Eczema Era and How to Navigate Through It

Eczema Era and How to Navigate Through It

JGI/GETTY IMAGES

 Ever since I moved to the West, my skin became more sensitive, my teeth became sensitive (Sensodyne). Heck, even my feelings became more sensitive!

In a beautiful summer day in 2018, I found out I had developed Eczema. It first started off as a very bad allergic reaction around my eyes to a renewed formula of a mascara I have been using for years. That coupled with a high amount of stress I was going through at the time, caused a severe Eczema reaction. One thing worth mentioning is although I was living in a cold dry climate like Canada, I had never moisturized before.

What is Eczema you may think?

According to Mayo Clinic, it is "Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is a condition that causes dry, itchy and inflamed skin. It's common in young children but can occur at any age. Atopic dermatitis is long lasting (chronic) and tends to flare sometimes. It can be irritating but it's not contagious.

People with atopic dermatitis are at risk of developing food allergies, hay fever and asthma. Moisturizing regularly and following other skin care habits can relieve itching and prevent new outbreaks (flares). Treatment may also include medicated ointments or creams."

Prior to knowing it is Eczema, I thought it was an Allergic Reaction. I had 3 sessions of allergy patch testing done on my back and as it turns out... drum roll... I am allergic to Perfume Mix Type I. Essentially, perfume is an irritant that dries the skin. Eczema is severe dry skin. 

That journey led to me meeting the allergist that solved most of Eczema-related problems. My family doctor referred me to a GREAT Allergist called Dr. Sari Herman at North York Medical Group that explained in detail to me what Eczema is, how to treat it and what facial products to use and avoid.

It was fair to say, my skin was irritated and anything I would put on it (natural or not) was causing it to flare up. Dr. Herman suggested I let my skin be for some time to relax and heal. Then, focus on moisturizing and using Baume around my eyes. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5, coupled with Elidel, were life-savers. 

As per their website, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 is a "multi-purpose soothing cream hydrates cracked, chapped, chafed skin and dry skin irritations. Non-greasy, skin protectant relieves dry, rough skin, while protecting from drying effects of wind and cold." As for Elidel (pimecrolimus), it is a topical (used as cream on the skin) steroid-free immunosuppressant cream that acts as a calcineurin inhibitor. Calcineurin is a protein our body produces that helps activates our immune system. Elidel essentially blocks the immune response, hence reducing inflammation. 

I was recommended to do the following:

1. Wash Your Face with Soap Less Often
   Wash my face in the morning with water and at night with Cerave Soap
   I used to wash my face with soap twice a day which removed the oily skin protective barrier. This action of washing your face with soap twice a day removes nature lipid barrier which reduces moisture in the skin and hence, increasing dryness.
2. Baume the Eyes or Affected Area
   Use the Baume twice a day (Morning and night) on the affected areas
3. Elidel on the Affected Area
   After it dries, use Elidel on top on the affected areas.
   Please note it is advised to limit sun exposure so sun screen is essential in this step.
   
4. Moisturize 
   Moisturize the rest of my face using La Roche-Posay, Cetaphil, Cerave or anything similar.
   Within a matter of few days, my condition started flourishing. 
5. Product Elimination Diet
   I was also advised to eliminate any products that include irritants – mainly anything with perfume! The allergist recommended the Product Elimination Diet. This is a website that targets people with Eczema and how they can improve their situation by using the right products and eliminating the ones that contributed to the condition in the first place. 

I then revolutionized my entire facial routine and make-up products and shortlisted my preferred products below. There are more products to verify under the Product Elimination Diet. However, a good rule of thumb is to avoid anything with Perfume and try to stick with more green/clean products. Please note that fragrance-free is different than scent free. Fragrance is an ingredient while scent is a general smell. A fragrance can be added in a scent-free product to undo the chemical smell while resulting in no overall scent.

Face Products     [Prices are clickable links]
Cleanser	La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser	Cleanser used at night. Followed by rinsing your face with water.		$14.99
	La Roche-Posay Micellar Cleansing Water for Sensitive Skin	Used after cleanser and before applying moisturizer		$12.99
Moisturizer	La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 Soothing Therapeutic Multi Purpose Cream for Dry Skin	Baume at effected area. **Once dried, I apply Elidel to that area**		$14.99
Moisturizer	La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallegro Soothing Face Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin			$29.99
Moisturizer	Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Lotion – Since La Roche Posay is too expensive			$17.99

 

Make-Up  [Prices are clickable links]
Concealer	Too Faced		$34
Mascara	La Roche-Posay Toleriane Lengthening Mascara Color Black		$35
Mascara	Burt’s Bees Nourishing Mascara		$12.99
Eye Liner	Physicians Formula Matte Monoi Butter Liquid Eyeliner - Black		$10.50 now down to $9
Eye Shadow	Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Eyeshadow Palette, Sultry Nights		$24.08 now down to $9.98

 

 

 

 

Hair Products  [Prices are clickable links]
Shampoo	SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo		$10.99
Conditioner	SheaMoisture Strengthen and Restore Rinse Out Hair Conditioner		$10.99
Shampoo	Ultra-Sleek Shampoo, Keratin & Argan Oil		$19.99
Conditioner	Ultra-Sleek Conditioner, Keratin & Argan Oil		$19.99

 

Having Eczema creates a list of problems and conflicts with other skin products. 

1. Acne and Eczema
   For one, when you are continuously moisturizing, you are increasing your exposure to acne. You need to moisturize to prevent Eczema outbreaks from happening but you are also enabling more acne to form as a result of excess greasy layer on your skin. This causes bacteria to accumulate and clog pores, which results in acne breakouts.

Solution:
There are multiple solutions for this condition, one of the main ones being Accutane. I personally wanted something less invasive. The solutions provided by my physicians included Antibiotics and Aczone.

Antibiotics like “Tetracycline” are used to treat bacterial acne. The way it works is it fights acne-causing bacteria by inhibiting its growth or eradicating it. As for Aczone, it’s a topical clear gel (5% applied twice a day or 7.5% applied once a day) that contains dapzone, which is a antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory ingredient, to manage breakouts. Dr. Dray has a video about AcZone and its benefits. However, Aczone on its own is not enough and will likely produce only 40% benefits.

2. Eczema and Retinol

Once you start using Retinols, you may experience hurdles given the fact you have Eczema. Retinol is vitamin A form that enables skin turnover and can be drying and irritating, which may lead to pealing and redness. In other words, Retinol dries out your skin that already suffers from dryness.

Dr. Dray has a video about using Retinol if you have sensitive skin. To enable better results, increase moisturizing your skin prior to starting Retinols and reduce frequency of facial cleansing from twice a day to once a day. This improves overall moisture in your skin to withstand the effects of Retinol.

Once you commit to start using Retinols, make sure to first apply moisturizer on damp skin and wait for it to dry prior to applying Retinol. Apply a pea sized amount and have frequency of application gradually increase from once a week to twice a week then 3 times a week then to nightly if you can.

I hope my experience navigating this journey helps guide you as well. Having Eczema helped ensure I am fully moisturized and caring for my skin at all times. If anything, it was a blessing in disguise!