An eczema sufferer's guide to skincare

By Alice Hartwell for THE GLOWCERY

Itching, swelling and irritated skin: these are all typical symptoms that people who suffer from eczema know all too well. This common skin condition affects millions of people across the world and can occur on both the face and various other parts of the body. Living with eczema can feel like a battle, especially when there are many factors that trigger flare-ups of the condition. There are, however, certain steps you can take to ease your symptoms. In this blog post, The Glowcery dives into one of the world’s most common skin complaints, plus how you can deal with body eczema and ease irritation.

What is eczema?

Eczema is an auto-immune disease of the skin that occurs typically in young children, but also in adults. Adult eczema sufferers are more common than you think, and the numbers of those affected continue to rise. 

Common symptoms of eczema include:

• Bumps on the skin
• Scaly, cracking skin
• Skin that is easily inflamed or irritated 
• Itchiness or rashes 

Eczema can manifest basically anywhere on your body, though commonly it appears on the hands, knees, face and scalp. This skin condition can vary in severity, for example, some people experience mild flare-ups every now and again, while others battle with the effects daily.

How to deal with body eczema and reduce irritation

Though severe and persistent eczema conditions are often treated with prescribed medication, there are certain steps you can take at home to help ease milder symptoms. Take a look below at 4 ways you can look to reduce eczema symptoms and reduce irritation:

1. Look into whether you have food allergies or intolerances 

When looking into easing your eczema symptoms, it's important to identify things that could be triggers for you. Food allergies and intolerances can often be a culprit for initiating flare-ups of eczema. Though you can visit the doctor and get intolerance and allergy tests, there are also steps you can take from home. Try keeping a food diary to identify which foods may be causing your eczema flare-ups, then slowly try and eliminate these foods and examine the effects it has on your symptoms. 

2. Boost your gut health

It’s been widely regarded for some time now that our gut health ultimately has an effect on our overall skin health. This is because the microbiome of our gut (and how healthy it is) affects our immune system. Consider looking into your diet and making sure you’re eating enough gut-friendly foods like Miso and olive oil. You could also look to start taking a daily probiotic supplement to increase your healthy gut flora and, in turn, help your eczema.

3. Gentle skin cleansing

Skin suffering from eczema is typically very irritated and dry, so it's vital not to worsen this with harsh and drying cleansers. While it’s important to keep your skin clean, make sure to opt for a nourishing cleanser that won’t irritate patches of dry skin. If you have eczema on your face, avoid foaming cleansers and replace them with oil or milk products, like The Glowcery Blue Dew Fruit Enzyme Oil To Milk Cleanser. We have formulated it to gently cleanse the skin without irritation and boost levels of hydration. 

3. Focus on locking in moisture

With the dry skin that goes along with eczema, it’s important to keep affected areas moisturised to reduce irritation and chronic itchiness. Make sure to moisturise affected areas daily with rich, nourishing creams like our Cocoa Cloud Whipped Body Butter. Go one step further and lock everything in with a body oil, like the Golden Nectar Nourishing Body Oil, to keep eczema-prone skin happy and hydrated. 

4. Avoid hot water

It’s always a good idea to avoid very hot water when trying to reduce the effects of bodily eczema. Boiling hot baths and showers will only dry out your skin more, and could cause your eczema to worsen in the long run. When showering or bathing, make sure the water is as lukewarm as you can take it, and don’t spend too long in the water. Always remember to moisturise with a body cream or lotion afterwards to keep the skin hydrated and nourished.