What is eczema? It’s a persistent skin condition that causes redness, swelling, dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, and itching – which can unfortunately lead to bleeding if scratched. Eczema affects people of all ages; in the UK, one in five children, and one in twelve adults have the condition. There is no known cure, but there are certainly proven measures that can be taken to dramatically reduce the problem.
Eczema has been reported to be more common in
hard-water areas, with the general consensus being that soft water is better to wash with as hard water contains mineral salts (as calcium and magnesium ions) that limit the formation of lather with soap. Therefore
water descalers,
softeners and
conditioners, which can be simply added to homes in
hard water areas to soften the water, is highly recommended by the
National Eczema Society as this means sufferers using less irritating soaps and detergents.
If you have eczema, then your skin may not produce as much fats and oils as other people. These act as a “mortar” for “cementing together” outer skin cells, which means eczema skin is less able to retain water. The protective barrier is therefore not as good as it should be. Gaps open up between the skin cells because they are not sufficiently plumped up with water. Moisture is then lost from the deeper layers of the skin, allowing bacteria or irritants to pass through more easily.
Softened water actually has a clean silky feeling and is of huge benefit to dry skin suffers, as bathing in hard water can cause skin to dry. Moisturizing regularly is one of the most important self-care treatments. Keeping the affected area moistened can promote skin healing and relief of symptoms. Therefore it is important to use the right type of soaps available for your condition! Follow these basic guidelines;
- Avoid harsh detergents or drying soaps
- Use mild liquid soaps or soaps with oil or fat base
- Use an unscented soap
- Trial test new soaps on a small area until you are sure of its results.
- Also use a non-soap based cleanser and moisturise.
To find out if you are in hard water area, then visit the following
hard water area map. If you reside in a hard water area, which you can also check for by looking for limescale in your kettle, then an
electronic water descaling solution could be a very valuable purchase indeed!
Eczema Treatment
We have included below a list of recommended products for eczema sufferers.
- Organic Baby Salve (from GreenPeople)