What aspects need to be taken into account when cleaning and care?
For anyone suffering from neurodermatitis , skin care is the be-all and end-all. For children in particular, it is particularly important that care is made into a pleasant ritual and not a burden. The skin of neurodermatitis patients is very dry and reacts extremely sensitively to stress and other harmful environmental influences. That's why the choice of care products is essential. In this article we want to take a closer look at this topic. So what is important when it comes to proper cleaning and care for neurodermatitis?
Our skin is the largest organ of all. It offers us important protection from harmful substances and secretes others. The so-called skin barrier is responsible for our protection.
Anyone who suffers from neurodermatitis has the problem that the skin barrier is disturbed. The consequences are rough, dry and flaky skin. In addition, there are flare-ups of eczema that appear on the neck and throat, on the face, in the backs of the knees and on the elbows. Neurodermatitis treatment is therefore aimed at protecting the skin with special care. This so-called stage-appropriate care alleviates the flare-ups and, in the best case, even prevents them completely. To date, neurodermatitis cannot be cured. However, the disease can be kept very well under control.
How can eczema flare-ups be reduced or avoided?
The skin inflammation or acute eczema flare-ups appear as scaly, itchy and reddened skin. These are the classic symptoms. If you start scratching in an acute case, the whole thing gets drastically worse. Because crusts form, which also cause itching. Professional treatment can intervene in this cycle. There are therapies, ointments and other medications for this. They all stop the attacks and alleviate their symptoms. This is particularly important because cleaning is not possible without the skin healing.
Why is a special form of cleaning required for neurodermatitis?
As already mentioned, people with neurodermatitis suffer from a disruption of the skin barrier. Due to a lack of special skin fats, ceramides, water loss is significantly higher. Because of this, special care is required when cleaning and caring for it. Normal cleaning products and bath additives dry out the skin. That's why you should use special shower gels, bath additives and creams that don't do this.
How does proper skin cleansing work for neurodermatitis?
Many people believe that neurodermatitis goes hand in hand with poor hygiene. However, this is absolutely not the case. Many people who live with this disorder tend to be over-clean. But this too does more harm than good. If you wash your skin too often, you will systematically dry it out. Medical oil baths are therefore necessary for proper cleaning. After washing, they leave an oil film on the skin. This is exactly what protects against drying out and thus against itching etc. A medical oil bath is particularly helpful if a large area of skin is affected by neurodermatitis. But oil showers and other moisturizing agents that are also gentle on the skin should also be used here.
There are dozens of oil baths and showers on the market. Which of these is the most suitable should be determined together with a doctor. Depending on the dryness, a different cleaning agent is used.
How often should you shower or bathe if you have neurodermatitis? The basic rule is that you should not shower more than once a day. If you would like to take a bath to clean yourself, you should not take it too often or too hot. The bath additive for neurodermatitis patients should under no circumstances contain additives that have a scenting or degreasing effect.
A variety of shower gels and bath additives attack the natural skin barrier. These are taboo for neurodermatitis. The same applies to liquid soaps and surfactants. Bath additives that contain salt can help to bind water in the skin. This makes it very supple. Moisturizing shower gels and bath oils are essential for neurodermatitis and are essential for cleansing.
After a bath or shower, you should avoid rubbing your skin dry. Rather, it should only be lightly dried or dabbed. Once this has happened, the care product is used, which has a moisturizing effect. Neurodermatitis patients receive this from their doctor or pharmacist. In the first 10 minutes after cleaning, you should also apply ointments and creams that inhibit inflammation.
Acutely inflamed skin, on the other hand, should be treated more with water-based creams. In this case, a greasy care product would cover the skin, which could cause itching. Finally, it remains to be said that all care products used should consist of as few and simple ingredients as possible. Because too many additives, even if they are of natural origin, usually cause more harm than good. Some neurodermatitis sufferers suffer from contact eczema when exposed to natural substances such as propolis, calendula and tea tree oil. That's why you should talk to your doctor about the ingredients.
