What aspects need to be considered when cleaning and maintaining?
For those who suffer from neurodermatitis, skin care is a must. For children in particular, skin care must be a pleasant ritual and not a burden. The skin of atopic dermatitis patients is very dry and reacts extremely sensitively to stress and other harmful environmental influences. That is why the choice of skin care products is essential. In this article, we want to take a closer look at this topic. So what is important for the correct cleansing and care of atopic dermatitis?
Our skin is the largest organ of all. It offers us important protection against harmful substances and secretes others. The so-called skin barrier is responsible for our protection.
Anyone suffering from neurodermatitis has the problem that the skin barrier is disrupted. Rough, dry and flaky skin is the result. In addition, there are eczema flare-ups that appear on the neck and throat, face, back of the knees and elbows. Neurodermatitis treatment is therefore aimed at protecting the skin with special care. This so-called stage-appropriate care alleviates flare-ups and, in the best case, they can even be avoided 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 inflammations or acute eczema attacks are characterized by flaky, itchy and red skin. These are the classic symptoms. If you start scratching in an acute case, the whole thing gets even worse. This is 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 cleansing needed for neurodermatitis?
As already mentioned, people with neurodermatitis suffer from a disruption of the skin barrier. Due to a lack of special skin fats, the ceramides, water loss is significantly higher. Because of this, special care is required when cleaning and caring for the skin. Normal cleaning products and bath additives dry out the skin. Therefore, you should use special shower gels, bath additives and creams that do not do this.
How do you properly cleanse your skin when you have 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 overly clean. But this also does more harm than good. If you wash your skin too often, you systematically dry it out. For proper cleansing, medical oil baths are therefore necessary. After washing, these leave a film of oil on the skin. This is precisely what protects against drying out and thus against itching, etc. A medical oil bath is particularly helpful when a large area of skin is affected by neurodermatitis. But oil showers and other moisturizing products that are also gentle on the skin should also be used here.
There are dozens of oil baths and showers on the market. Which one is most suitable should be determined together with a doctor. Depending on the level of 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 cleanse yourself, you should not do so too often or in a bath that is too hot. Bath additives for neurodermatitis patients should definitely not contain any additives that have a perfumed or degreasing effect.
A large number of shower gels and bath additives attack the natural skin barrier. These are taboo for people with neurodermatitis. The same applies to liquid soaps and surfactants. Bath additives that contain salt can help to bind the water in the skin. This makes it very supple. Moisturizing shower gels and bath oils are essential for cleansing and are essential for people with neurodermatitis.
After a bath or shower, you should avoid rubbing your skin dry. Instead, you should just dry it lightly or dab it. Once you have done this, you can use a care product that has a moisturizing effect. Neurodermatitis patients can get this from their doctor or pharmacist. In the first 10 minutes after cleansing, you should also apply ointments and creams that reduce inflammation.
Acutely inflamed skin, on the other hand, should be treated with water-based creams. In this case, a greasy care product would cover the skin, which could cause itching. Finally, it should be said that all care products used should consist of as few and simple ingredients as possible. Too many additives, even if they are of natural origin, usually cause more harm than good. Some people with neurodermatitis suffer from contact eczema when using natural substances such as propolis, marigold and tea tree oil. This is why you should also talk to your doctor about the ingredients.