Showering and eczema

[Gengen75]

My eczema has persisted for 2 years now and light therapy didn't keep it clear once the treatment finished. When my eczema returned I was not allowed any further light treatment. The next step was immuosuppressant tablets, which I disagreed to as I have a toddler due vaccinations. In which case, I was asked to read about the injection steroids. Again, I am not keen on this idea either.

A junior consultant said I should reduce my showering routine as I was showering once or twice daily to keep infection of the sores away, and I preferred moisturising on to clean skin. My skin was red and inflamed but I believed I was doing the right thing. To note, I live in a hard water area.

So I gave up showering and wash with a sponge and about once a week, to relax more than anything, I bathe with Epsom salts from supermarkets in a cool bath for 15-20 mins.

My eczema has significantly cleared with very few new flare ups. I am controlling it with steroid ointments and my choice of moisturiser.

I wanted to share this as I was unaware as to how damaging the water was to my skin's protective top layer where there is there is the lack of the protein filaggrin. I can't believe that this has helped so much and I have reduced my widespread eczema considerably.

[Trace564]

Hi there. I have just joined this site and I was going to post a similar article to yours.

I also live in a hard water area, and showering makes me so itchy.

It's frustrating because I have to use emollients several times a day, and without showering regularly, the build up of moisturizer makes me itch also.

[CastorOil4Eczema]

A dermatologist recommended to only use soap on my stinky parts (armpits, genitals/rear, feet). Your skin barrier or acid mantle can be washed or scrubbed away. It's called the acid mantle because it has a pH between 4.5 and 5.5. Body washes can really vary in pH and Commercial soaps have a pH range of 9-11, which can dry out skin and make it more susceptible to bacterial growth. If you get that tight squeaky clean feeling after washing, you’ve probably just stripped away your acid mantle which increases your chances of skin damage and infection. I highly recommend castor oil as a moisturizer (it healed my eczema). The skin barrier or acid mantle is made up of a layers of dead skin cells bound together by a mixture of fatty acids, ceramides and cholesterol lipids. You can repair a damaged skin barrier using oils high in fatty acids. Castor oil is the most cost effective oil high in fatty acids. It can be found in most pharmacies (CVS) but you can get a better deal online.