Emollients - Are they worth the effort?

Lets face it. Who has the time to cover themselves head to toe in cream, five times a day like the doctors recommend? Certainly not me. I'd say I manage to apply it between two and three times a day, which I don't think is too bad. It's certainly more difficult to find the motivation when you have severe eczema, as it can seem like a waste of time. But if you find the right emollient, it can soothe your skin somewhat and reduce that irritating itch. However I can't say I'm completely sold on the theory that they improve the skin barrier and prevent flares...

There is a lot of trial and error going on, when you are on the hunt for your perfect emollient - one that doesn't irritate you further, and manages to keep your skin moisturised for more than 5 minutes. I tried many brands over the years such as Dermol, Cetraban, Aveeno ect. I finally settled on Epaderm after trying it out in hospital. I woke up to notice my skin's redness was massively reduced and have stuck with it ever since. I get through about 4 large bottles a month.

The best thing about it, is that it is so multi-functional. Its replaced all the toiletries I cant use anymore such as shower gel, body lotions and even make-up remover. Honestly, a squirt of it on a cotton pad and it clears your face - even stubborn mascara. The only thing I miss, is that squeaky clean feeling when you use a shower gel. You definitely don't get that when you are washing yourself with a thick cream.

Which emollients do you use? And do you have any alternative uses for them?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Some tips and tricks for showering with eczema

I used to take being able to have a nice, hot shower at the end of the day for granted. As my eczema has worsened over the years, I find showers, the main culprit for making my skin worse. I now make sure nothing comes in contact with my skin except emollient and water, but still find my skin inflamed afterwards. I have done some research and found that water softeners may help, but I have yet to try them. To minimise skin irritation, I do the following: As uncomfortable as it is, I try keep the water temperature as low as possible, as heat will dry the skin further. I later myself in Epaderm emollient from head to toe before I get in the shower. I wash myself with Epaderm as a soap substitute. Then as soon as I get out the shower I pat my skin dry gently, and then apply more Epaderm. I put on my Clinfast top and leggings, which are kind of like bandage clothes.  I then wash my hair over the bath with  Jason Gluten Free Daily Shampoo  as it contains no SLS and d...
Keep reading

Lets start at the beginning...

Image
Let's start at the beginning For as long as I can remember, I have suffered from eczema. Although up until I was 19, it was fairly mild - mainly just affecting my inner elbows and the back of my knees. I vaguely remember seeing many doctors and dermatologists about it, when I was younger, were they'd just encourage me to cover myself in emollients a million times a day. As a child it barely bothered me, and I certainly wasn't going to be wasting time I could be playing, smothering myself in greasy cream. I mainly just left it be and it would come and go as it pleased. Coming up through my teens, I became a more self-conscious of the red scaly patches on my arms and legs, and would just use any old steroid cream I had laying about - even if it was 5 years old. How that makes me cringe, now that I have learnt so much about medicine in my Pharmacy degree. But anyway, it seemed to do the job just fine. Fast forward to being 19 in my second year of university...an...
Keep reading

A mini guide to steroid creams

Image
Steroid creams tend be the most effective and commonly used treatment for eczema sufferers. They come in a range of strengths from mildly potent up to very potent. Although this may not always be pointed out to you by your doctor, the level of potency is very important to know for your own safety. The potency level is normally mentioned on the label when you collect it from the pharmacy. The higher the potency the more damage the steroid cream can do to your skin, so its important to use them very sparingly and for the least possible time. Too much of a high potency cream could make you very unwell and could leave you with some side effects you would get from taking a steroid tablet. Although steroid creams are not very effective for me at the moment I have a big range of them as you can see. In my personal experience I only get results if I use them on a mild flare, which stops its from getting to the point I'm in now, were nothing seems to work. I have hydrocortisone 0....
Keep reading