Why does my body have to look like the scorched desert? Not today, Satan.
When you're dealing with eczema, you feel a lot like this:
Dr. Adam Friedman, Director of Dermatologic Research at Montefiore Medical Center, explained it this way to Buzzfeed Life: "Individuals with eczema tend to have defects in the way their skin makes the "cement" that cross links and holds the top layer of the skin together, resulting in increased skin water loss and therefore dry skin as well as giving allergens and microbes easy entry." We spoke to Dr. Friedman and a few other dermatologists about eczema -- here's what they had to say.
You don't actually need to soap up every day. In fact, you probably shouldn't.
"The skin dries out when the fatty cement like substances that lock the top layer of our skin together are removed or degraded by harsh soaps, which change the acidity of the skin. Use mild soaps infrequently. Your face, underarms, and groin need soap every day but the remainder of the body does not -- every other day is fine." - Dr. Adam Friedman, Director of Dermatologic Research at Montefiore Medical Center.
Soak, smear, then dry.
"When you're done cleansing, apply emollient [that's your cream moisturizer] to your WET skin. Emollients are often thick and goopy. Think of a moisturizer as a moisture blocker -- they're substances that inhibit the evaporation of water." - Dr. Adam Friedman, Director of Dermatologic Research at Montefiore Medical Center.
