How to Spot (and Treat) Eczema

Finally, a way to make those flaky and itchy patches disappear

Everyone gets a scaly spot or two when it’s frigid outside, right? It might be true, but all dry patches aren’t made equal. Some take a little more than a dab of lotion to go away and might linger for weeks (or months!), getting worse instead of better as you try to soothe them. Those persistent splotches could be eczema flares.

Learn how to recognize the signs of the pesky skin issue and how to get rid of those flakes, once and for all.

The Symptoms
Eczema “starts as dry and itchy skin that develops into a rash after scratching,” says Meghan O’Brien, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. The most common spots to find the rash are on hands and fingers, elbow creases, behind the knees, neck, cheeks, and around your nose, she says.

But how can you tell if your dry spots are normal or related to eczema? Regular dry skin improves in a couple of days with regular use of emollient ingredients, like squalane, olive oil, and shea butter. Eczema patches, on the other hand, tend to be pink, red, or white, stick around for more than a few days, and are not easily quenched by lotions, says O’Brien. If you’re not sure if what you have exactly matches this description, head to the derm to get a diagnosis.

The Treatment
So you have eczema—what do you do now? It’s simple: Moisturize like crazy, and keep cleansing to a minimum.

Shorten your showers, and only rinse with lukewarm water to prevent irritating your spots. Minimize the amount of soap and face wash you use, and switch to gentle, creamy formulas with few ingredients—nothing antibacterial or that contains retinol, glycolic, or salicylic acids should come near your skin. And forget about scrubbing the flakes off. It might offer temporary relief, but ultimately it worsens your symptoms, says O’Brien.

After showering and while skin is still damp, apply face and body lotions with ceramides, which gently but effectively bring moisture back to skin, helping it heal. Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream ($48, birchbox.com) and CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion ($11, drugstore.com) are two great options. At night, sleep with a humidifier to make your bedroom more skin-friendly.

If the lesions aren’t gone in two weeks, you may need a prescription steroid cream. Sometimes a stronger topical is the only thing that can break the itch-and-scratch cycle of an eczema patch, says O’Brien.