Winter Blog- Eczema and the Elderly

One of the problems with growing older is that our skin does not work as well. From the age of 60 the protection function of our skin reduces significantly. The result of this is that every older person is prone to dry skin. If you add in the environmental effects of winter such as central heating; moving from hot to cold temperatures, chilly winds and sitting by open fires, your skin becomes even drier and begins to itch. Itchy skin means you are likely to scratch, which in turn causes broken and damaged skin. Dry skin in older people can very quickly become eczema. Many people suffer from eczema for the first time when they are older – or to their horror find that their childhood eczema returns with a vengeance!

 

So, when you are older, what can you do to prevent dry skin, particularly in the winter months?  Firstly, try to avoid things that will make your skin dry.  Moisturise your skin regularly twice a day, and keep moisturising if your skin is dry and itchy. If you have eczema or if your skin is very dry avoid soaps and bubble baths, use emollients to wash with instead. Long, excessively hot baths can be bad for your skin too, try and take shorter baths or showers and keep the water at a comfortable temperature. Wrap up well in the winter; get out your favourite Christmas jumper and woolly hat to help protect your skin from the bitter winds. Finally, try to avoid sitting too close to an open fire, whilst it may nice to feel the roaring heat against your skin, the intensity of this heat can further damage skin, especially of those with eczema.

 

If your skin is dry and uncomfortable, it is important to wear natural fibres, such as 100% cotton or silk. DreamSkin Health therapeutic silk clothing is treated with the unique DreamSkin polymer that is designed to reduce moisture loss from the skin. Therefore, DreamSkin Health garments help the skin to be more comfortable and less dry, thus reducing itchiness and irritation. DreamSkin Health has a range of different types of clothing, so a complete layer of underwear, leggings and long sleeved tops can be worn as underclothing or as nightwear.

Whilst all these tips are especially useful to people over the age of sixty, anyone, regardless of age, with eczema or dry skin would benefit from following the advice given above.

 

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas.