Category: Eczema

Welcome patients of Dr. Esswein to Allergy, Asthma & Food Allergy Centers!

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Dear Dr. Esswein Patients,

We are delighted to welcome you to our practice! While we did not anticipate this particularly trying time, we aim to make your transition as smooth as possible. 

If you are on allergy injections, we should now have your vials. Once we have entered your vials into our electronic system and have you registered in the practice, we will call to let you know that you can come for your injections.  Please wait for this call before you come to our office, but in the meantime, please download the new patient paperwork from this page and allergy shot treatment consent and financial consent. Email the completed new patient paperwork, consent forms, copies of the front and back of your insurance card, and driver’s license to info@aascare.com. Please include in the subject line “transferring Dr. Esswein patient”. If you have not received a phone call in the next 1-2 weeks, please call us. Please also schedule a telemedicine visit at your earliest convenience in order to become further established in our practice. You will need to have that visit before we can refill medications and answer medical questions. The first telemedicine visit will be with Dr. Esswein or one of our advanced practice providers (Lauren Davis, PA-C, Laura Kahle, PA-C, or Dani Loftus FNP-BC) so we can get you established as soon as possible. You can read more about telemedicine visits here.

  • Allergy injections are administered:
    •  8:30AM – 4:30PM Mon-Thur
    •  8:30AM – 2:30PM Fri
    • You will notice we have shot hours on Tue evenings (not currently offered during the COVID-19 pandemic) and Sat mornings. We ask that you kindly avoid these times until further notice, as they are typically our busiest times with the longest wait periods. 
  • We follow the guidelines from our professional allergy societies  that all allergy injection patients will need to wait in the office for 30 minutes after their injections.
  • During this time of concern for COVID-19, we will not escalate your dose. This is to help minimize the risk of an adverse reaction, particularly as we are now in the spring season. We will also allow you an extra week “grace period” where you will not be considered late. 

If you are on a biologic for asthma or hives (ex. Xolair, Fasenra, Nucala, Cinqair, or Dupixent), please call to schedule a telemedicine visit at your earliest convenience. This will allow us to get you registered in the practice and enable us to go through the necessary prior authorization process to obtain your medications. When you are due for your injection(s), and we have verified that we have your medication, we will schedule an in person visit in the office. Please note that our policy is that you will need an office visit for each biologic injection administered in the office. New Patient paperwork is available on this page and information on telemedicine visits is available here. Email the completed new patient paperwork, consent forms, copies of the front and back of your insurance card, and driver’s license to info@aascare.com. Please include in the subject line “transferring Dr. Esswein patient”.

For all other patients, we request that you please schedule a telemedicine visit at your earliest convenience to become established in our practice. We will need to see you for the telemedicine visit in order to refill medications or answer any medical questions. This is also an excellent time to do an annual visit. We can provide updated food allergy and asthma action plans at the time of the visit if needed. New Patient paperwork is available on this page and information on telemedicine visits is available here. Email the completed new patient paperwork, consent forms, copies of the front and back of your insurance card, and driver’s license to info@aascare.com. Please include in the subject line “transferring Dr. Esswein patient”.

We recommend that you follow us on Facebook. We will be posting practice updates, particularly as we do our best to navigate the challenges posed by COVID-19. 

It is our pleasure to play a role in keeping you well. We look forward to meeting you!

Managing Eczema

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eczemabluegirl

 

 

Atopic dermatitis or eczema is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the skin that can range in severity from scattered, mild patches to very severe itchy, red, rash that can affect all of the skin. In people with eczema, even normal looking skin can be very itchy. Eczema is sometimes called the “itch that rashes” because itching leads to scratching that can worsen eczema and lead to more itching. It is important to identify environmental allergens that may be contributing to eczema. Food allergies can contribute to severe eczema, but in general, before broad food allergy testing is done, the skin care regimen should be optimized.

The skin of people with eczema has a dysfunctional barrier that makes it hard to retain moisture. Good regimens for eczema generally involve daily baths (soaking for 15-20 minutes) using a non-soap cleanser such as Cetaphil followed by patting the skin dry and then applying topical steroids to active, eczema lesions. The rest of the skin should undergo very aggressive moisturizing. Moisturizers can be applied several times per day. Plain, unscented petroleum jelly is often the best option to use on the skin for most individuals. The better the basic skin care regimen, especially using petroleum jelly or simple moisturizers (avoid scented lotions and those with too many ingredients), the easier it is to prevent flares of eczema and itching. In severe cases, bleach baths (2-3 days/week) and wet wraps may also be considered.