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Eczema is a chronic condition, and chronic does not mean untreatable. At Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, Dr. Paul Kuzel, a board-certified dermatologist, treats every form of it, from a child's first flare to adult hand eczema that has resisted years of creams, with the full range of prescription options including biologics.
Eczema is not one disease but a family of them, and they share a mechanism. The outer layer of the skin fails to hold moisture in and keep irritants out, and the immune system beneath it responds to what gets through. Both halves have to be treated.
The rash looks similar across the types. The cause does not, and a dermatologist's first job is to name which one you have, because the treatment for an allergic reaction to a glove and the treatment for a lifelong immune condition are not the same.
The eczema most people mean. Often starts in childhood, runs in families alongside asthma and hay fever, and comes and goes for years.
Eczema caused by something touching the skin. Irritant contact dermatitis from soaps, solvents and repeated wet work. Allergic contact dermatitis from nickel, fragrances, preservatives, rubber and more.
The hands take more wear than any other skin, and hand eczema is common in health care, food service, hairdressing, trades and anyone who washes their hands a lot. Often a mix of atopic and contact.
Seborrheic dermatitis is the flaky, greasy scale on the scalp, brows and sides of the nose. Nummular eczema is round, coin-shaped plaques on the limbs. Dyshidrotic eczema is deep, itchy blisters on the palms, fingers and soles.
Most people with eczema have been treating it for years with the same two or three creams. The last decade has produced more new eczema treatments than the fifty before it, and they are prescribed by dermatologists.
Calgary's air is dry year round, drier still in winter when furnaces run, and a chinook can drop the humidity further in an afternoon. Most Calgary eczema flares in November and settles in June, and the treatment plan is built around that.
Assessment and treatment of eczema is medical care, generally covered by Alberta Health Care with a referral from your family physician. Ask your doctor to refer you to Dr. Paul Kuzel at Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, or have the referral faxed to (403) 225-2914.
If you do not have a family doctor, or you would rather not wait, call (403) 286-6888 and the team will walk you through the fastest way to be seen. Children are welcome. Phototherapy, patch testing and biologic monitoring are all done in clinic.
Mild eczema stays on the first rung. Moderate eczema usually needs two or three. Severe eczema, the kind that costs sleep and concentration, now has treatments that were not available five years ago.
A thick, fragrance-free moisturiser applied twice a day to the whole body, not just the rash, and within minutes of bathing. This is not skincare. It is the treatment that lets every other treatment work, and it reduces flares on its own.
Topical steroids of the right strength for the site, used properly, are safe and remain the fastest way to settle a flare. Non-steroid options, including calcineurin inhibitors and newer creams that block inflammation directly, hold the result and are suited to the face, eyelids and skin folds.
Narrowband UVB, delivered in clinic two or three times a week, calms the immune activity in the skin without medication. Effective for eczema across large areas of the body, and for people who would rather avoid systemic drugs.
Injectable biologics such as dupilumab and tralokinumab block the specific signals that drive atopic eczema, with clear skin and quiet itch in most people who take them. Oral JAK inhibitors work faster still. Older options such as methotrexate and cyclosporine remain useful in the right patient.
Small amounts of the common allergens are taped to the back for two days and read twice. A positive result names the cause, and a list of safe products follows. The treatment for allergic contact dermatitis is knowing what to avoid.
How patch testing worksEczema that suddenly worsens, weeps yellow or crusts is often infected, and needs the infection treated before anything else works. Wet wrap therapy, a damp layer over medicated cream under a dry one, settles a severe flare within days.
Eczema care at Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South is a relationship over seasons rather than a single visit, because the condition changes with them.
The prescription settles a flare. What keeps the skin quiet between flares is routine, and it is not complicated. Moisturise the whole body twice a day with something thick and fragrance-free, and again within three minutes of every shower while the skin is still damp. Keep showers short and lukewarm, and use a soap-free wash.
Run a humidifier in the bedroom through the heating season. Wear cotton against the skin and wool over it. Keep nails short, because most of the damage from scratching happens in sleep. Use the prescribed cream on known trouble spots twice a week even when they look clear, which halves the number of flares.
And when a flare starts, treat it on day one rather than day five. Eczema caught early needs a weaker cream for a shorter time. The written plan you leave with tells you exactly what to reach for.
Contact dermatitis is, once the cause is identified and avoided. Atopic dermatitis is a lifelong tendency, but it is controllable, and many children grow out of the worst of it. The goal of treatment is clear skin and no itch for months at a time, with a plan for the flares that do come. With current treatments that goal is realistic for almost everyone.
Assessment and treatment of eczema is medical dermatology and is generally covered with a referral from your family physician. Phototherapy and patch testing are covered medical procedures. Prescriptions are covered by most drug plans, and biologics are covered by Alberta's plans and most private insurers with special authorisation, which Dr. Kuzel's office handles.
For care billed to Alberta Health Care, a referral from a physician is the normal route, and it can be faxed to (403) 225-2914. If you do not have a family doctor or would rather not wait, call (403) 286-6888 and the team will tell you the quickest way to be seen.
Yes, when the strength is matched to the site and they are used as directed. Fear of steroids is the most common reason eczema stays poorly controlled, because people use too little for too short a time. Thinning of the skin comes from months of a strong steroid on thin skin, not from a properly prescribed course. Where a steroid is not the right choice, on the face or eyelids for example, there are non-steroid creams that work.
Dupilumab is an injectable biologic that blocks two of the signals driving atopic dermatitis. Given every two weeks, it clears or nearly clears the skin in most people with moderate to severe eczema, and relieves itch within weeks. It is for eczema that has not responded to topical treatment, is approved for children and adults, and is covered with special authorisation. Dr. Kuzel prescribes and monitors it in clinic.
It depends on the pattern. Patch testing is worthwhile when eczema sits where something touches the skin, such as the hands, eyelids, neck or waistband, or when it appeared or worsened in adulthood. Blood and prick tests for food and environmental allergens are less useful for eczema than most people expect, and are ordered selectively.
Rarely in adults, and less often in children than parents fear. Eliminating foods without evidence usually makes no difference to the skin and can cause real nutritional problems in a growing child. Where a genuine food allergy is suspected, it is tested for properly rather than guessed at.
Dry air. Calgary's winter air holds very little moisture, indoor heating removes more, and the skin barrier loses water faster than it can be replaced. Thicker moisturiser, a bedroom humidifier and shorter showers from October onward prevent most winter flares, and the plan steps up before the season rather than after the flare.
Yes, and it is common. Broken, scratched skin lets bacteria in, most often staph, and the eczema suddenly worsens, weeps, crusts yellow or becomes painful. That needs treatment for the infection as well as the eczema. Cold sore virus can also spread across eczema and needs prompt antiviral treatment. Either is a reason to be seen quickly.
Dr. Paul Kuzel, MD FRCPC, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and Medical Director of Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South. He sees patients in English and Czech.
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Book a consultation with Dr. Kuzel, or ask your family physician for a referral. Children welcome.
Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South
10201 Southport Rd SW #102
Calgary, AB T2W 4X9
Two blocks west of the Delta Hotel
(403) 286-6888
Referrals by fax: (403) 225-2914
Open seven days a week, with early mornings and evenings on weekdays.
Take the first step toward achieving healthy, radiant, and flawless skin. Contact Rejuvenation Medical Aesthetics today to schedule your personalized consultation and explore the advanced treatments tailored to your unique needs.
