Beauty Tips For Body Care
Someone asked in another thread what I did to cure myself of eczema, but there's so much to say that I thought I would just make another thread. Here it goes:What Eczema Is:First of all, it's very important to understand eczema in order to combat it. It's actually a combination of two factors: a weak skin barrier, and a overreactive immune system. Our skin is meant to protect us, but it's imperfect. In dry climates especially, we can get tiny cracks in our skin barrier, which lets small irritants get into our bodies, such as dust mites, and then our immune systems overreact and cause an itchy rash. This is why eczema is worse in the winter, because our skin isnt as healthy. Also, people with eczema often have other allergies, or asthma which is related. It's very useful to think of your eczema as an allergy... avoiding irritants is key to staying itch-free, and staying itch-free is key to keeping your skin healthy. If you dont scratch, you wont have eczema. They did a terrible experiment in the 50's on a little boy with eczema, they tied him down to his hospital bed and without being able to scratch himself, his eczema healed in two weeks. I dont have a online source for this, I read it in "Eczema Free For Life", which is a great read.Environment:Possible allergens include:Dust mitesFragrancesPet hair/danderVarious ingredients in beauty products, cleaning productsAlcoholwoolThese may or may not cause a reaction for you, they are just common allergens to watch out for. Dust mites are EVERYWHERE and they are the first culprit to try and avoid. This means washing your bed sheets every 10 days or so, using clean towels, and wearing freshly laundered clothes everyday. Yes, it's very high-maintenance, but if you are suffering, it's entirely worth it. Also, once your eczema is clear, you can get lazier with this. Find out your particular needs! Sometimes, in the summer, in the right climate, I can wear my clothes twice or three times and wash my sheets every 14-18 days without issue. I highly recommend a blanket with a duvet cover, so you can wash the duvet cover instead of the whole blanket every 10 days.Fragrances are also everywhere, and that is the second thing to try and exclude from touching your skin. That means no fragranced moisturizers, soap/bodywash, laundry detergent, even avoid your perfume/cologne and maybe even switch your deo. The health food store is a great place to shop for eczema sufferers, because most formulations are much more mild then conventional products. It's also the only place I get my laundry detergent because I like scents like citrus and lavender and I find that essential oils dont bother me, but synthetic fragrances do. But we're all different.Skincare:The conventional lifestyle of having a hot shower everyday with a loofah and soapy old spice bodywash or something, is entirely unnecessary unless you are an athlete, or live in the tropics. Baths are gentler on the skin then showers. I personally, use an oil cleanser, (specifically Exomega Cleansing Oil which works great without overdrying) and I only use it on the parts of my body that I think are dirty, and I use a tiny amount. I rarely exfoliate either, because that will cause micro abrasions that will make your eczema worse. If I do exfoliate, it will be with a damp facecloth, used very gently. DEFINITELY not a rough glove, or loofah, or crushed nuts or microbeads. Seriously treat your skin like you're a baby, and you will be rewarded. It's important to try and retain the natural oils on your skin, so be hygienic and get rid of bad smelling bacteria, but try and leave your skin alone as much as possible. Bathe every other day if possible. Dont use super hot water. Cold water is actually best for your skin, and stops itching. If I have a "eczema attack" which is when I feel SUPER itchy for some reason, I will have a cold shower, and it feels just as good or better then scratching but without the damage.Find the right moisturizers, and layer them. You need a face moisturizer that's lighter and more suitable for the sensitive areas of the face, and you need a good everyday body lotion, and THEN you also need a heavy cream for problem days/areas. I have more like 6-7, but I'm obsessed. As soon as you get out of the bath/shower, pat dry, apply generous amounts of lotion and massage it all in. Wait a few minutes for it to absorb, and apply the thicker cream on top of any areas that you experience dryness. It's ok if it gets greasy, you just gotta give it time to absorb after. I prance around naked for like 20 mins after bathing, covered in moisturizers. I like to think it's sexy instead of dorky. :)Cleanser recommendations:Exomega Cleansing OilCetaphil cleanserBaby wash (fragrance free)Spectro Gel for Sensitive Dry Skin (some of these may be meant for your face but they are just as good at cleaning your body, etc)Face moisturizer recommendations:Clinique Dramatically Different LotionCetaphil facial lotion(Stuff that says for atopic/sensitive skin and fragrance free is worth a shot if you cant find these two)Body Lotion recommendations:Eucerin Original LotionCetaphil moisturizing lotionE45 lotioncliniderm soothing lotionCream recommendations:Vaseline Creamy: Problem Skin Therapy (literally got me through being a poor teenager, it's cheap and effective)Aquaphor is the most dermatologist recommendedEucerin Healing Ointment (this goes on thick like fucking wax... but it works!)E45 CreamSkin Food by Weleda (if you wanna splurge on something delicious smelling instead of these somewhat medical smelling ones)Steroids:Not great for you, so use sparingly, and if you ACE your routine with the above tips, you shouldnt need them. I will use them occasionally, because I have NO patience, if I have a breakout of eczema, I will definitely treat with meds. I dont usually need to though, as long as I stay vigilant :) Get a Dermatologist, your GP will just prescribe you the weakest, shittiest formulation steroid to get you out of his office. It may not be strong enough, it may not be the right formulation for the area of your body. My Dermatologist, (who is AWESOME, they are not created equal so shop around if you dont like yours... seriously it's like finding the right hair stylist) he gives me three prescriptions, a mild hydrocortisone lotion for my face that absorbs well and isnt sticky, a liquid that I can squirt on my itchy scalp, and a strong triamcinolone ointment that I can put on the eczema on the rest of my body.Emergency Routine:Basically, once you are healed you can act pretty normally. BUT, if I for instance have to crash at a friends' and they have 3 cats... I will likely wake up covered in eczema. This is what I will do:clean everything, launder my bed sheets and clothes, vacuum the carpet, sweep/mop the floors and wipe down shelves/mirrors and dust.Take a warm bath with vinegar and sea salt, OR a cold shower.cover myself in lotioncover myself in creamapply steroids to rashput on clean cotton clothes that cover most of my bodybuff down my nails so they are dull and I cant scratchavoid alcohol/smoking/drugsBonus tip for ladies, trans and/or fashionable men: fake nails literally means you've put plastic nibs on your fingers and cant really scratch yourself as much. Your eczema will improve!
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by metalola
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