Coping with eczema

In today's post I thought I'd talk about an unglamorous topic, eczema. I'm not a trained dermatologist but after a recent flare up I picked up a few tips and tricks that really helped. I'm now at the stage where my skins looking pretty clear, and happy (touch wood) so I thought I would share some tips I picked up along the way-

Bit of background as a young child I used to suffer badly with eczema on my face and body, it used to be super itchy and super sore. If your eczema is extreme I highly recommend a visit to your GP as they should be able to provide you with antibiotics and an emollient cream. As my recent flare up was relatively minor I decided to tackle it myself- 

Tip no.1 Speak up to your GP

If your eczema is bad and your referred to your GP. Don't suffer in silence. I remember in my teenage years visiting my GP and being prescribed Diprobase (a thick nasty cream, calms down itching but blocks pores badly!) I remember thinking there was no other option other than Diprobase, it used to leave my skin shiny and cause breakouts. If you are unhappy with the mediation or cream prescribed remember to speak up as there's always more options and things to try.

Tip no. 2 Remain cool as a cucumber 

Try not to panic (easier said then done.) I had really bad eczema all along my hair line at the time I also had a lot of breakouts going on, I found myself getting worked up and stressed as products seemed to make everything worse. For every spot I cleared three more came out. What I didn't realise at the time was stressing out, constantly worrying about them and slapping on every product I own in a mild panic did nothing but make my skin worse.

Tip no. 3 Condense your skincare 

Don't pile on products. If you notice a flare up the best thing you can do is condense your skincare and I mean go right back to basics. Cleanser, toner, moisturiser. No serums, oils or face masks. Zero treatments. I noticed the biggest difference in my eczema when I stripped back the products I was using, whenever you have a break out, or something like eczema which can leave your skin pretty dry the obvious thing to do is pile on hydrating products, serums, spot creams. When really all this will do is aggravate skin further.

Tip no. 4 Review your skincare

Take a quick look at the products your using, I personally found that foaming cleansers were aggravating my skin. Try to look for a skincare line targeted at sensitive skin, alcohol free and clean ingredients. Try to use products from the same skin care range, this way you know they will all have similar ingredients if one product works chances are your skin should be fine with the rest 

Tip no. 5 Not just skincare

If your suffering from eczema on your body, review the shower gels, creams and bath products your using. However boring it sounds try to use fragrance free products or ranges aimed at sensitive skin. Oddly enough I only had eczema around my hairline, which made me point the finger at haircare. If like me you suffer with eczema near your hair line review your hair care routine. Look for shampoos and conditioners that don't contain sulphates these are known to aggravate eczema. 

Tip no. 6 Food & exercise

Eczema can be triggered by certain foods in your diet. It may be worth visiting your GP as certain food allergies have been linked to eczema. I also encourage regular exercise, this will help with tip no. 2 regularly sweating it out will help your skin anyway, but especially when suffering from eczema as I found my skin to be dry, and a little lack lustre. 

Tip no.7 Consider supplements 

Eating a balanced varied diet is important anyway. But I highly recommend introducing Zinc and evening primrose oil supplements if you suffer from eczema, I noticed a difference within 4 weeks they really helped to calm down my skin

So there we have it, a few obvious but simple tips to dealing with eczema, I hope this post may have being helpful to some of you.

Do you have any tips for sensitive skin, or eczema?