When I first experienced eczema, I was about 15 years old. Eczema is actually more common in children, so it was a bit unexpected to develop it at this age. As a teenager who lacked confidence and was very critical of my appearance, I obviously did not take this new challenge of irritated, red, flaky skin well. Lots of crying and scratching later, and my skin was still as dry and scaly as ever.
Clearly, feeling bad about it wasn’t going to solve anything. And really, as my eczema progressed over the years, worries about my appearance took a back seat to having trouble with things like exercising, swimming, eating spicy foods, and even falling asleep—all things that became difficult and painful with my hyper sensitive skin. There were nights I was so itchy it took hours to fall asleep.
But I’m not writing this article to throw a pity party. I just want you to know that if you’re dealing with anything similar and you just don’t know what to do about it, I get you. I’ve talked with so many people over the years who have eczema or another skin condition, and it honestly feels good to know I’m not the only one navigating skin that’s somehow more reactive than I am when I get hangry.
Educating yourself about your skin helps you get your confidence back.
What helps? Educating yourself on your skin condition and trying methods to improve it that go beyond just topical skincare (even though that’s certainly an important element to skin health, it’s just not the only one). When I started to learn more about my eczema and had tried a few more things (lukewarm showers were a big yes for me, topical steroids not so much—though I know some people swear by them), I gained a lot of my confidence back.
That’s why this article exists—as well as the others in this three-part series covering a variety of skin conditions (plus the skincare ingredients you should try to soothe them). Education about your skin is valuable, and helps you feel like you’re back in control of your own skin.
In part one, I talked about rosacea. Our founder, Graydon Moffat, has been managing her rosacea since she was a teen, and the article is filled with some great tips from her as someone with firsthand knowledge healing her skin. Part three will cover psoriasis. In each article, I also go through different ingredients (mostly natural ingredients) that are excellent for these skin conditions, plus some products you might want to try.
Catch up on the other parts here:
Welcome to part two, the article all about eczema. In this one, I’ll break down what eczema actually is, what it can look like on your skin, and some of my personal tips for navigating the good, the bad, and the itchy. At the end, I’ll dive into some ingredients and products to keep on your radar.
All About Eczema
I’ve been navigating on and off eczema for years now. I’ve had everything from the occasional flaky, itchy patch to skin so delicate one wrong touch would leave it as an open wound. Considering I had it mostly on my face, neck, chest, and scalp, it didn’t help that it was always super visible.
People would avoid directly commenting on it, but I’ve still heard it all. I still recall someone once asked me if I’d lost weight (already a touchy subject to bring up) and I had to answer that I hadn’t, I’d just finally gotten the chronic swelling in my face from irritation and inflammation to go down. On the flip side, a friend complimented me on my cute pink eye shadow, and I had to inform her it was actually just eczema patches on my eyelids. That actually gave me a huge confidence boost to hear my eczema, whether intentionally or not, described as cute.
On top of it affecting my confidence and fielding comments from others, the severity of the sensitivity and itchiness had other impacts. Things as seemingly innocent as my own sweat stung my skin and left me in tears.
So I totally understand the frustrations that come with eczema and how desperate it can feel when you haven’t found any tools to soothe and manage it. Just like rosacea and psoriasis, eczema is a chronic condition with no cure, which makes finding solutions to soothe, heal, and build resiliency all the more important, as you’ll be using them your whole life.
What exactly is eczema and what causes it?
Eczema is a subcategory of dermatitis, with the most common form of eczema being atopic dermatitis. Eczema falls under the dermatitis umbrella because it, like other forms of dermatitis, is characterized by skin inflammation. Eczema is also often synonymous with dry, itchy, irritated skin, as it weakens your skin barrier, making it more difficult for your skin to retain moisture.
Eczema itself also has a number of subcategories beneath it. Technically, things like dandruff and contact dermatitis (a rash you get after coming into contact with something like soap or an allergen) are also categorized as eczema. Though eczema is related to your immune system, unlike psoriasis it is not considered an autoimmune disorder.
Eczema is also more common in children than adults, as 10-20% of children have eczema compared to 2-10% of adults. About 3/4 children with eczema grow out of it. This means that while eczema is generally considered a chronic, lifelong condition, it’s also possible for children to “age out” of it as they get older and find their symptoms have largely subsided.
As for what causes eczema, it’s believed to be a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. This means that if your family has a history of inflammatory skin conditions, or if you’ve been diagnosed with allergies, hayfever, asthma, or dermatitis you are more likely to develop eczema.
When it comes to flare ups, many things can trigger them. Stress is a major one (I’ve noticed my eczema gets worse specifically on my hands and wrists when I’m stressed), as is extreme temperature or humidity levels (I personally have forced myself to love a room temperature shower because of this).
Some people have found that certain foods trigger their eczema as well. While there’s no firm scientific evidence that diet changes can “cure” eczema, people I know have found that after reducing a type of food that already tends not to mesh well with their system (gluten and dairy are big ones), their eczema has improved. My cousin, who also has eczema, noticed a huge difference when she cut gluten out entirely, and found a happy balance between enjoying a limited amount of gluten and reducing flare ups afterwards through trial and error.
However, please note that this might not work for everyone, but since our diets have a huge impact on our skin, it might be a helpful solution for you!
Just like I shared in the article on rosacea, hormones can also affect eczema, particularly in women. In fact, “47% of women who have eczema report their symptoms getting worse during the week before they have their periods.”
What does eczema look like on the skin?
Eczema often appears as dry, bumpy patches on the skin and can appear discoloured/red and flaky/scaly. The affected areas will likely be itchy and ultra sensitive to anything topically applied. Eczema can appear on the whole body, but commonly appears in the “flexor surfaces” of the body, which includes the crooks of your elbows, backs of your knees, and back of the neck (check out my photo below and you’ll see it in the crease of my neck). Your hands, face, lips, and ears are also common areas—I find the space where your earlobe connects to the side of your head to be a problem spot for some.
I’ve always had particularly delicate skin under my eyes, so I experience eczema there as well—so even if you’re experiencing dry, flaky, discoloured, and irritated patches elsewhere, it doesn’t mean it’s not eczema. Eczema can develop anywhere on the body.
I’m sharing a picture of myself at one of the worst points of my eczema journey—when I got COVID-19 for the first time and my body went into inflammation overdrive—so you can see what it might look like. Eczema is connected to your immune system—inflammation is, after all, your immune system’s defense mechanism—so whenever I get sick (and especially when I had COVID-19) my eczema worsens significantly.
Obviously, I have fair skin, so I am used to describing my eczema as “red” patches. However, eczema looks different on darker skin tones. It is not as easy to see redness on dark skin, so focusing on the “characteristic redness, skin swelling, warmth, dryness/scaling or itching and oozing” of eczema can help. The typical “red” patches might also appear more brown, purple, or grey on darker skin.
Grace’s Tips
When I was first navigating my eczema, I was stuck with solutions that were very much focussed on what I couldn’t do or what I needed to cut out of my life. Temperature—whether very hot or very cold—affected my skin a lot. This led to me cutting hot showers and cardio out of my life because they would heat my skin too much. I had to watch on the sidelines when I went to the beach with friends because my skin couldn’t handle the salt water. I stopped wearing the clothes I liked so my eczema would be covered and gave up completely on wearing any kind of makeup. I stopped eating spicy or even well seasoned food, as my lips were constantly swollen and couldn’t handle so much as a flake of pepper touching them.
And while all of this helped, I felt extremely limited by my eczema. It was only finding solutions related to what I could do for my skin rather than what I had to cut out of my life that made a difference. Of course, I still take my lukewarm showers and am mindful about my sweat-tuation while I work out, but I am still able to enjoy the things I want to enjoy.
It was only finding solutions related to what I could do for my skin rather than what I had to cut out of my life that made a difference.
What really helped me with my eczema was realizing how much it was related to the skin barrier. When your skin barrier is compromised, it is much easier for hydration to leech out of the skin (called transepidermal water loss), and easier for infection and bacteria to get in. I looked into what helped repair and protect the skin barrier, and found the answer: occlusives, occlusives, occlusives.
Occlusives form a protective barrier over the skin that prevents moisture loss. Occlusives take many forms, from thick, goopy vaseline (a fan favourite for those with eczema because it’s a generally sensitive skin friendly occlusive) to ingredients like cocoa butter, broccoli seed oil, and ceramides. I’ve found that a protective barrier not only improves my skin’s ability to retain moisture, which helps me avoid super dry, cracked skin, but also creates a layer over my skin that blocks out potential irritants. For example, things like pollen, salt water, pollution, and other environmental things that would normally irritate me are not as much of an issue.
Beyond skincare, managing my stress has been extremely important. I noticed a pretty distinct, direct relation between high stress days and the appearance of new dry, flaky patches of skin the next day. A more specific ‘how to’ on managing stress warrants an entire book, let alone an article, but for me things like yoga and practices that reframe my negative thoughts help.
Lastly, I have so many strategies to avoid scratching my skin. I find the urge to itch extremely difficult to resist, so I ended up having to find a lot of different ways to distract and stop myself from scratching—which can cause even more inflammation and increase the chance of infection. Some of my favourites for scratching include cutting my nails really, really short and redirecting my hands to a different activity like scribbling in a notebook or playing with a hair elastic, since I almost always have one around my wrist. I even got into crochet for a while (with just enough skill to gift my family some wonky scarves that Christmas). A friend of mine swears by wearing fabric gloves when she sleeps.
Beyond what I’ve shared, some common treatments for eczema include medicated creams and ointments, pills to help with inflammation, and even injectables. Other popular remedies include oatmeal baths, bleach baths (which entails soaking in a tub that is full with water and ½ cup of bleach for 5-10 minutes), wet dressings, and light therapy.
The short and sweet version of my tips:
- Cut out or reduce things that might trigger flare ups like hot showers, spicy foods, gluten, or sun exposure
- Prioritize strengthening your skin barrier and try using occlusive skincare
- Consistently use tools and practices that help you manage your stress levels
- Keep your hands occupied with other activities when the urge to itch hits you
- Try a home remedy like an oatmeal bath, bleach bath, or wet dressings
Skincare for Eczema
When it comes to the ingredients and products you want to use on your eczema, occlusive, soothing, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory is the way to go. It’s important to add moisture to the skin and ensure it stays there (avoiding TEWL). It’s also key to manage inflammation and strengthen the skin barrier. These three goals give you a good starting point as you approach skincare options.
I’m going to go over a few ingredients that can help with eczema (most of which are natural!). Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to eczema so if you’re going to try any of these, still do a patch test to make sure it’s right for you!
Colloidal Oatmeal
Colloidal oatmeal is an incredibly soothing ingredient with a long history of use in dermatology as a therapeutic skin protectant. Oats are full of lipids (including omega fatty acids) that nourish the skin barrier. The beta-glucans in oats are excellent at calming the skin and helping it retain moisture.
Colloidal oatmeal is also unique because it contains avenanthramides. These are compounds that can soothe red, itchy skin by blocking inflammatory pathways. Remember the oatmeal bath I mentioned before? It’s recommended to use colloidal oatmeal for them.
Oat oil is similar to colloidal oatmeal and is also a great anti-inflammatory ingredient.
Find colloidal oatmeal in Putty and oat oil in Jade Moon Serum and Matcha Mint Shampoo.
Ceramides
Ceramides are one of the important components of our skin barriers. Our skin barrier is made up of dead skin cells called corneocytes held together by a “glue” that is made up of cholesterol, free fatty acids, cholesteryl sulfate, and ceramides. Ceramides account for about 50% of that “glue.” Clearly, they’re essential to a healthy skin barrier.
Ceramides (there are 9 different types!) reinforce your barrier, prevent transepidermal water loss, and alleviate skin irritation.
Find ceramide NP in Skin Stuff.
Rosehip
Rosehip oil is a personal favourite of mine. For a while, it was one of the few ingredients my skin could tolerate on my eczema patches. What makes this ingredient great is that it’s packed with fatty acids (rosehip is over 50% linoleic acid—an ingredient good for acne and skin moisturization), antioxidants, and vitamin A. Rosehip is an emollient, meaning it softens the skin, and has been shown to promote wound healing, according to this study.
Rosehip is a fast-absorbing oil that is non-comedogenic, which I found helpful because that meant I could use it on both my eczema and the rest of my skin (which is acne-prone).
Fine rosehip oil in Skin Stuff.
Zinc
Zinc is effective at calming skin when it’s at its most irritated. Skin Therapist Seanna Cohen finds zinc particularly effective on new flare ups or irritation caused by too much itching, using it both on her own eczema and on her kids’.
“If it is super red and angry (like when it's in the 'wet' rash phase), I use a zinc-based cream which helps cool and calm the area, plus dries it out a bit,” shares Seanna. She then recommends following up with a thick barrier balm to keep the skin protected. “I dampen the skin slightly before applying the balm, and keep applying it consistently 2x per day for at least a full skin cycle. It takes at least 30-45 days for skin to regenerate. After that I’m super consistent with applying a moisturizer that's rich in skin-barrier identical ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, fatty acids, etc.”
Find zinc in Face Glow, Putty, and Face Food.
Eczema-Friendly Products to Try
While all of Graydon Skincare’s products are clinically proven for sensitive skin, there are a few that make great additions to your routine, especially during brand new flare ups when the skin is at its most sensitive.
While neither of these products are treatments or “cures” they might be able to offer you relief from the itchy irritation by deeply soothing and moisturizing your skin.
Skin Stuff
Skin Stuff is a moisturizer formulated specifically for those with sensitive skin in mind.
It’s a much lighter texture than many of the thick creams you associate with eczema and dry skin, but don’t let that fool you. Skin Stuff is packed with ceramide NP (a plant-based ceramide) and contains emollient, occlusive, and humectant ingredients, creating a comprehensive approach to hydrating and moisturizing your skin.
Skin Stuff includes many ingredients rich in fatty acids (which are essential to moisturizing dry skin and barrier support) including rosehip, pomegranate seed oil, and black currant seed oil.
One reviewer, Erin S., wrote: “I have chronic, severe eczema on my face and have long been on the hunt for something other than cortisone cream that keeps it at bay. Most moisturizers sting my eczema because my skin is so sensitive but this doesn't AT ALL! I use it every day. I still have flare-ups but I can freely use Skin Stuff on my eczema without having to worry. Skin Stuff is a life saver.”
Berry Rich
Berry Rich is a velvety, luxurious cream formulated to reinforce the skin barrier and offer deep moisturization for dry, sensitive skin.
Berry Rich contains vegan probiotics, which support the skin barrier through keeping the skin’s microbiome (made up of the good bacteria that live on your skin) healthy. There’s even research to support atopic dermatitis benefitting from topical probiotics.
Like Skin Stuff, Berry Rich also includes its fair share of fatty acid-rich ingredients, including blueberry seed oil and apricot kernel oil. Berry Rich contains cocoa butter, an occlusive ingredient that improves the skin’s moisturization, elasticity, and suppleness.
Jessica M. shared, “Not only is this probiotic cream a stunning blue color, it feels absolutely amazing on the skin. Between the face food and this cream my skin has never been better. My face has never felt or looked better. You can't even tell I have eczema my skin has changed so much!”
Ditch the Itch, Love Your Skin
Like I said in the last article on rosacea, if you think you have eczema, hold off on using more intensive skincare products like a strong exfoliant or a concentrated vitamin c serum. Instead, switch over to the basics—a thick moisturizer clinically proven for sensitive skin (like Skin Stuff or Berry Rich) or something like a petroleum jelly until you can find gentle products that work for you.
Also take some time to notice what triggers a flare up, and what further irritates the eczema that’s already there. Are you particularly sensitive to temperature changes like I am? Does stress or a poor night's sleep cause inflammation? Does allergy season make the itchiness worse? Is a certain product like a perfume or lotion making things worse? These are all good things to pay attention to. It makes developing strategies to manage your eczema that much easier.
And if you’re like me and are finding it hard to boost your confidence while dealing with skin irritation, just remember this: for every person who comments on your swollen face, there’s another who’s complimenting your “eyeshadow”. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and our beauty is shaped by far more than just our skin.
Part 3 of this article series on skin conditions (and the best ingredients for them) is on psoriasis. My experience is contained in this article, but in the article on psoriasis, I’ll be drawing on the experiences and tips of both my mother and my boyfriend—two people who have a lot to say about how they’ve navigated their skin conditions. Read the article here.
