People who have suffered from eczema at some point in their lives know how difficult it can be to live with the condition. The itchiness can keep you awake at night, your sensitivity means you have to be very careful about anything that touches your skin, and the knowledge that it’s exacerbated by stress could even make you stressed about being stressed!
Unfortunately, many people with eczema never find the long-term relief they need from their conditions. Drugs and medicated creams that control the itching should not be taken for more than a few days or weeks. And prevention methods like meditating and doing yoga don’t work for everyone.
This is part of the reason why a lot of people are turning toward CBD to treat their atopic dermatitis. But is CBD effective against eczema? Is it safe? And how does it work? Here is what you need to know about taking CBD to manage symptoms of eczema and prevent further flareups.
To deal with the symptoms of eczema, doctors usually prescribe some form of antihistamine or steroid-based medication.
Antihistamines are drugs that reduce the allergic reaction that your skin experiences. As a result, they lower pain, inflammation, and especially itchiness. Unfortunately, these medicines often cause drowsiness, which can make it hard or even dangerous to perform your job.
Steroid medicines are another option. They help with itchiness and scaling. In the short term, they’re a great way to calm the skin during an eczema flareup. However, they can have painful consequences in the long term, such as creating more irritation or affecting skin pigmentation.
The consequences of some of these conventional methods of treatment are why a lot of people turn to CBD. But can it effectively replace them? And how does it work?
When CBD enters our system (through eating it, smoking it, or applying it on the skin) it activates certain ECS receptors, which can give a boost to the endocannabinoid system. As a result, CBD has been found to have a lot of health properties.
It’s particularly effective against various skin conditions, as it can lower pain, inflammation and itchiness, and help with scar healing. Here’s how this translates to its effects on atopic dermatitis and other forms of eczema.
Other options like eating CBD edibles or placing CBD oil drops under the tongue can also be effective. However, they do have lower rates of absorption, meaning you will need more CBD milligrams to get the same effects. They can be good at treating eczema in the long term, especially if you also want to focus on stress reduction.
Finally, we don’t recommend smoking or vaping CBD, as this could cause problems for your respiratory system. That being said, if you already smoke or vape, then replacing tobacco with CBD is a great way to get more stress relief and target the main trigger of eczema.