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.
