Skincare For Eczema: Morning & Night Routine, Ingredients to Use & Avoid

DR SABA QUTUB
Skincare
A woman applying moisturiser on her eczema-prone skin

Skincare for eczema-prone skin requires a gentle approach, as you must select products with mild and soothing ingredients. Moreover, you must avoid potential triggers and adapt some lifestyle habits to keep your skin safe.

In this blog, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to tackle your eczema: skincare for eczema and what to add and avoid in your routine. 

What is Eczema 

Eczema is a chronic skin condition in which your skin behaves rough, dry, itchy, and inflamed. In some cases, some bumps can be noticed, too. This condition is common worldwide among people of all ages, including babies. It is a kind of dermatitis (a group of skin disorders that irritates the skin and makes it red). Eczema can cause mild to severe dermal irritation. 

Some of the most common symptoms are;

  • Flaky, crusting skin
  • Uneven texture
  • Hardened skin
  • Constricted skin
  • Flushing
  • Dry patches
  • Inflammation
  • Rashes

Eczema Causes & Triggers 

The exact causes of eczema are still under research. However, experts have found some common factors widely responsible for this skin condition, consisting of an overactive immune system, hereditary tendency, and a weak skin barrier. Conditions like allergies and asthma can increase the risk. 

Variables that can trigger eczema include your environment. Exposure to smoke, dust particles and pollutants can affect your skin's health and contribute to sensitivity. In addition, harsh detergents and soaps can make your skin itch. Both low and high humidity can be potential triggers for eczema. 

Your mental health plays an integral role in shaping your skin's well-being. High-stress levels or constant anxiety may exacerbate flare-ups. 

How to Choose Products for Eczema Skincare    

Appropriate skincare for eczema can help you manage and soothe its symptoms, including itching, dryness, and inflammation. It comprises the right products, ingredients, and ways to treat your skin. 

A person using skincare products for eczema

Let’s begin with learning what skincare products you can include when dealing with eczema and what factors to consider while buying them. 

Cleansers

Cleansers can give a good start to your daily skincare routine, AM or PM. Stick with the mild ones with a liquid consistency. Soap bars can be harsh and made with surfactants, chemical compounds that can dehydrate and dry your skin, causing more irritation and itching. 

While looking for your cleanser, look for fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, soap-free, gentle, moisturising, hydrating, products made for dry or sensitive skin. 

Moisturisers

Moisturising matters the most when dealing with eczema or other chronic skin disorders that dry out the dermal surface. Moisturisers with thick consistency can hydrate and prevent rough patches on the skin, leaving less room for further flakiness and dryness. 

Avoid lotions as these generally have low oil content. This won't allow them to lock in a healthy amount of moisture and may not fulfil your desire to get deeply hydrated. Moreover, some lotions are made with added preservatives, which can burn your skin. Instead, look for ointments with high oil content. 

When shopping for a moisturiser, consider the following words on the label;

  • Soothing eczema
  • Reactive/sensitive skin
  • Fragrance-free
  • Replenishing/hydrating
  • Restore and rejuvenate
  • Healing
  • Anti-irritation

Serums

Targeted skincare in the form of serums is a great option for treating eczema-prone skin or associated concerns. Hydrating serums may help retain moisture and prevent dryness without clogging your pores. Some serums can aid transepidermal water loss and strengthen the skin's barrier. You can try soothing and anti-inflammatory serums to alleviate flare-ups and related symptoms. Healing and repairing serums can fix the eczema-induced damage. 

Skincare Routine for Eczema-Prone Skin 

Once you have selected your choice of products for your eczema-prone skin, you can integrate them into a comprehensive skincare routine. 

Here's how you do it;

Morning Skincare Routine with Eczema-Prone Skin

  • Cleanse your skin with gentle soap-free cleanser like Cream Cleanser. It is a vitamin-enriched milk cleanser with refined hydrators, including rosehip oil, shea butter, almond oil, and olive oil. 

    With antioxidants, jasmine absolute can aid eczema and inflamed skin. Always be gentle with your skin; use a soft towel to pat after washing. Don't rub. 

    A bottle of DRSQ’s Cream Cleanser with hydrating and skin-soothing properties
  • Apply a spot treatment on the affected areas with prescription creams or serums.
  • Follow with a moisturiser all over your skin to lock in the moisture. 
  • Your morning skincare routine is incomplete without SPF before going out. Cover your skin to protect and prevent sun exposure. 

Nighttime Skincare Routine for Eczema-Prone Skin

  • Begin with cleansing. A nighttime cleansing is crucial to remove settled dirt, sebum, and any buildup from your skin. You will sleep with clean skin. If you plan to bathe, use lukewarm water and don't spend more than 7-8 minutes under the shower. 
  • Pat dry your skin and treat it with the prescribed product. You can make the best out of this step by applying a spot treatment for your skin concern. 
  • Apply a generous layer of moisturiser on the skin, and you're ready to call it a night. Thick creams are better for your skin. Redness-reducing moisturisers like Hydracalm can assist in wound healing, scaling and itching on the skin. 

    DRSQ’s Hydracalm redness-reducing moisturiser

    Infused with acetyl tetrapeptide-2 biomimetic peptide, milk thistle, and ultra-low weight hyaluronic acid, this moisturiser intensely hydrates. Jojoba oil and cucumber seed oil soothe and manage inflammation. 

Best Ingredients to Treat Eczema 

But which ingredients are truly effective for eczema and why? Explore the potential skincare ingredients that can promote healing and prevent eczema below;

Niacinamide

Niacinamide, or vitamin B3, is a substance produced by the body on its own and has a long list of benefits for skincare. It's not behind in treating your eczema, either. It can make your skin smooth and strong, ease inflammation, and soothe redness while inducing deep hydration.

Hyaluronic Acid

It is a powerful humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture in your skin. It can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water which helps to hydrate and replenish your eczema-prone skin. Hyaluronic acid can reinforce the skin's protective shield. It is non-comedogenic and lightweight as compared to oils, which feel non-greasy on the skin. Apply it on your damp skin to reap the maximum benefits. 

An abstract view of Hyaluronic acid in liquid form

Glycerin

Another humectant to keep your skin hydrated when dealing with eczema. You must opt for creams, moisturisers or even cleansers with glycerine as one of the ingredients. It soothes dryness and reduces sensitivity to environmental aggressors. It supports the barrier function to make your skin healthy and soothed. 

Ceramides

A popular anti-ageing ingredient and recommended by medical practitioners to people dealing with atopic dermatitis, one of the eczema types. Research indicates that a ceramide-rich moisturising cream and cleanser effectively restores the skin's permeability and improves eczema symptoms in adults.

Aloe Vera

Being a natural moisturiser, aloe vera can deeply hydrate your skin, inducing relief from dryness. Combined with antiviral, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties, aloe vera gel can prevent skin infections. A piece of evidence presents that aloe vera is an antioxidant and antimicrobial with immune boosting and wound healing capabilities. 

Colloidal Oatmeal

Bathing with colloidal oatmeal can help with very dry, sensitive and itchy skin. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, taking a ten to fifteen-minute bath in colloidal oatmeal can help relieve the eczema itch. With a proven barrier protection, oatmeal can moisturise and soothe the skin. It is an anti-inflammatory that can reduce the severe symptoms of eczema. 

Shea Butter

Having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, shea butter can soothe constant itching and irritation related to eczema. It has a nutrient-dense formulation with bioactive compounds like sterols, phenols, tocopherols, and terpenes to heal the skin and protect against aggressors from the environment you live in. 

A box of shea butter for itching and rough skin placed on a white surface

Ingredients to Avoid for Eczema-Prone Skin 

Certain beneficial ingredients can worsen your skin condition, trigger more flare-ups, and attack your skin's barrier. Let's know them in detail; 

Fragrances

Sensitive skin can get majorly triggered by fragrance products either in skincare, toiletries, and cosmetics. Moreover, if you are dealing with any type of eczema, these fragrances can add fuel to the smoke and bring about a flare. 

Parabens

Skincare products, hair dyes, and cosmetics may have parabens as preservatives that can trigger certain allergies and eczema in your skin. Be careful while making your purchase. We suggest you read the labels if they contain any of the parabens such as methylparaben or ethylparaben. Apart from parabens, other preservatives, formaldehyde-releasing agents and DMDM hydantion can be troublesome. 

Surfactants

Sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate are harsh surfactants that can overdry your skin and disturb your skin's barrier to a great extent. Using them continuously can encourage eczema symptoms. 

Retinoids

Retinoids are one of the finest skincare ingredients to fight ageing and pigmentation. But if you are going through eczema-related rashes and itching, it’s best to skip them as they do not offer any good but harm your eczema-prone skin. Retinoids like retinol and retinaldehyde can increase the skin’s sensitivity all over and towards the sun. 

When to See a Doctor

While mild eczema is manageable with lifestyle changes and precautions, certain symptoms can be warning signs to visit your doctor;

  • If you are being careful and using over-the-counter treatment along with home remedies, but the condition is getting worse only. 
  • Itching followed by pain and inflammation is increasing day by day. 
  • Even after eliminating triggers, you are losing control over concerns. Flare-ups are too frequent. 
  • You start getting wounds and cracks on the skin.

References:

  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
  • National Eczema Association
  • Bieber, T. (2018). Atopic Dermatitis. New England Journal of Medicine, 358(14), 1483-1494.
  • Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 151(1), 144-153.e7.
  • A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 151(1), 186-199.e22.
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