Is Ignoring Eczema the Best Medicine?

I’m not one to ignore problems. If there is a problem, there’s a strong desire for me to fix it. After all, there must be a solution. So I think.

First of all, what’s the problem?

Like many people who may hide their face, the itchy red spots on my face is the problem. Eczema always seems to creep up at the wrong time. I’m usually in the middle of a stressful stretch of days. That means I don’t need to be even more stressed out about how I’m going to cover up my dry, flaky skin. For me, stress is a major trigger for flare-ups. Once my face gets itchy it’s hard to stop scratching! I’m constantly picking at the dry, rough patches in an effort to smooth out the skin on my face. But the process of peeling the skin and continued stress just leads to worsening eczema. No amount of lotion or prescription creams seems to help improve the flaking of these itchy spots. When I peel the flakes off the skin looks smoother and easier to cover up with make-up, but then the flakes come back again by the end of the day. It’s a cycle that keeps on going until I say that I’ve finally had enough. Eczema, you will not win! You will not beat me this time! But what’s my plan?

Do Nothing.

My grand plan is to do NOTHING! I know, it sounds a little crazy, especially from someone like me who always has to fix her problems. Yet I thought to myself that doing nothing IS my solution. Well, not the only solution, but the primary solution. I still use creams or lotions to counter the itch, but I truly have to fight the urge to scratch at it and stop picking off the flaky skin layers. I want my body to help me heal. I can’t heal unless I give my body time to do its magical work. I liken it to a scab. The scab is a sign that your body is doing what it’s supposed to do during the healing process. It’s always so tempting to pick the scab off the skin. But the scab will come off on its own when the body decides it’s ready and the skin underneath and around it has healed properly. Removing the scab may delay the healing process, add more stress on the body, and make it work harder to do its repairs. There’s that word again, stress!

Reduce stress and ignore the problem.

Another reason that ignoring my eczema sometimes works for me is because if I don’t think about it, I’m not stressing about it. It sounds too good to be true! However, stress is one of the major sources of my flare-up. If I can reduce my stress in any way, then that should help fix my problem. Along with this approach, I still try to reduce all the other stress triggers in my life. Typically I’ve found that within a few days my skin has cleared up and I’m suddenly no longer feeling the need to scratch at my skin. It surprises me every time when I look in the mirror and suddenly realize that my eczema spots are no longerred and flaky. Sometimes I’ve found that ignoring my eczema has been the best medicine for me!