17. Skin

Skin is our biggest organ, and protects us from all sorts of nasty things in our environment. Skin has to deal with a lot of daily, er, wear and tear. Especially during winter time a lot of people suffer from dry skin or rashes. Here are some tips that might help against itchy, dry skin, written from the viewpoint of someone with atopic dermatitis. (See here for Wikipedia article, but be warned for a rather nasty picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atopic_dermatitis.) Oh and, beware of potentially gross medical details.


Preventative or long-term measures:

Turn the heat or air con down. Both heating and air conditioning remove moisture from the air. Cold, wintery air is dry as it is, so it's a good idea to try and keep inside air as moist as possible. I've heard about placing a bowl of warm water near a heater, but the one time I tried it I didn't really notice any difference. Also, take gloves and other excess clothing off when on the bus/shopping/whatever. Sweating is not good.

Make sure you get enough vitamin D. Wikipedia informs me that vitamin D prevents certain cancers or speeds up the recovery process, is crucial to bones, and can prevent cardiovascular disease. The article doesn't mention anything about the skin needing vitamin D, merely that it produces it. Sunlight, however, is extremely important to the skin's well-being exactly because UV rays stimulate the skin to produce vitamin D. If you live in a nasty, dark place as I do, eat supplementary vitamin D in the winter time unless you eat large amounts of fatty fish (which contains the vitamin). In many countries, dairy products have added vitamin D.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. 'Nuff said, really. Skin needs moisture from both outside and inside.

Wear rubber gloves like a classy (desperate) housewife. Hands are often especially prone to eczema. Dish-washing liquids are especially designed to remove fats/oil, and it'll remove the oil from your skin as well. I wear hot pink rubber gloves when doing the dishes. My flatmates giggled at first, but hey, at least I still have skin on my palms.

Relax and look after yourself. Skin is a bitch about stress, especially if you have a sensitive skin. Adequate sleep, loads of vegetables, and getting organized instead of freaking out work wonders. I know it's not always easy to manage it - I certainly don't a lot of the time - but taking the time to eat that carrot can really help prevent eczema.


When you already have a rash or if you know you're prone to them:

Slip slap slop. Seriously, pharmaceutical companies should pay me for all the testing I've done for them. The thing is, it doesn't as much matter what lotion you use, but how often and how much of it you use. Well, perhaps obviously you should use lotions without added fragrance, colourings or such junk. (Then again, a pharmacist once recommended Dove to me in Scotland, so maybe it's not so obvious. Dove, Nivea, and most similar products are bad. Bad.) I know British pharmacies have inexpensive "aquaeous creme" that comes in huge tubs - I'm sure many places have similar stuff. When my skin is at its driest, only vaseline helps.

Anyways, the trick is to use loads of the stuff several times a day. This, of course, depending on just how dry your skin is. When my skin is particularly nasty, I literally layer lotion on until it forms a thick white layer. Always put on lotion after a shower. Keeping the lotion in the fridge to cool it off might help alleviate itching and that nasty feeling of your skin burning up.

If you have rashes proper as opposed to dry skin, cortisone creams might help. Problem is, cortisone also makes your skin thin and is not healthy for your body in the long run. So always use cortisone locally where you really need it, and use it regularly for a few days until your skin heals properly rather than slapping it on whenever you get itchy. Don't apply cortisone on your face as the skin is already thin as it is.

Do not use cortisone for blisters or if your skin is seeping out blood or fluids. I've used creams with bacitracin and neomycin - I'm sure pharmacists can recommend the right kind of products.

Hygiene in moderation. Being downright dirty is not good for your skin, but showers remove moisture and protective oils from your skin, so it might be worth considering to slacken a particularly rigorous cleaning routine. Keep your showers short and lukewarm rather than hot, and use either a mild soap or preferably lotion for washing. (Lotion will even get rid of eye make-up.)

Eczema can also affect the scalp. A lot of hairdressers or the like will recommend shampoos against dandruff, but they don't really work because it's rash-induced flaky skin, not dandruff. I will shamelessly plug a line called Ducray, which you can get from pharmacies. It calms the scalp and in general works wonders.

Take antihistamine. I can't really personally recommend this as it did nothing for me, but hey, it's one more straw to grab at.

Wear natural fibres. Lycra, acrylic and goodness knows what synthetic fibres can irritate sensitive skin. Cotton and silk are best - wool easily itches on skin.

Travel to the Bahamas. Yeah, I wish. UV radiation is very effective in treating dry and irritated skin. A tanning booth has its own dangers, but that's still the treatment one of my friends received when she was hospitalized because of horrid eczema. There's no reason to overdo it - Wikipedia informs me, again, that the skin uses and processes only about twenty minutes' worth of sunlight/UV at a time. Very careful sunbathing or even a tanning booth can, however, work if all else fails.


Let me know if you have any tips for skincare - they're always more than welcome.

I love you skin - please never leave me.