How Can Wet Wrapping Soothe & Heal Inflamed Eczema?

Are you new to wet wrapping and wondering if it can help heal your eczema and reduce flare ups?

I recently interviewed Jennifer Roberge (founder of The Eczema Company), who’s one of the experts in the Conqueror Eczema Academy (which is an in-depth program to help you clear and conquer your eczema! You can learn more about it here).

Jennifer used wet wrapping therapy to help her own son overcome eczema (below is a video to give you a sneak peek of the informative content that you’ll get access to in the academy).

In the video below, Jennifer teaches on how wet wrapping can help your eczema (or your child’s eczema) as well.

What is wet wrapping therapy?

Wet wrapping therapy can be very beneficial for those suffering from dermatitis/eczema. It can even be used on babies, children, or adults.

It’s essentially an intensive treatment to hydrate and soothe dry, inflamed skin (it’s also a helpful short-term fix for moderate to severe eczema, psoriasis, allergic contact dermatitis, and even dermatomyositis).

While it’s not necessarily a cure, it can give you a break from the everyday stress of dry, itchy eczema and many other skin conditions. Results can be dramatic after one time, but it usually takes 1-2 days of wrapping 2-3 times per day before major changes in the skin can be seen.

What are wet wraps?

Eczema wet wraps are the materials used to wrap eczema skin in a damp protective layer. They come in many different styles. Some are specifically for wet wrapping and for eczema in babies or children (like this suit here), while other wet wrap clothing items come in the form of cotton fitting pajamas, or white cotton socks for your hands and feet.

You can use these wet wraps on any part of your body! You can even try wet wraps on your face (although you may want to try using a gauze instead, as they may sometimes fit better than the wet wrap masks designed specifically for the face).

So, how does wet wrapping therapy work?

The main gist of wet wrapping is to soak and seal the affected area using wet clothing or wet wraps (which can be purchased here).

Here are the instructions of how it it works:

1. First, soak your skin/body in a lukewarm bath for 10-20 minutes.
2. Dry the skin, and within 2-3 minutes, moisturize with a heavy layer of cream/balm (like my Conqueror Soothing Dry Skin Balm or The Eczema Company’s Manuka Honey Skin Cream).
3. The skin should be very moist when finished (you may need to apply another layer to add more moisture)
4. Next, dress the skin and cover with wet wraps (which you can buy here). Wet one layer of clothing/wraps in warm (not hot) water. Wring them out until damp (make sure it’s not too wet or dripping). Ensure that the wraps fully cover the areas of eczema to treat.
5. Cover for a minimum of 2 hours (overnight is best, but only if you can keep the wet layer damp through the night. You can spray warm water on the wet wraps if it starts to dry out.)
6. Check the wet layer every once in a while to make sure it’s still damp.
7. Then, top it with a layer of dry clothing or bandages.
8. Once you’ve placed it on for at least 2 hours, remove the wraps, apply moisturizer again and dress as usual.

You can repeat this 2-3 times per day or as advised by your physician. You may need to check the temperature of the room to ensure it’s comfortable, as it shouldn’t be too hot or too cold.

Below is an infograph to further illustrate how wet wrap therapy works:

Why does it work?

The layer of wet wraps/wet clothing locks the moisture in, which gives the creams or balms time to completely saturate and penetrate the skin. As the water evaporates from the wet layer, it also provides a cooling sensation for the skin, which can relieve the eczema itch.

A word of caution before you begin

Wet wrapping is definitely a time commitment! It can also be a challenge getting little ones to cooperate, since it can feel long and boring for them. Make sure to have plenty of entertainment and distraction techniques lined up. 🙂

Another word of caution – if you are currently using cortisone, pro-topic, or any other medication to treat your dermatitis, you must speak with your physician on how to properly use the medication with wet wrapping.

Steroids and medication can become even more absorbable into the body when using this wet wrapping technique. This can make the side effects of the steroid creams even greater (so make sure you’re aware of that!).

Make sure your practitioner is also on board, so they can determine how long you can safely carry on with wet wrapping.

Some physicians believe that eczema wet wraps can dry out the skin if used for more than one week, so you may want to watch out for this.

Be sure to check out this page if you’re looking into purchasing wet wraps.

Have you tried wet wrapping therapy before and has it helped? Let me know in the comments below!

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Clear & conquer your eczema with my in-depth program, the Conqueror Eczema Academy! Or check out my eBooks below to learn more about healing your skin: