Home Remedies for Chicken Pox

Home Remedies

• Oatmeal baths are a time-honored way to relieve the itchy rash associated with chicken pox. Add a cup or two of ground oatmeal to a warm bath and soak for 30 minutes twice daily. The oatmeal soothes the skin and helps dry the rash. After rinsing the body with warm water and toweling dry, apply calamine lotion to keep the itch away and further treat the rash. Cool baths can help reduce fever during chicken pox.
  
  
• Keep fingernails trimmed to avoid worsening the rash by scratching. Avoid the sun. If infection is suspected, see a doctor and ask for an antibiotic. It is recommended to obtain a chicken pox diagnosis from a doctor before trying home treatments of any kind.
  
  
• Good hygiene is important to keep the rash clean and under control. Bathe or shower daily and wash from head to toe. Rinse with lukewarm or cool water (not hot) and apply a soothing ointment or lotion afterwards.
  
  
• Chicken pox makes the skin more susceptible to sun damage for a year after the skin has cleared up. Make sure you wear sunscreen regularly.
  
  
• In most cases, the doctor will tell you that chicken pox, especially in young children, must simply run its course. Therefore, the best thing that you can do is administer treatments that calm the itch and soothe the fever. The chicken pox should start to go away after about a week.