What does redness mean?

[smileyface]

I've had eczema off and on ever since my son was born almost a decade ago. The past couple of months have been the worst, though. It's all over my scalp, in my ears, and spreading over my face. My dermatologist called me a "catastrophe."

My diet hasn't changed, so I don't think that's it. The last couple of years have been pretty stressful, though (renovations, new baby, new dog), so my guess is it's this additional stress that's causing the latest flare-up. I'm trying to get more sleep and reduce the stress. It seems to be improving a little bit, but it's still very itchy and uncomfortable and I'm not sure it isn't still spreading. My dermatologist prescribed a steroid cream, medicated shampoo, etc., but I really don't want chemicals. So, I've been plodding along using things like aloe directly from the plant, virgin coconut oil, a locally made balm with coconut and olive oils, beeswax, calendula, and something called "essential oils," and so forth.

Nothing seems to lessen the eczema, so I firmly believe I need even more sleep and even less stress. But my question is whether I'm better off doing nothing rather than continuing with these natural moisturizers. I've read everywhere how moisturizing the skin is one of the most important things one can do for eczema, but in my case, whenever I apply a moisturizer the eczema becomes more red and noticeable. I'll wake up in the morning and the affected areas of skin are all dry and flaky, but not red. The minute I put on an oil or balm (which I've used without any problem before this bout of eczema, so I don't think I'm allergic to it), my skin's no longer tight and feels more comfortable, but the areas turn bright red for the rest of the day. And while the itching might subside initially, come the afternoon, the itch is back and excruciating as ever. And it's not because the moisturizer has worn off. I'm still a greasy mess.

So, I'm not sure whether in my case I'm better off just having really dry skin. Anyone have any thoughts or words of wisdom as to whether moisturizing for me is helping or hurting? Or has anyone heard of a case of eczema where moisturizing wasn't an effective course of action?

At this point, I'm so confused, I don't know what to do.

Thank you!

[Marcie Mom]

Hi,

Moisturizing is important as the skin barrier is defective and needs protection. For the role that moisturizer plays, extracted from my blog an interview with Dr Bridgett below:
As we understand last week, The Combined Approach includes topical treatment using emollient and steroid. Moisturizing is a HUGE part of topical treatment, as emollients both lubricate and moisturize. Dr Bridgett’s advice on moisturizing is Thinly, Gently, Quickly and Often. There are a few other points mentioned in the ‘Atopic Skin Disease’:

Thinnest possible application without ‘rubbing it in’
More on exposed areas such as the head, neck and hands
Pump dispensers preferable to open tubs due to bacteria infection
Applying topical steroid first, then emollient over both the skin and the steroid
Cream preferred over lotion
Can you explain why thinnest possible application is preferable for emollient? (I’d usually slather on my child as I find applying a thin layer leads to more rubbing to spread the emollient)

Also, can you explain why topical steroid first? (I’d written on this here and it does generate some discussion!)

Can you explain why cream is preferable over lotion?

Dr Bridgett:

Your three questions answered:

Thin applications of moisturizer allows heat to escape, but insulates against water loss.
If moisturizer is applied often enough, when the steroid is applied directly onto the eczema, it is applied to skin that has been recently moisturized. We get then the best results by putting moisturizer on over topical steroid, and moisturizing all the skin, not just that which has the eczema.
The thicker the moisturizer, the better the moisturizing effect. Also, often there are less additives in thicker moisturizers, as thicker moisturizers “keep” longer. There is less chance that a sensitivity reaction will occur with an ointment, compared with a cream. See http://atopicskindisease.com/articles/20110801

Hope above helps,
MarcieMom

[Marcie Mom]

So moisturizing is important, and do take a patch test to find out which ingredients in skincare you are allergic to and avoid these.

The top allergens are:
1. perfume/fragrance
2. preservatives
3. parabens
4. propylene glycol
5. lanolin

For the alternative names that these ingredients are also known, a doctor has kindly provided them in her interview on my blog and I don't have permission to reproduce here.
(I can't provide the link here due to forum guideline, but if you're interested, you can search the tag 'product label' and look for the post What Ingredients to Avoid.)

Hope I've helped
MarcieMom