Could Wet Wrap Therapy be the Key to Managing Eczema?
By Danielle McAdams | Jan. 5, 2021
I recently saw a new dermatologist who recommended that I try wet wrap therapy for my eczema. If you’re like me, you’ve somehow dealt with eczema your whole life but have never heard of wet wrap therapy.
It’s a very simple process that can help moisturize the skin, increase the absorption of topical steroids and act as a barrier that prevents you from scratching your skin. This is perfect for people like me whose eczema gets itchiest at night and find that they either have trouble sleeping or wake up with broken skin due to scratching.
Wet wrap therapy is very easy to try. First, you’ll want to choose your type of wrap – typically, gauze or cotton clothes works best (but make sure it’s free of laundry detergent). Then, you’ll soak the wrap in cold, filtered water, squeeze excess moisture out, then apply the wrap directly to your eczema.
You’ll feel the soothing effects almost instantly and will hopefully find that your skin no longer itches. I’ve found that the best time to do this is at night, right after taking a warm bath. Typically, I’ll get out of the bath, apply moisturizer, apply a very small amount of topical steroid, then apply the wet wraps. This process usually gets me through the night without scratching.
This can take a lot of time. I found that these Eczema Relief Patches are a good alternative to the full wet wrap process, especially when I’m short on time or traveling. These patches keep my skin moisturized and protected, just like wet wraps do. They also don’t get my sheets wet like wet wraps do!
One trick I learned is to keep the Eczema Relief Patches in the refrigerator for an extra cooling sensation. If you haven’t tried wet wrap therapy before, I highly recommend you give it a try and to supplement with Eczema Relief Patches as well.