Thursday 28 February 2013

LIVING WITH ECZEMA




LIVING WITH ECZEMA?

Eczema is one of the most prevalent skin problems we see around us today and for many people it is “How do I live with eczema?” rather than “How can I cure eczema?”

The boundary between a diagnosis of “dry skin” and “eczema” is blurred and many of the strategies used by eczema sufferers can be very helpful for those of us who are plagued by dry, itchy skin and discomfort.

Eczema requiring medical intervention is a condition all on its own but many more people than in the past complain of some degree of eczema/dry skin. So many bathrooms now sport the large size bottles of some whole body moisturizer or another even though some of these may not be helping the problem. Whether the increase in these complaints is due to the dry, centrally heated and/or air conditioned environments we live in now, to the higher standards of personal hygiene we require than in the past, with more frequent bathing or to the use of stronger skin cleansers such as the detergents found in shower gels and liquid washes no one can say for sure, but I feel that it is probably linked to all three to some extent.

First and foremost, check what is in your skin care products.

Many people have absolutely no idea what they are using and that includes people who really need to keep an eye on their skincare regime.  SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) SLES, (sodium laureth sulfate) artificial fragrances and colours are all potent causes of skin reactions so look carefully at the back of your bottles. It can be surprising what ingredients different ranges contain.


Not so Simple after all?

For example I was doing a review of the Simple brand of skincare products recently and was astonished to find that while, as they claim, they don’t contain fragrances or colours, and they contain absolutely everything else, from SLS to parabens. Their Kind to Skin Nourishing Body Wash shower product has 31 ingredients, including both SLS and SLES and propylparaben as a preservative.

Although most people will not have any negative reaction to these artificial ingredients, if you have dry or sensitive skin these detergents are a potential trigger for dryness or allergy which you need to be aware of.  Only you will find what suits your skin and you really need to take a bit of time actually checking the products before you use them just to be sure. The improvement after you have made even a simple change can be dramatic.
There are many triggers to look out for

Seek advice from the experts


The National Eczema Society is a fund of information for those living with eczema and I strongly recommend anyone who wants to improve their approach to their eczema to look at their website and think about getting their handbooks. They do very good booklets for parents of children with atopic eczema, teens and adults with eczema and cover every aspect of those changes you can make which will help you live your life more enjoyably and comfortably, from information on how to find out what triggers your eczema to managing your eczema day by day.


My own family cannot use anything with these artificial additives and have to stick to only the plant based cleansers and moisturisers that we have created at Marble Hill to but we only found this out after many years of trial and error and this is why I developed my own brand of truly natural products... Many dermatologists recommend using products which contain fewer ingredients, reducing the chance of a bad reaction but, as the Eczema Society says, you have to find the emollients (moisturisers) that suit your lifestyle. Eliminating obvious triggers is a good start but only you can find the right combination.

For example, many new mothers who have had no previous problems with their skin find that their hands are sore, dry and cracked once they start caring for their baby simply as a result of frequent washing with liquid hand washes and it is a simple matter to swap these drying cleansers for something less severe, natural bar soap for example, which cleanses just as well but is less inclined to strip oils from their skin.

Even though there are really no cures, for eczema, there are ways to help live with it.