Dealing with Adult Eczema

You may have noticed that I no longer show lip swatch photos? This is not out of laziness or a desire to keep my lips off of the internet (what a bizarre turn of phrase) but due to Eczema. Last year I began to develop red, itchy almost sore like patches around the corners of my mouth and on my chin, to begin with my doctor diagnosed it as an Iron deficiency and placed me on supplements. It did nothing for my complexion and new patches of red, dried out skin began to appear - namely on the back of my wrists and my neck. This happened for over a year before I finally went back to my GP to see if I could get a proper diagnosis - I left it so long as the patches are fairly small and with basic treatment and care, they clear up fairly easily. To cut a long story short I have Eczema that is more often than not triggered by stress.

This really isn't a woe is me post - lots of people are plagued by Eczema and I have an extremely mild case. It just so happens that the main area that is affected somewhat affects my day to day job. I know that dry, red skin is nothing to be embarrassed by but the constant wiping off and applying lipsticks (when collections are involved) can be extremely irritating, when my skin isn't at it's best - not to mention it does dent my confidence time to time. Having said that, facially my skin does seem to be in a better place, both my Acne and Eczema are somewhat under control so I will be back to posting real swatches in future blog posts.

Dealing with Adult Eczema

I'm by no means an expert but I have found that cooler showers, switching to Non-Bio clothes wash, using a non-scented soap and body moisturiser really does help. At the moment I use E45 Wash to cleanse my body and E45 Cream moisturise affected/prone areas. Lush Porridge soap is a great facial cleanser for easily irritated skin types, including Eczema due to the high percentage of oats within the product. I also apply Sudocrem to affected areas to calm the itch and to heal broken skin. Aveeno Daily Moisturising (Lush Dream Cream is also great) is great elsewhere on my body to generally keep the skin supple and prevent future flair ups. I have learnt to avoid directly spraying perfume and using scented products on my wrists; I now roll up my sleeves to prevent rubbing/chapping the already dried out skin. I was also advised to drink lots of water to keep my skin hydrated and avoid dairy as it can prevent aggravation, especially as I'm Lactose intolerant (I'm the gift that keeps on giving huh?).

As mentioned above my Eczema really isn't worth talking about, others have it so much worse - one of my friends suffers tremendously, more so in the Summer and recommends Oatmeal baths (you can find a basic technique here), loose cotton clothing and cotton bedding. She also on occasion puts cotton socks on her hands to stop her from scratching at any itchy areas when asleep - adorable but effective.

If you have any further tips or product recommendations for Eczema be it a foundation, a body wash or treatment please do share. This is all a little new to me and I'm keen to learn more.