1. Eczema is more common in girls, in urban areas, smaller and wealthier families.
2. Eczema, asthma and hayfever are closely related. They are all
atopic conditions with a strong familial basis. It is estimated that 50% of children with eczema will develop either asthma,
hayfever or both.
3. Eczema is the common name used to refers to a number of persistent skin conditions, including neurodermatitis, venous eczema, xerotic eczema, dermatitis herpetiformis, contact dermatitis, and the most common form, atopic dermatitis.
4. People who have eczema are not contagious. It often seen in several members of one family because it is genetically passed down from parent to child.
5. About 90% of eczema patients develop their first symptoms before the age of five and it usually disappears by age 6. Only a small number of children carry the disease into adulthood.
Eczema is an unpleasant itching, red, flaking skin disorder that has no cure.
Eczema skin very often becomes cracked which can result in skin
fissures and lead to bacterial infections. Its a skin disorder
that usually appears in the first few months of life then disappears by age 5. Few eczema children carry the disorder into adulthood. I, on the other
hand, am one of those people. I can’t remember a time that I didn’t have a patch of eczema some where on my body. Whether it be behind my knees, in the creases of my elbow, on my face or on my hands, eczema is always rearing it ugly head. When
I was baby, I use to sport the most adorable red, eczema beard.
Triggered by factors such as food (spaghetti, milk) and weather, I would
have different reactions and different flare ups. Sometimes it got so
bad, that patches of eczema on my legs and arms would start ooze and
resemble burn marks. Luckily as I’ve aged, my eczema has become less traumatic, but still bothersome and annoying nevertheless.
I have tried every solution possible to reduce the side effects of my eczema. I have tried avoiding common eczema food triggers, keeping well hydrated, using different moisturizers and the occasional use of corticosteroids. Some remedies fail, some remedies lessen the itch but don’t remove the unsightly red blotches and others decrease the inflammation for a few days but it always seems to come back. Unfortunately, Eczema does NOT have a cure! Instead I search for creams that moisturize my skin and minimize out breaks. Whenever my eczema flares up, I always turn to La Roche Posay for relief.
La Roche Posay is a company that is backed with a rich history and extensive research. La Roche Posay was named after a little village located in the center of the French region of La Vienne. In the early 1600’s, in La Roche Posay, it was discovered that the famous Selenium-rich spring water, that ran through the center of town, contained beneficial properties for the skin. For over 30 years, La Roche Posay has used this thermal spring water to created highly quality skincare and make-up products for sensitive skin. Recommended by over 25,000 dermatologists, it’s no wonder this product is the number one recommended cream for sensitive skin in Canada.
Two products that I have recently have success with is Lipikar Baueme AP and Toleriane Ultra
I was very impressed with Lipikar Baueme AP. Designed for extremely dry, irritated Atopic skin, it is exactly what I needed to treat my eczema flare ups. Used as a body cream, I applied it minimally once a day to my entire body for preventive measures. The cream is thick and creamy and is very easy to apply. When I massaged it into my body, I could feel a barrier of protection form on my skin. It leaves my skin feeling moisturized and a little bit greasy. Almost immediately the itch is removed, within hours the redness was dulled and within a few days, large itchy eczema patches were completely cleared up. I found with regular usage of this product, my break outs seem to occur less often and less severe. This is a keeper for sure!
Toleriane Ultra is a facial cream that is used to reduced skin’s sensitivity and restore long-lasting comfort. The Toleriane range contains High Tolerance products formulated with a minimum of ingredients to limit the risks of allergies. It is alcohol and fragrant free so it is gentle on the skin and less likely to cause a reaction. I never use cleansers or creams on my face because I tend to breakout in acne or enhance my eczema rather than remove it. Over the years, I have found that my skin does better when it is washed during my normal shower routine rather then applying extra moisturizer, cleanser and toner designed specifically for my face. There are only 2 products I have used that don’t tend to make me react and I tend to reserve them for ‘special’ facial occasions. As you can imagine, I was nervous trying the Toleriane Ultra face cream for fear that it would do more harm then good. To my surprised, it was awesome! It was smooth and non greasy. This product targeted both my dry (my forehead and cheeks) and greasy areas (my chin and sides of my nose), while leaving my skin soft and smooth. Using this product in my skin regimen for a two week period, I noticed that areas I commonly experience inflammation and dryness were reduced by 80% and it didn’t cause any additional pimples or other acne breakouts. So far I have had great success, I can’t wait to see if it can stand up the summer sweat and grime.