Wet Wrap Therapy for Eczema

People with eczema often have two problems: a defective skin barrier that dries out easily and is more open to invasion from allergens and germs than normal; and an overly sensitive immune system.

That means treatment needs to be twofold:

  • Repair the damaged skin
  • Avoid exposure to allergens and irritants

Sounds simple, but anyone who deals with eczema knows that it is anything but easy. Stopping the itch is key, as the itch-scratch cycle feeds upon itself.

For patients with difficult-to- manage eczema, one treatment option is wet wrap therapy.

After doing a soak-and-seal warm bath and applying medication, the patient’s eczema-damaged skin is wrapped in a layer of wet cloths, topped often by dry clothes – such as pajamas, sweatshirt or tube socks. Plenty of videos demonstrating wet wrap therapy for eczema are available online.

Doctors recommend wet wrap therapy as an intervention for moderate-to-severe cases. Wet wrap therapy can reduce the need for medication, but it should be done only after consulting with a physician.

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Last updated : 2/6/2023

Wet Wrap Therapy for Eczema originally published by Allergy & Asthma Network

Eczema