Are you itching to find some relief from Eczema?
Eczema (also called atopic dermatitis) is a condition that causes your skin to become dry, red, itchy and bumpy. It's one of many types of dermatitis. Eczema damages the skin barrier function (the "glue" of your skin). This loss of barrier function makes your skin more sensitive and more prone to infection and dryness.
What does eczema looks like?
Scaly patches of skin that can appear on any part of the body during infancy, but in children and adults, eczema often favors the inner wrists and elbows, behind the knees, and neck. In people with darker skin tones, these patches can look hyperpigmented and brown, or they can look pink or red.
What can trigger eczema on the skin?
Irritants – such as soaps and detergents, including shampoo, washing-up liquid and bubble bath. Environmental factors or allergens – such as cold and dry weather, dampness, and more specific things such as house dust mites, pet fur, pollen and moulds. Anxiety and stress are also common triggers that cause eczema to flare up, which then creates more anxiety and stress, which then leads to more eczema flare-ups. There's no cure, but many children find their symptoms naturally improve as they get older. Diet and a healthy gut microbiome are major impacting factors on your overall skin health and directly affect the amount of inflammation that your body experiences.
For most people, eczema is a lifelong condition that consists of occasional flare-ups. Once treated, it can take several weeks for rashes to clear up. Since these rashes develop from negative immune reactions, there's also a risk that more flare-ups will occur unless you reduce your exposure to triggers.
Some common foods that may trigger an eczema flare-up and could be removed from a diet include:
- citrus fruits
- dairy
- eggs
- gluten or wheat
- soy
- spices such as vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon
- tomatoes
- some types of nuts
Foods that help minimise an eczema flare up are anti-inflammatory diets which limit dairy, whole grains, red meat, flour and sugar, but emphasize vegetables and fish.
How do I naturally get rid of my eczema?
- Moisturise your skin at least twice a day with a natural, perfume-free aqueous cream
- Try your best not to scratch
- Choose mild, natural soaps without dyes
- Use a humidifier
- Apply Aloe Vera gel to the affected area
- Incorporate apple cider vinegar into your diet
- Take warm baths
- Apply coconut oil to the affected area
- Apply honey to the affected area
- Apply tea tree oil to the affected area
- Drink plenty of water
- Take high quality probiotic supplements daily
Anyone with eczema has inherently dry skin and is susceptible to weaker skin barrier function. Therefore, drinking water to keep the body and skin hydrated is recommended.
External Stressors like dehydration cause your skin to become more susceptible to imbalances and damage with age. Ultimately, your skin is healthy and beaming when it is properly hydrated, has balanced natural oils and its lipid barrier is uncompromised. Including SkinSpring R³ Formulation in your skincare regime is an ideal way to keep irritation and eczema at bay.
It’s active ingredient is Hypochlorous Solution (your body’s very own immune molecule) which relieves inflammation, is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and even anti-viral. It also repairs damaged skin cells and imbalanced skin. Learn more about the science behind HOCl and your skin here.
Life with eczema can mean spending a lot of time and energy avoiding triggers that will cause your symptoms to flare. Adjustments to your diet, lifestyle, home and work spaces, medication management and skin care routine can all help you live an itch-free life!