Lifestyle and Beauty Tips For Those Who Suffer With Eczema

Hello fellow eczema-prone skin people. I’m Fatima and I have a daily battle with my eczema.  It’s been about two years and I have not found a permanent or long-term solution for my eczema but I have discovered patterns and methods that have helped me control it to a certain extent.

So I thought I’d share the tips I practice to help with my dry skin and see if anyone else has other ways that may help me too. A huge disclaimer that these tips may not work for everyone but I’m hoping one or two of them can help someone out there suffering with eczema.

Enough of me rambling, here are the tips!

Double up

I feel like after using one particular product for so long, my skin actually gets used to it and dislikes it. Therefore a product that once worked on my skin, no longer does! After noticing this pattern, I figured that the best way to use my products in a way that works best with my skin is by doubling up on each product in my skincare routine and alternating between them every so often.

So have two different cleansers, toners, and creams etc – whatever routine you have, just have two versions of the same product. I found that alternating between routines / products every few days worked well with my skin and my skin never gets the chance to get used to them.

Use muslin cloths

Rather than using a physical exfoliator or face towels, I found that muslin cloths are the most gentle for my skin. I wash my face every morning and every evening using warm water and the cloth and it keeps my skin smooth and less irritated than when I’ve used a face scrub.

Vitamins

Keeping tabs on your vitamin levels is important as iron and calcium are very important for our diets but low levels could also be the cause for dry and eczema prone skin. Taking extra supplements may help benefit the skin and these can include omega 3 (due to the oils), vitamin D (sun makes my skin happy!) and vitamin E (which is used in several skincare ranges targeted to dry skin). I also recently found out that you are able to get hyaluronic acid, a hydrating ingredient also used in skincare, in tablet form!

Don’t stress

It’s easy to tell you not to stress but it’s hard to actually practice it! Stress can cause your skin to freak out in all kinds of ways, most popular being spots but dry skin can also be an effect. Try to stay calm and your skin will reflect this. Happy you, happy skin!



Ditch the make up
I know it's tempting to want to cover your skin up but we all know that letting your skin breathe is the best way to calm your eczema. I found that wearing make up on a daily basis actually made my skin very irritable and made my eczema flare up. Ditch your make up and allow your skin to breathe. Most days are a 'no make up day' for me and after a few weeks, you don't even notice. I remember I was really nervous at first and when someone was looking at me I thought 'are they judging me because I'm not wearing any make up?' but the truth is: nobody cares and you shouldn't either!

As mentioned earlier, please do share your tips for managing eczema, every little helps!