Dealing with Eczema

I wanted to do a post about this for so long but because I am not a “professional” I was honestly scarred to. I think the bottom line when talking about skincare is what works for me might not be perfect for you. However while my skin will always eczema prone I am really happy with the condition of my skin right now. So I thought I would share with you my story, some tips and tricks for eczema prone skin.

While in high school I had that typical teenage oily skin. I consider myself lucky because although I had spots it’s nothing that a good cleanser couldn’t clear. Somewhere between high school and college I started to get a dry forehead. Just thinking it was normal “winter skin” I went to the store and bought a crap moisturizer. This moisturizer was meant for oily skin and contained salicylic acid. I think at the time I couldn’t fathom using a product for dry skin all over my face, which was moistly oily. This whole experience was a disaster because the cream burnt the heck out of my forehead and eventually turned it into a dry peeling mess. Still thinking it was just some dry skin I tried creams from Chanel to La Roche Posey and nothing worked. Eventually my “dry skin” spread from a patch to almost my entire forehead, which left me with no option but to see the doctor, which lead me to use of a topical steroid.

Topical steroids can be tricky.  In my experience, in a couple of days my dry patches did almost disappear and I thought my battle was done. The next thing I knew the “dry skin” was back but this time it was worse. The tricky thing about topical steroids is with prolonged usage can actually make matters worse. My skin was so scaly I hated leaving the house and to make matters worse my left eye brow started to fall out because of the constant itching.

Two years went by and on random trip to the drugstore everything changed. A sales lady approached me and said “you need to try this right now” and handed me a sample bottle of Avene’s Cold Cream.  Honestly my skin instantly felt soothed and cooled a feeling that was completely new to me. She explained that her daughter has suffered with eczema and she recognized it when she saw it! This lady is truly my skincare fairy god mother, I didn’t know I had eczema at the time nor did I know about Avene. From that point on my obsession with skincare started. I spent every night reading up on eczema, product ingredients and life style choices that would change my skin forever.

These are tips that I have discovered through research or personal experience. They have helped me and hopefully they can help you too:

• There is no cure for eczema so be prepaid constant care is a lifelong commitment.
• Don’t be afraid to use treatments for affected area only.  Meaning I totally get some eczema products are too rich for your entire face so just use them where you need them.
• I know a lot of products are safe for sensitive skin but I baby my forehead. So for most masks or any harsh chemical peels I avoid using on my forehead all together.
• Drink lots of water
• Avoid alcohol. If you want to drink just be prepared your eczema will need the extra TLC the following day.
• Go makeup free if you can. Personally I find foundations and powders to be very drying so usually I avoid applying makeup to my forehead.
• Do what feels good to your skin! I ran into quite a few products that were made for sensitive skin yet they burnt when I put them on my skin. If this happens to you I highly suggest stop using them and if you can return them.
• Always keep your favorite eczema cream with you. For me I always keep Cold Cream with me especially in the dryer winter months. I think to get your skin under control you need that constant care.
• I think the most important tip is just being patient. Your skin will not get better overnight, so just keep up with the routine and what feels good and I assure you thinks will get better. 

If you are a fellow eczema sufferer I feel your pain, but just know things will get better. I know not everyone with find this post beneficial. With that being said even if one person finds this helpful then my work is done.