those things.

So when it comes to applying makeup during a bad eczema flare up, I tend to either not wear any at all or use my go-to eczema makeup routine. It’s light and uses the bare minimum of products so it doesn’t irritate any existing flares. 

You can check that out here.

And if you’re looking for a good base makeup or foundation to wear during an eczema flare up, I’ve listed all my favorites in this post.

The idea is pretty simple: you want to make sure your skin is hydrated, able to breathe, and isn’t being exposed to any additional irritants.

11. Nail Maintenance

You’d be surprised how much damage your nails can do to your skin in just a single, quick itch sesh!

That’s why first sign of an eczema flare up, you’re better off cutting them down and filing them super smooth.

Depending on the itch, gel acrylic nails may be a better option for you. They thicken the nail and make it harder to break open the skin, therefore reducing the damage you can actually inflict from itching.

Final Words on Bouncing Back From a Bad Eczema Flare Up

Bad eczema flare ups are nevertheless a pain in the butt. But these tips will no doubt speed up your recovery time and give you some comfort as you heal.

If you suffer from eczema, I’d love to know what your first step is to get your skin back in line.

Comment below!

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