How to wet wrap your child with eczema
A Guide to Wet Wrapping Therapy for Eczema
Wrapping your child with damp bandages at night cuts the speed at which the skin dries out by keeping a layer of moisture next to the body. The layer of wet fabric locks the moisture in, giving emollients time to completely saturate and penetrate the skin. And, as the water evaporates from the wet layer, it provides a cooling sensation for the skin, which can relieve the eczema itch. It's ideal for moderate to severe eczema and results can be significant.
- Introduces Moisture
- Reduces the Itch
- Soothes the Skin
Here's how
- Run a lukewarm bath and ideally add some Sea-Med natural seaweed powder.
- Encourage your child to stay in the seaweed bath for as long as possible, at least 10 minutes.
- Use a soap substitute such as Aqueous cream or Aquamol. Avoid bubble baths or gels and soaps other than Sea-Med soap.
- Use a soft bamboo wash cloth to very gently slough away any flaky, peeling skin but do not scrub these areas.
- Soak rolls of fabric bandages or lengths of Tubifast or Comfifast tubular bandages in the seaweed water and squeeze out the excess.
- Get your child out of the bath and gently pat him or her dry with a bamboo towel or bath wrap. Make sure the body creases are dry.
- Apply steroid cream first, sparingly, just to the areas that need it most. Then cover all affected areas with a thick layer of emollient, such as Epaderm or Aqueous Emollient Cream.
- Wrap the damp bandage securely but not tightly over the eczema patches on arms and legs and round the torso. Tuck in the ends but don't use pins.
- Cover the damp bandages in a dry layer of bandages to keep the damp ones in place.
Tips
You may find Tubifast or Comfifast vests, mittens and leggings (available from your local chemist) quicker and easier to use than bandages where full body wrapping is necessary. Dip the whole stretchy garment in the Sea-Med water, wring it out and dress your child in it. Apply creams and emollients then use a second garment as the dry layer.Â
You will need to keep your little one distracted as you wet-wrap him. Try a story tape or hand-held computer game.
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