Eczema Advice

Dear Sarah,

I have suffered from quite nasty Eczema over the winter and the patches on my hands will not go.

The patches on my arm have calmed but left red blotches which are not fading.

Could you advise anything for either problem please?

Penny

More Details:
Age - 58

Dear Penny,

Eczema is thought to be an auto-immune condition, which makes it quite hard to treat.

Auto-immune essentially means an over-active immune system that sometimes attacks the wrong things, like your skin cells.

It's why skin conditions tend to flare-up when you're tired, rundown or under the weather.

There are a number of chemicals commonly used in skin / bodycare products that are are known to trigger Eczema.

Always read ingredient lists on the products you buy and look up anything that you don't recognise.

A lot of brands claiming to be 'all-natural' still use a lot of chemicals (there is no labelling regulation to stop them unfortunately).

• Sodium Lauryl Sulphate: this is a chemical detergent commonly used in toothpaste, shampoo, face/hand washes and shower gels. It's what makes a product foam. It's a skin irritant and one that is particularly bad for eczema.
• Propylene Glycol & Polyethylene Glycol (also written as PEG)
  These are both petrochemicals (i.e. derived from petroleum) and are very bad skin irritants as they suffocate the skin. They are commonly used in skincare products as a moisturising agent.
• Chemical preservatives such as parabens (common ones are Methyl Paraben and Butyl Paraben), phenoxyethanol and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.
  
  They are bad skin irritants and there have been a number of wider health problems connected to parabens in particular (they are hormone mimickers).

• Avoid dairy, and try to alkaline your diet. Ragnar Berg pioneered research in the 1930s which proved a link between acidic foods and eczema flare-ups.
  
  Cucumber, greens, dried fruits are all very alkaline. Porridge oats, red meat and cheese are acidic.
• Increase your intake of Essential Fatty Acids (Omega 3,6,9) as they are great at conditioning the skin from the inside.
  
  Oily fish, seeds and nuts are all good sources but if your diet is lacking these foods then Flaxseed oil is a good supplement.
  
  It's best to buy in its pure oil form (you can get from most good health food stores) so it hasn't been overly processed.

• We're currently working on a calming body lotion which is due to launch in September.
  
  In the meantime I'd recommend our Chamomile & Rosehip Cream as it's great for sensitive skin.
  
  Chamomile is a natural anti-inflammatory so will soothe any dry/aggravated patches and rosehip heals and strengthens the skin making it more resistant to future eczema attacks.

**All content provided is for general information only. It should not be treated as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor or other health care professional.