3 Small Changes in Your Daily Life That Can Greatly Improve Your Eczema
Managing eczema flares can be difficult, so when living with eczema, you primary goal should be to prevent eczema flares instead of only treating them when they occur. You may not be able to prevent all eczema flares, as some triggers are out of your control, but you can minimize flares by following these tips.
1. Use a Gentle, Ph-balanced Skin Cleanser
There are several elements that contribute to a good cleanser for eczema-prone skin, but the two most important factors are that the cleanser is made of only gentle surfactants and that it is the same pH level as healthy skin.
As a general rule, avoid bar soaps. Typical bar soaps are highly alkaline, and they disrupt your skin's natural lipid layer greatly. Some foaming cleansers also have high pHs and should be avoided. Look for a cleanser with a pH level between 4.5 and 5.5, as this will prevent disturbance of the natural acidity of healthy skin.
Look for gentle surfactants, such as decyl glucoside, in your cleansers, and avoid harsh ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate. Also, look for added skin-soothing ingredients, such as colloidal oatmeal and soothing natural oils.
2. Optimize Your Post-shower Routine
After taking a cool to warm shower (never hot) with a gentle cleanser, it is the perfect time to feed moisture back into your skin that even the most gentle cleanser can remove. Apply a moisturizer to moist skin that is full of skin-soothing ingredients, such as colloidal oatmeal and ceramides. Ceramides are natural components of healthy skin that are often lacking in eczema-prone and other disordered skin types.
Your moisturizer should also include an occlusive, such as petroleum jelly, that forms a protective barrier between your skin and the environment. Occlusives also help prevent TEWL, or trans-epidermal water loss, that contributes to dry skin. It can be a great idea to slather a layer of pure petroleum jelly over your moisturizer to get the added benefit of this extra layer of occlusive.
3. Know the First Signs of an Eczema Flare
Even when you are doing everything you can to prevent an eczema flare, you cannot control the environment and other outside factors that can lead to a flare. It is important to know the first signs of a flare so that you can not only begin treating it, but so you can also take any steps to eliminate the trigger that you can.
The signs vary from person to person, but they often include itching, dry patches of skin, and inflamed skin. Try to determine and eliminate what is causing the flare (if possible) and start using your dermatologist-prescribed treatment during flares.
Living with eczema can be difficult, but when you take all the steps you can to prevent flares and treat symptoms early, you can often lead a great life with fewer intense flares. If you are having trouble managing your eczema, then it is important to speak to your dermatologist to see if there is another eczema treatment for you that can help improve your symptoms and your life.
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