8 Ways to Eliminate Eczema Flare Triggers
If you suffer from eczema, you're probably aware that flares may be triggered by different factors. Stress and red wine may cause one person's flares, while someone else may be reactive to dry weather and cow's milk. It's also possible for your own triggers to change over time.
There are three types of eczema triggers: Environment, stress and diet. This article addresses environmental triggers and how you can identify and avoid them.
Environmental triggers are anything that aggravates your skin from the outside in. Your goal should be to eliminate all possible environmental triggers to reduce the likelihood and incidence of flares.
Here are 8 guidelines for eliminating and avoiding common eczema triggers:
1. Experiment with Laundry Soap
Use biodegradable laundry detergents that are free of perfumes and dyes. This may help, but some people find even 'all-natural,' biodegradable laundry soaps aggravate their skin.
There is a product called Soap Nuts that may be a good alternative. This is 100% natural, hypoallergenic 'soap.' It's actually the dried shells of a fruit called the soapberry, which contain a very effective, chemical-free cleaning agent.
2. Avoid Perfume
No matter how nice synthetic scents may smell, they contain chemicals that give your body one more thing to process. Avoid perfumes in all forms - deodorants, air fresheners, spray on formulas and lotions. Tell your family and/or roommates, abstinence from perfume and perfume-containing products is a must for your health.
3. Avoid Petroleum Products
Many "eczema-friendly" lotions available at drugstores and by prescription are made with a base of petroleum. Petroleum can help temporarily relieve eczema symptoms by providing a non-breathable barrier that keeps the skin moist.
However in the long term, this impermeable membrane prevents the skin from breathing. Over time, this actually causes more dryness and more susceptibility to inflammation.
Mineral oil 'works' in the same way and should also be avoided.
4. Read Labels
Always read labels on lotions, soaps and all other types of body products, just as you do with food packaging. Just because something says it is safe or healthy, don't assume this is true!
When in doubt, visit the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, which catalogs most body products and the potential hazard of their ingredients. There are many potential toxins in body products. You may be surprised when you read the research-based information posted at the EWG.
5. Choose Breathable Clothing and Bed Linens
Synthetic clothing and bed linens are often an unrecognized environmental trigger. Choose 100% cotton (or other all-natural fiber) clothing, sheets, blankets and towels.
Synthetic products like Nylon are produced with petroleum and other chemicals. As with petroleum-based lotions, these fabrics don't allow your skin to breathe freely and should be avoided.
6. Don't Over-Bathe
If you have eczema, you should avoid long hot showers or bath soaks. The hot water will dry your skin and is likely to exacerbate your eczema. If you bathe daily, consider only using soap in essential areas; otherwise, simply rinse with warm water and pat dry.
Chlorine in swimming pools may also irritate eczema. If you do swim, always rinse well with cool water after leaving the pool.
7. Filter Your Water
All water that comes in contact with your body (both internal and external) should be filtered to remove fluoride, chlorine and other toxic chemicals.
There are many different water filtration options out there, and choosing one can be confusing. I recommend a whole house filter for bathing, plus reverse osmosis filter (and a method to add minerals back into the water, either via a specialized filter or mineral drops that you buy online or at a health food store).
Another "good" option is a filter that attaches to your shower and/or bath taps, plus reverse osmosis filter and re-mineralization as described above.
Municipal tap water, Brita filters, or reverse osmosis without re-mineralization are in my experience 'not good enough' when it comes to preventing eczema flares.
8. Avoid Drugs as Much as Possible
Although steroid creams may temporarily suppress the expression of eczema, remember that this powerful medicine is also absorbed into the skin. This creates systemic immune system weakness.
Steroids also suppress the adrenal glands' ability to make natural anti-inflammatory compounds. Finally, the skin can become dependent on steroids and grow thin where creams have been applied.
Anti-histamines may provide temporary relief of eczema symptoms, but they're not without negative side effects, including extreme drowsiness. Anti-bacterial salve may be necessary on severely broken skin that is at risk of infection, but should be used sparingly.
In severe cases or to avoid infection, pharmaceuticals may occasionally be necessary in treating eczema. A good example might be young children who cannot understand that they should not scratch. However, in the long run, as environmental triggers, you should strive to avoid them in the interest of avoiding flares.
There are three types of eczema triggers: Environment, stress and diet. This article addresses environmental triggers and how you can identify and avoid them.
Environmental triggers are anything that aggravates your skin from the outside in. Your goal should be to eliminate all possible environmental triggers to reduce the likelihood and incidence of flares.
Here are 8 guidelines for eliminating and avoiding common eczema triggers:
1. Experiment with Laundry Soap
Use biodegradable laundry detergents that are free of perfumes and dyes. This may help, but some people find even 'all-natural,' biodegradable laundry soaps aggravate their skin.
There is a product called Soap Nuts that may be a good alternative. This is 100% natural, hypoallergenic 'soap.' It's actually the dried shells of a fruit called the soapberry, which contain a very effective, chemical-free cleaning agent.
2. Avoid Perfume
No matter how nice synthetic scents may smell, they contain chemicals that give your body one more thing to process. Avoid perfumes in all forms - deodorants, air fresheners, spray on formulas and lotions. Tell your family and/or roommates, abstinence from perfume and perfume-containing products is a must for your health.
3. Avoid Petroleum Products
Many "eczema-friendly" lotions available at drugstores and by prescription are made with a base of petroleum. Petroleum can help temporarily relieve eczema symptoms by providing a non-breathable barrier that keeps the skin moist.
However in the long term, this impermeable membrane prevents the skin from breathing. Over time, this actually causes more dryness and more susceptibility to inflammation.
Mineral oil 'works' in the same way and should also be avoided.
4. Read Labels
Always read labels on lotions, soaps and all other types of body products, just as you do with food packaging. Just because something says it is safe or healthy, don't assume this is true!
When in doubt, visit the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, which catalogs most body products and the potential hazard of their ingredients. There are many potential toxins in body products. You may be surprised when you read the research-based information posted at the EWG.
5. Choose Breathable Clothing and Bed Linens
Synthetic clothing and bed linens are often an unrecognized environmental trigger. Choose 100% cotton (or other all-natural fiber) clothing, sheets, blankets and towels.
Synthetic products like Nylon are produced with petroleum and other chemicals. As with petroleum-based lotions, these fabrics don't allow your skin to breathe freely and should be avoided.
6. Don't Over-Bathe
If you have eczema, you should avoid long hot showers or bath soaks. The hot water will dry your skin and is likely to exacerbate your eczema. If you bathe daily, consider only using soap in essential areas; otherwise, simply rinse with warm water and pat dry.
Chlorine in swimming pools may also irritate eczema. If you do swim, always rinse well with cool water after leaving the pool.
7. Filter Your Water
All water that comes in contact with your body (both internal and external) should be filtered to remove fluoride, chlorine and other toxic chemicals.
There are many different water filtration options out there, and choosing one can be confusing. I recommend a whole house filter for bathing, plus reverse osmosis filter (and a method to add minerals back into the water, either via a specialized filter or mineral drops that you buy online or at a health food store).
Another "good" option is a filter that attaches to your shower and/or bath taps, plus reverse osmosis filter and re-mineralization as described above.
Municipal tap water, Brita filters, or reverse osmosis without re-mineralization are in my experience 'not good enough' when it comes to preventing eczema flares.
8. Avoid Drugs as Much as Possible
Although steroid creams may temporarily suppress the expression of eczema, remember that this powerful medicine is also absorbed into the skin. This creates systemic immune system weakness.
Steroids also suppress the adrenal glands' ability to make natural anti-inflammatory compounds. Finally, the skin can become dependent on steroids and grow thin where creams have been applied.
Anti-histamines may provide temporary relief of eczema symptoms, but they're not without negative side effects, including extreme drowsiness. Anti-bacterial salve may be necessary on severely broken skin that is at risk of infection, but should be used sparingly.
In severe cases or to avoid infection, pharmaceuticals may occasionally be necessary in treating eczema. A good example might be young children who cannot understand that they should not scratch. However, in the long run, as environmental triggers, you should strive to avoid them in the interest of avoiding flares.
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