Eczema is one of the most common skin conditions in which the skin becomes inflamed. Which results in very dry skin, painful rashes and sometimes blisters. In this blog we discuss the different forms of eczema, their causes as well as which products we recommend using, to care for skin with eczema.
How do you recognize eczema?
The most common symptoms of eczema are patches of skin that are cracked and dry. These areas can be very itchy, inflamed and painful. Eczema tends to occur on the face but can also appear all over the body.
What exactly is eczema?
Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition that causes dry, painful rashes and blisters and there are several types.
Constitutional eczema is due to a hereditary predisposition, which means you are born with it. Eczema in this form can be chronic or occur in short flare-ups. It often decreases as the person ages. It consists of red spots with sometimes blisters containing fluid. When these blisters dry into scabs, the skin flakes off. The rest of the skin can also flake. This causes the overriding symptom of this form of eczema: itching.
Eczema can occur all over the body and in principle has no fixed location. Although it often occurs on the face (near the eyes, nose, cheeks) it could also appear on the body, back of the knees and inside of the elbows.
When eczema becomes chronic, the skin texture will change. This becomes coarser and cracks appear in the skin.
In addition to this common variant, there are other types of eczema, namely Seborrheic Eczema (crusts and flakes in places where there are many sebaceous glands), Contact Eczema (which occurs as a kind of allergic reaction after contact with a certain substance) or eczema due to extreme dehydration of the skin.
What is the cause?
No clear cause has ever been found for the development of eczema, but factors that have an influence have now been found. Certain diets, lifestyles, stress and allergic reactions can cause a flare-up or worsen eczema. In terms of nutrition, eliminating dairy products and/or nuts and peanuts from your diet is often a way to get eczema under control. The same goes for avoiding and reducing stress.
Skin care and eczema
The dermatologist keeps eczema under control with medication in the form of ointments or internal medication. These medications often contain cortisone, which counteracts inflammation in the skin. A disadvantage of cortisone is that it temporarily suppresses inflammation. If you stop taking this medication, the eczema will often return. It is also absorbed into the bloodstream, thinning the skin making it even more fragile or causing extreme hair growth in the places where it is used.
Other products that are often prescribed are Vaseline-like products or very greasy creams. The disadvantage of these products is that they are often based on mineral oils. These mineral oils have an addictive effect and will further dry out the skin.
What would Witlof do?
Good alternatives to fatty creams that contain mineral oil are shea or Cocoa butter, baobab and avocado oil and coconut fat. These vegetable fats are optimal for keeping dry skin greasy. In addition, shea butter is very effective in strengthening the skin barrier to protect the skin and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
The Witlof Skincare Rich Facial Cream contains vegetable fats and butters, as well as niacinamide and ceramides, which is ideal for dry or damaged skin that needs repair or strengthening.
The Silky Hand Cream also contains these fats and butters as a basis. In addition to this, the cream also contains niacinamide, a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, ideal for soothing irritated skin, reducing redness and promoting skin recovery. This thick cream is ideal for dry hands, but also for dry spots on the rest of the skin.
Finally, Pure Argan Oil is also a nice alternative because it contains a fatty acid that resembles the skin's own sebum, so it is well absorbed by the skin and can-do restorative work.
