Cotton and Linen Clothes
Cotton (preferably 100% cotton) is the most commonly recommended textile for people with eczema. This is because cotton is soft and cool; great at absorbing sweat, and easily washable. This allows your skin to ‘breathe’.
Make sure you check the labels as ‘cotton rich’ blends can contain a significant proportion of polyester, so be sure find out exactly what proportion of cotton is included in your garment before you decide to purchase.
Bamboo is also another soft and breathable material that’s highly-effective at regulating body temperature. Another skin-friendly option is the lesser-known lyocell or ‘TENCEL’ material. It uses a cellulose fibre from bamboo or wood pulp in a manufacturing system that uses less toxic chemicals, thus more environmentally friendly too!
Silk is also soft and breathable. As well as normal hanging silk clothing, it’s also possible to buy close-fit silk garments that are specifically designed for people with skin conditions such as eczema. These types of clothing are usually tailored as under-garments that protect the skin from other types of clothing.
Which Makeups to Use
People with eczema often already know that some cosmetics can irritate the skin – but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on makeup altogether. While some may trigger a flare, there are a range of products that contain ingredients that are gentle on sensitive skin.
Ingredients such as shea butter, glycerin and lanolin are able to repair your skin and help make it look healthier. Try and look for skin care products that list one of these either first, second, or third on the ingredients list of the product.
Helping to draw moisture from the air to your skin, hyaluronic acid will give you an extra boost of moisture for dry, flay skin. It usually comes as a smooth on cream – ask your pharmacist.
Serums or creams that contain a niacinamide compound (also called vitamin B3) can reduce the redness caused from eczema by strengthening your skin’s natural barrier. Niacinamide creams are usually applied before putting on makeup.
Which Makeups to Avoid
The main makeups to avoid are those containing retinol, glycolic acid and salicylic acid as they have a tendency to dry out and irritate your skin. These ingredients have a tendency to penetrate eczema sufferer’s skin’s weakened natural barrier and dry out the skin, so it’s best to avoid these products.
Other ingredients in makeups that trigger flare-ups are preservatives such as methylparaben or butylparaben – which help keep cosmetics from growing bacteria and going bad. However, they can also cause irritation. Look for products that use natural preservatives such as grapefruit seed extract or neem oil as they are less irritating to your skin.
Unfortunately, nice fragrances are more likely to trigger flare-ups than prevent them. The ingredients that give you nice smelling cosmetics are generally bad for your skin. Try looking for fragrance-free products – besides, you’re more after the look, not the smell when it comes to makeup.
Wet Therapy
Wet therapy can work wonders to rehydrate your skin and help topical medications work better for eczema sufferers during particularly intense flare-ups. Soak a fabric wrap in water and apply to the affected areas of the body. For the face, use gauze and/or surgical netting – these can be professionally applied by trained nurses.
The best time to apply wet wraps is right after bathing, moisturising and applying medication. If the eczema is on your feet or hands, use cotton gloves or socks as a wet layer.
Herbal Remedies Can Supplement Your Actions
Most people that deal with the symptoms of eczema look for every treatment they can find, as for the most part treatments to alleviate the symptoms of eczema do not intervene with each other. The same can be said for herbal remedies such as those found in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
That’s why ThisHerb has formulated one such herbal remedy that can boost your chances of warding off eczema flare-ups and treat the symptoms. ThisHerb’s Eczema Free capsules contain 100% natural ingredients using TCM practices that focus on your skins improvement and your overall well-being.
Read information on Eczema Free capsules