National Eczema Week

It’s national eczema week and we wanted to highlight this skin condition that affects 15 million people in the UK.

I think we can all agree that this year has been stressful, affecting us all in different ways. You can’t avoid the topic of COVID-19, from switching on the news, speaking to people, concern for friends and family members and job security impacting all of us. All of this is not within our control but nevertheless this stress affects our minds and body, including our skin.

Stress can make existing skin conditions worse or cause them to flare up. Increased stress can aggravate rosacea, eczema and psoriasis. Alternatively, it can cause skin conditions to appear for the first time, including dermatitis caused as a result of all the extra hand-washing.

This pandemic has not only affected adults but also children, especially with all the uncertainty and worry of going back to school. 1 in 5 children in the UK are affected by eczema and this can affect their education. Painful itchy skin can lead to a lack of concentration as well as difficulties in getting a good night's sleep.

With all these factors we need to pause and think about how we can look after ourselves and our skin. This is particularly important for those with skin conditions, including eczema.

WHAT IS ECZEMA?

There are many different types of eczema but it leaves those that suffer with it, with dry, itchy and irritated skin. It can be incredibly painful. However, the impact the condition can have on self-esteem is often overlooked.

TIPS:

COVID hasn’t helped eczema, with all the extra hand washing the natural oils and nutrients our skin produces are reduced. This potentially makes our skin prone to cracking and dryness, leading to further skin irritations. After washing your hands try patting dry instead of rubbing to reduce the damage to your skin.

Moisturising is crucial! After hand washing try applying moisturiser right afterwards, to offset the drying effects as much as possible. When looking for a moisturiser make sure that the ingredients contain antimicrobial, antiseptic and antibacterial properties. This helps fight and prevent infection, reduce irritation and itchiness to help calm stressed skin. When applying moisturiser to the areas affected by eczema, we recommend applying at least twice a day.

Colder weather can impact our skin and cause eczema to flare up. Central heating is on which can dry out our skin. Changes in temperature can make this worse, leaving the cold weather outside and going into a warm environment. Moisturising is important to maintain skin and remember to exfoliate to remove dead skin cells and increase cell turnover.

If you suffer from eczema and want to try out our amazing products, take before and after pictures to see the progress and share them with us.

A fellow Triber

Hannah x