Is Eczema Contagious? Find Out
You’ll be happy to know that no, Eczema is not contagious. However it can be hereditary so if someone in your family has it, it might be likely that you may too. But it isn’t the eczema itself that is genetic, but rather the way your body reacts to certain irritants that run in the family.
The allergens that are most likely to cause eczema include pollen, soaps and detergents, dust, pet hair, certain foods and harsh perfumes and chemicals.
You can get eczema on any part of your body, and sometimes that’s a clue to what is causing the condition (i.e. if it is on your hands it is probably due to something that you touch regularly, if it is around your eyes your eye cream might be the culprit).
Babies and small children are more susceptible to eczema due to an under developed immune system. Usually this corrects itself and they grow out of it as the reach school age and their immune systems become stronger.
The only known way to keep your eczema away is to change your lifestyle. That might mean living a relatively organic lifestyle, making sure you eat healthily, exercise regularly and practice stress relief techniques such as yoga and meditation.
Of course this also means avoiding known irritants including some of the grocery store cleaning products, watching if certain foods seem to make your condition flare up, and wearing breathable cotton clothing (and don’t forget using cotton sheets as well).
Certain supplements such as fish oil and flaxseed are also beneficial to helping your skin repair itself.
Therefore it is good to know that eczema is not contagious at all and is simply a skin condition. While member’s of your family may also suffer from it, that’s because you may have a genetic predisposition to reaction to certain allergens and not from someone touching you.
