Connor's Story

Connor is 10 years old and has suffered with atopic eczema since birth. Connor was born prematurely and as a baby his eczema was intolerable. Connor’s eczema was all over his body, as it was inflamed and infected he needed antibiotics and antihistamines to treat his skin.

Connor was referred to a dermatologist who was extremely helpful and gave us lots of good advice and support on treating his eczema. He also identified that Connor had very sensitive skin and allergies. The most important piece of advice was to keep Connor’s skin well hydrated with emollients to prevent further severe flares of eczema and keep his skin in good condition.

In general the use of emollients on a daily basis has kept Connor's eczema under control, he is a happy and healthy boy. Though the use of emollients was allowing Connor to have a virtually normal childhood his eczema never completely cleared and at night time he suffered. He became very itchy and hot and he sweated profusely, all of which disturbed his sleep, often leaving him tired and grumpy the next morning. 

Two month's ago we purchased three pairs of DreamSkin pyjamas (unaware that DreamSkin is available on prescription). Within a very short time Connor’s skin was notably improved as the pyjamas made him so much cooler at night and stopped his skin itching.

Adding DreamSkin Pyjamas into Connor's treatment regime means his eczema is now kept under control 24 hours a day. Connor and the rest of the family now sleep peacefully every single night.

To find out how DreamSkin could help you and your loved ones visit www.dreamskinhealth.co.uk 



Story told by Connor's mother. For the purpose of retaining confidentiality, names have been changed.

Charlotte's Story

Charlotte is an eight year-old girl, who developed atopic eczema at three months of age.  Her skin became red and inflamed, and was generalised all over her body, her face was more severely affected with weepy infected areas on her cheeks. 

Charlotte’s parents have had to become expert dermatology carers and support their daughter to adapt to living with eczema and cope with daily life. Generally, Charlotte copes well in the day; she loves school and her social activities. However, night-time is a difficult time for Charlotte, she does not sleep throughout the night and often in the morning she finds it hard to wake-up and can feel very tired during the day.  Her parents need to change the bed on a daily basis as most of the damage to Charlotte’s skin occurs at night as she is very restless and scratches in her sleep.

Charlotte was given a pair of DreamSkin pyjamas when she was 8 ½ years old and in year 3 at school. 

The night she first wore the pyjamas, Charlotte slept throughout the whole night and this continued for the next week.  Over the next two weeks her skin improved to the best it had ever been. Her parents were able to reduce her topical corticosteroids down to a moderate preparation more rapidly than usual as her skin was so much better. Charlotte was much brighter in the mornings for her school day, waking up fresh and not feeling tired. Her parents said:

 ‘Charlotte is more rested, has slept better and is more comfortable’. 

Charlotte has now been wearing the pyjamas every night for 4 weeks, they have not needed to be washed daily (and now the bed only needs changing twice a week), as she is not scratching there are no blood stains on the pyjamas or the bed linen. Charlotte and her parents now say that they cannot do without DreamSkin pyjamas. Charlotte sums up by saying:

‘The best thing is when they are on; they feel special and soothe me. They are cool and stop me being sore. I slept straight through the night too.’

The positive effects for Charlotte and her family, after ten days of wearing DreamSkin pyjamas are:

  Itch significantly reduced

  Skin is much improved

  Cooler at night

  Did not cry out in sleep, restlessness eliminated

  No blood on night ware/bedclothes AM

  Woke up fresh, no longer tired in mornings

  Used less topical steroid

  Reduced use of emollients

To find out how DreamSkin could help you or a loved one visit www.dreamskinhealth.co.uk

Mark's Story

Mark’s Story (32 years old)

Before

After

‘I was diagnosed with eczema at the age of 2 and suffered through most of my childhood. In my later teens my eczema calmed down a bit, but my feet have always suffered really badly due to playing rugby.’

‘The combination of friction, sweat and often cold, damp conditions at times made my eczema intolerable. I considered quitting the sport I loved on many occasions.’

‘I received a couple of pairs of DreamSkin socks and after about two weeks I really noticed a difference. Even after playing rugby my feet remained soft and the levels of irritation, inflammation and cracking were massively reduced.’

‘These are now my new lucky socks.’

To find out how DreamSkin could help you visit www.dreamskinhealth.co.uk

Jake's Story

Jake’s Story (2 years old) told by his mother

Before

After

‘From a very early age Jake suffered from very dry skin and was diagnosed with eczema at 6 months. Jake had been to the doctors every month since he was born for different creams including eumovate, hydrocortisone, double base etc... We have even been given piriton to stop the itch but to no avail.’

‘We have recently tried DreamSkin silk clothing and it has been amazing. Within 3 days the skin was clear and Jake was not scratching. In two weeks it was like a new boy, sleeping through the night, no crying because of the pain. Jake was not the only one in the family to benefit from this, I managed to get my first uninterrupted nights sleep in years’

‘For two years we had tried everything the doctor had recommended for treating Jake for his eczema and within 2 weeks of using the DreamSkin product we have seen the best results yet’


To find out how DreamSkin could help you or a loved one visit www.dreamskinhealth.co.uk

Baby Skin Care

Expectant and new parents alike often have lots of questions about baby skin care. Baby skin care is a ‘hot topic’ and advice can be conflicting – Is water only best for washing? Are all wash products bad? Should you moisturise babies and with what?  Baby skin care is an area where advice, even professional advice, is given on opinion and experience rather than evidence – so what are the facts concerning baby skin care?

All babies have an immature skin barrier and thus are vulnerable to dry and irritated skin. It is believed that about 60% of children with atopic eczema develop it in the first six months of life. According to the National Eczema Society one in five children in the UK sufferes with eczema. The reasons for developing eczema are a combination of genetic and environment factors, so if you have eczema in your family, it may well develop if triggered by a factor in the environment. Therefore this leads to the question – can atopic eczema be prevented? The short answer is we don’t know and currently there are studies looking at if preventative measures can make a difference, the results won’t be known for a good few years, as babies are being studied into childhood.

However, we do know that a trigger for eczema developing is dry skin and a vulnerable skin barrier. So baby skin care should try and prevent dry skin and protect the skin barrier. Washing is important, detergents (including soap and bubble baths) should be avoided. Use either water alone or a pH adjusted wash product especially designed for babies. Dry skin should be treated with a medical emollient or fragrance-free moisturiser designed for a baby.

New cotton baby wear designed with a polymer layer of DreamSkin Health (currently only available at TESCOs) can benefit delicate baby skin. Dream Skin garments improve moisture retention of the skin; help reduce skin itching and irritation, are resistance to common irritants and help maintain comfortable body temperature. To visist F&F's DreamSkin range following the link http://www.clothingattesco.com/baby/dreamskin/icat/dreamskin

By Eczema Expert

Eczema's Autumn Challenge

The Autumn Equinox passed yesterday (23rd September) so there is nothing left to do but accept that Summer is over and colder times are upon us. As the seasons change Autumn and Winter bring a whole fresh new set of challenges for eczema sufferers. Long time friend of DreamSkin and dermatology clinician with more than 20 years experience share their views and tips for surviving the harsh winter months.


I find my patients often dread the autumn, as this is the time when their skin really dries out and consequently their eczema flares. “Why is this?” They say… “I am still using lots of moisturizer and my skin is literally cracking up!  After a good summer with my skin, autumn feels like my eczema is coming back with a vengeance. Is there any way to prevent this autumnal eczema onslaught, as I know this is going to happen every year?”

Of course, every person with eczema has individual factors which they know trigger their eczema. Sometimes, these triggers are seasonal and sometimes a person’s triggers can change. However, one of the few universal eczema triggers is heat; everyone with eczema is affected by changing temperatures. Autumn is often a bad time for people with eczema, as the central heating goes on, humidity is reduced and we are all constantly moving from cooler, outdoor conditions to warmer, indoor environments.  This leads to skin becoming much drier; and as we all know dry skin is itchy skin.

So, remember that as we move into autumn and the central heating goes on; keep on moisturizing, and think about using an ointment or oily cream, to stop your skin becoming drier. If you find the regular application of creams and ointments inconvenient or unpleasant you should try a polymer treated garment such as DreamsSkin. DreamSkin garments improve moisture retention of the skin; help reduce skin itching and irritation, are resistance to common irritants and help maintain comfortable body temperature. Here are a few more tips to help you as we move into winter:

·        Prevent skin from becoming dry, by washing with soap substitutes and avoiding bathing products, such as bubble baths, which will dry the skin further.

·         Moisturize skin regularly all over and don’t forget the lips.

·         If lips become chapped lip licking worsens the situation; apply a thick layer of greasy emollient at night and use chapsticks (without colouring or perfume) in the day.

·        Keep heating at a constant, comfortable temperature and don’t overheat homes; keep the bedroom temperature at no more than 18^oC.

·        Consider using a household humidifier.

·        Wrap up well when outside, use hats and scarves to protect the face and wear gloves to protect the hands.

by Eczema Expert

National Eczema Society week 2014

It’s National Eczema Society (NES) week. With one in five children and one in 12 adults in the UK now affected by eczema, the National Eczema Society recognises the importance of taking its message out into local communities so that those with eczema, and their families, can access the help they need. The National Eczema Society information stands are all run by volunteers who have all had personal experience of eczema or caring for a member of their family with eczema. There will be lots of free information booklets on the stands. The National Eczema Society is also launching a brand new free resource: ‘All about eczema – an information pack for schools’, which is available for parents and teachers.

DreamSkin Health supports the National Eczema Society and sends all good wishes for a successful National Eczema Society week. If you live in any of these areas, please do visit the National Eczema Society information stands to gain more support for yourself and your family.

•  Wednesday 17th September - Fishergate Shopping Centre, Preston
•  Thursday 18th September – Kirkgate Shopping Centre, Bradford
•  Friday 19th September - Kingsgate Shopping Centre, Dunfermline
•  Saturday 20th September - Oxford Westgate Shopping Centre, Castle Street, Oxford
•  Sunday 21st September - Intu Watford, 201 The Harlequin, Watford

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For more information on the National Eczema Society, please follow this link:

www.eczema.org

DreamSkin Health Supports National Study

We are delighted to announce our involvement with the University of Nottingham clinical trial for children suffering with eczema. 

To some of you, this might even be old news, as the study was featured on the BBC a couple of weeks ago.  In case you missed it, here you can see Dr Kim Thomas of the University of Nottingham and eight year old eczema sufferer Tahmid Ahmed discussing eczema and the clinical trial in general. http://bbc.in/1fmQ23R

We are obviously very proud to be able to take part in this trial in which we are donating our garments to children who suffer with eczema. The trial hopes to identify the therapeutic effect of silk clothing and highlight it’s usefulness as a treatment for eczema.

We are confident in DreamSkin and proud that we offer a totally unique solution to the treatment of this debilitating disease.  Clinical trials are incredibly important in the healthcare industry, and the University of Nottingham have developed an excellent, thorough trial and we look forward to reading the results.

 Some media outlets certainly agree.  The story has already been shared on the following: 

·         Pharma Business International - http://bit.ly/1dNF962

·         Healthista - http://bit.ly/1dNFcir

·         Talkhealthpartnership - http://bit.ly/Munn2C

·         Skinsmatter - http://bit.ly/1fd24vQ

 

Recruitment is well underway for the study and we have already started supplying garments to children with eczema.

If you think your child may be eligible to participate please contact the trial team on 0115 8844938 or email; clothes@nottingham.ac.uk. The website address is www.nottingham.ac.uk/clothes

 

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.

Back to School with Eczema

Childhood atopic eczema affects 20% of children aged between 3 and 11 years old. This means that one fifth of primary school-aged children are coping with eczema at school. So how do children cope with eczema at school, how do parents inform teachers about their child’s eczema needs and how do teachers/school staff help their children with eczema?

Unfriendly school

School can be an unfriendly place for children with eczema. There are lots of irritants which may be difficult for your child to avoid. Messy play and art; games and PE, furnace like radiators, scratchy story time carpets, and the rough and tumble of the playground are all hazards for those with irritable skin. Of course no child with eczema wants to feel excluded from these activities because of their condition, and no parent wants the unenviable task of telling their five year old they can’t paint or play games, even though all their friends are able to.

Take some simple measures

There are some simple measures you can take to reduce your child’s exposure to irritants at school. Speak to your child’s teacher and ask that they sit in cooler parts of the classroom, away from radiators. Provide gloves for your child to use for messy play to reduce potential irritations and try supplying them with emollient washes for hands.

One irritant that is more problematic to avoid is school uniform.  School uniforms often cause eczema sufferers a great deal of irritation, as they are usually made of synthetic materials or wool. Children with eczema would ideally have uniforms made of natural fibres such as 100% cotton or silk, however this is not usually possible. Even when it is some schools may have strict uniform policies; and the child is likely to get upset if they have to wear slightly different uniform from their friends.

Another problem faced is a lack of provision by schools for children with eczema. No-touch school policies mean that young children are being left to apply their emollients by themselves. Even when a child gets older and moves to secondary school, social pressures and a heightened concern about their image may make a child feel insecure about applying emollients for fear of being seen as different. A solution to all these problems is to wear an unseen layer of natural fibre under clothing that stops irritants from reaching the skin, whilst at the same time having a therapeutic effect on your child’s eczema.

 

How DreamSkin can help

 

DreamSkin Health clothing is ideal for children to wear as a layer under their school uniform. DreamSkin Health clothing is treated with a polymer which reduces moisture loss preventing the skin from becoming sore and dry, whilst acting as a defence against irritants such as the unnatural fibres found in school uniforms.

Dressing your child in DreamSkin means that you will no longer have to rely on your six year old to manage their own emollient use whilst at school. For your secondary school child wearing an unseen layer of undergarments will avoid any of the social stigmas and impracticalities surrounding applying emollients, issues that lead many to ignore their treatment routine whilst at school.  

Make sure staff are aware

The key to coping with eczema at school is to keep a good line of communication with your child’s teacher/school. Prior to starting school, arrange a meeting and explain what eczema means for your child, how they cope and the help your child needs at school. All schools have a detailed medical plan that is made available to all members of staff. This booklet or file gives information on children with certain conditions, from allergies to more serious illnesses. It lists what actions should be taken by staff in certain situations and informs them of any special allowances that should be made for the child. Children with eczema can sometimes be overlooked from these medical plans. If you fear that staff at your school are going to overlook your child’s eczema insist that they be included in the medical plan so all staff can be made aware of your child’s condition. Your child’s eczema should not prevent them from having a happy and full school life.

 

National Eczema Week

The 14^th-22^nd September sees the return of National Eczema Week. People up and down the country will be raising funds for the National Eczema society. Formed in 1975 the NES aims to provide practical, unbiased advice in regards to the treatment and management of eczema, whilst raising awareness of eczema with doctors, teachers and the government. They rely entirely on public donations so visit their website to see what you can do to help. www.eczema.org.

Approximately 20% of all children in the UK suffer from eczema and/or another skin condition; with 1 in 10 of these children continuing to suffer into adulthood. This number is constantly on the rise with diagnosis for childhood allergies such as eczema, hay fever and asthma rising year on year. Referrals to a specialist for skin conditions have increased by more than 25% since 2000. A recent study showed that around 15% of all visits to GPs involved a skin complaint either directly e.g. eczema, psoriasis or indirectly e.g. an allergic reaction or an infection.

There are 2 million eczema patients under the care of their GP or practice nurse at any one time and a further 2-3 million being treated and advised in pharmacy. Even more come in and out of treatment depending on the stage and severity of their disease.

For a condition that affects so many people it is important to have a dedicated charity such as the National Eczema Society. It is also vital to dedicate a time of year to raise awareness for a condition that can have such a detrimental impact on a sufferers’ quality of life.

In support of National Eczema Week we are offering a 20% discount on all DreamSkin garments bought through our website. Along with this 5% of the original value of the order will be donated to the National Eczema Society. To view our products please visit www.dreamskinhealth.co.uk.

Summer Dreams

DreamSkin are happy to announce the launch of our summer discount. Enter code ‘summerdreams’ to receive a 15% discount on all products, making managing your eczema that little bit more manageable.

The main benefits of DreamSkin

Retains Moisture- DreamSkin Health garments reduce the unregulated loss of moisture caused by evaporation from damaged skin. Helping the skin to remain softer, smoother and looking healthier.

Forms a Barrier- The non-stick quality of DreamSkin Health garments mean that irritants such as washing powder residues and pollen are repelled from the skin. Also the clothing will not stick to sore, weeping and damaged skin.

Regulates temperature- The DreamSkin polymer helps to restore the body’s natural temperature management process, keeping the wearing cool and comfortable day and night.

The Heat is On

There is no getting away from it; eczema is really sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. Every season can affect eczema differently. In our first blog we discussed the impact of changing conditions during autumn http://bit.ly/ZilWad. The summer months can be equally strenuous for eczema sufferers. Whilst some people with eczema find that sunlight and increased temperature provides a respite from eczema symptoms, for many others the hot weather at home or abroad can be a nightmare for their skin. So a person with eczema does not always look forward to escaping to a hotter climate … rather a summer vacation brings a whole set of new challenges in coping with your eczema!

Most people with eczema are affected by heat; a dry heat is often worse than a hot humid climate. In hot climates keeping cool is key, wear thin cotton, linen or silk clothes. Try to sit in the shade, avoid the hot midday sun; go local and have a siesta at this time. Find a sunscreen (SPF25 or above) that does not irritate your eczema, as you don’t want to burn your skin.  You may need to test some sunscreens out to make sure they don’t irritate, interestingly a sun block that reflects light is generally less irritant for people with eczema. 

Many people assume that swimming is a complete no-go for those inflicted with eczema. Do not let your eczema stop you enjoying your holiday to the full.  Lots of people with eczema find the salt water beneficial, just ensure you shower afterwards, as pro longed contact with salt water, chlorine and sand can cause skin irritation.

When packing remember to take your emollients with you, as you may not be able find the ones you use abroad. Also if possible keep your emollients and moisturisers refrigerated. Moisturise your skin well after being in the sun, as your skin may be drier in a hot climate. Remember to apply your moisturiser then wait 15 minutes and apply your sunscreen on top; this stops the sunscreen being diluted by the moisturiser.

On a positive note, in hotter climates everyday irritants and allergies that cause your eczema to flare may actually be reduced. Firstly you will be relaxed and resting, away from work and busy lives. Secondly your environment will be more eczema-friendly, with tiled floors, plenty of ventilation, no central heating and much less dust. However, beware of biting insects, which may cause nasty reactions. An insect repellent product such as Arnywear is perfect for eczema sufferers as it is hypoallergenic (for more info check www.arnywear.co.uk)

Therapeutic silk clothing, especially nightwear may be a help in hotter climates, especially when the nighttime temperatures don’t fall. The polymer in DreamSkin reduces moisture loss, by providing a protective barrier which in turn helps keep skin cool and more comfortable.  

When Eczema Sticks

I meet so many patients with eczema, who often cry with relief, when they are allowed time to talk about their unpleasant eczema symptoms and how their eczema affects their life. The symptom of itch is key for everyone with eczema and health care professionals are aware of the itch-scratch-damage cycle (something I discussed in a previous blog http://bit.ly/11YvN2f). However, many health care professionals perhaps do not realise how painful and distressing severe eczema flares can be.

Everyone with eczema has the potential for a severe flare – this is generally associated with infected eczema. My patients often become very distressed when they have a severe eczema flare and describe intense itch, eczema spreading all over their body, red, burning skin; wet and weepy skin which sticks to clothes and bed sheets. Literally, when eczema is this bad, clothing and bedclothes sometimes have to be peeled off the skin; causing intense agony and skin damage; as the outer layers of skin are removed. The skin becomes so painful; nerve pathways alter and the person with eczema cannot even touch their skin. In this situation, the person with eczema quickly becomes exhausted, as they are unable to sleep. Skin healing is inevitably delayed and the sufferer's quality of life diminishes.

Severe flares can sometimes be isolated to areas of the body for certain groups of people with eczema. For example, I often see babies with severe facial eczema and adults with severe hand eczema. Face masks and gloves often stick to these wet and weepy areas. This causes a great deal of distress for not only the sufferer but also the caregiver, who has to peel clothing off of their young child's skin.

I am describing a severe flare of eczema; and I hope that most people with eczema would seek medical help and treatment before this situation escalates but sometimes eczema can become very severe, very quickly. Firstly, the correct treatment with a course of strong steroids and antibiotics is essential. Secondly skin comfort and assisting skin healing is crucial. Emollients are very important and need to be used liberally.

Therapeutic clothing provides comfort by keeping skin cool and reducing itching in all stages of eczema. When eczema becomes severe and leads to sore, wet and weeping skin, it is vitally important that therapeutic clothing does not stick. DreamSkin Health is the only therapeutic clothing with a unique polymer coating. The polymer is non-adherent, so does not stick to skin; so in severe eczema flares this means that skin damage is prevented and healing accelerated. In addition, the polymer, reduces moisture loss, provides a protective barrier against irritants and helps keep skin cool.

In severe eczema flares, clinicians will always treat the skin but remember to also prescribe for assisting skin healing and preventing skin damage.

Eczema Expert

An issue that gets right under your skin

In response to the Daily Mail’s article in which they explore “The nasty bugs lurking in out-of-date make-up” linked here: http://bit.ly/14vHh4h we here at DreamSkin have some thoughts of our own.

While topical steroids are an essential treatment for severe eczema flare ups, they should rarely be used as part of a daily skin routine.  Despite the fact that according to research from the ISOLATE study (International Study of  Life with Atopic Eczema) 42% of eczema sufferers “live in a state of constant concern over when they might experience their next flare up”, there is no guarantee or pattern in many cases for when a flare might happen.  Therefore, creams and ointments do have limitations, although we fully appreciate they are a mainstay treatment for many skin conditions. This is highlighted within the Daily Mail article and brings to light an issue which is a major concern for doctors, nurses and the pharmaceutical industry– compliance. 

Under use of emollients is a primary cause of the mis-management and poor treatment of dermatitis.  The recommended weekly use of emollients is 500g a week for an adult and 250g a week for a child.   However, many patients are either unaware of these amounts or they fail to comply with the recommended dosage, as their lifestyle does not allow it.  As a result patients begin to collect a large stash of pots, tubes and pumps half full with eczema creams that are way beyond their use by date.   Patients then begin to use out of date creams on an ad-hoc basis which can cause more harm than good.   

We believe that DreamSkin therapeutic clothing offers a perfect solution. Compliance is easily achieved and thus much higher in users of DreamSkin. For those unable to apply moisturizers regularly while at work, school or at sleep, garments such as DreamSkin offer the patient the option to be on top of their treatment needs.

Chickenpox Case Study

Here at DreamSkin Health we are always looking for new ways our technology can help families. Chickenpox is a common childhood illness that affects most children at some point. As most parents probably know, it causes a rash of red, itchy spots that cause an extreme amount of discomfort and irritation. A big concern of parents is that the child’s desire to scratch could lead to permanent scarring of the skin. In the war against chickenpox parents have taped gloves to hands, applied copious amounts of calamine lotion and placed children in oatmeal baths.

DreamSkin Health garments are designed to treat skin conditions such as eczema. They help the skin to remain moist, stop irritants attacking the skin and help the skin to maintain its normal temperature. We believed that similar results could be had by those currently suffering from chickenpox.

We received a case study of two girls aged 4 and 7, who trialled our garments to see if they could help relieve the symptoms of chickenpox, and sedate that irresistible urge to scratch away at the skin. The mother of both these girls told us how happy she was with the performance of DreamSkin.  

Her youngest child had typical chickenpox symptoms.

'She started with a few large blisters on her torso and after about 3 days she had many more blisters on her arms, legs and on her face’ mother told us ‘From the very first spot I put her into the DreamSkin pyjamas’.

She reported to us that her daughter had almost no urge to scratch.

'I am absolutely convinced that these pyjamas helped to reduce the itch associated with chickenpox and so helped to reduce the likely hood that her chickenpox will have left permanent scars’.

The mother’s seven year old had similar results.

'Despite a high temperature and getting hot in the night she never once said that she was itchy, or tried to scratch at the spots’.

Chickenpox can be a very stressful and traumatic time for both child and parents. DreamSkin garments may be able to provide relief from the extreme symptoms of chickenpox, and put an end to some of the more antiquated remedies.

Serving up an ace product

When we think of drugs and other medicinal treatments, we normally think of tablets, capsules, creams, ointments and injections. However advances in fabric and yarn technologies have spurned a whole new world of treatment dispensing opportunities – technologies that improve our quality of life.

Back in the early 90’s IFT plc was asked by Le Coq Sportif to develop a new fabric to celebrate the signing of their new tennis star, Justine Henin and hopefully one that would help to improve her performance. We realised that Le Coq Sportif wanted something special and as a small company trying to make its mark in the sportswear industry, we put our thinking caps on to see what we could come up with.

Having scratched our heads and brainstormed the idea, taking ideas from the shop floor right through to the HR department, we eventually agreed on an innovation that we thought might interest Le Coq Sportif.

Our research revealed that Henin had very sensitive skin, so we began exploring the concept of a fabric that would moisturise her skin whilst she was playing tennis. We started to investigate if and how we could coat some of our sportswear fabrics with known moisturisers such as Aloe Vera or Squalene. After a few stops and starts, we discovered that the best way forward was to capture microscopic amounts of the moisturiser in an egg like capsule which could then be applied to the fabric.  When worn, the fragile microscopic structures on the surface of the fabric would be broken, releasing the moisturiser on to the skin.

The good news is that Le Coq Sportif loved both the idea and the fabric and the company received a personal note from the tennis star herself - which took pride of place in the company’s trophy cabinet!

It was hard to prove whether the technology was helping her to play better tennis, but our breakthrough spurred us on to investigate other technologies that could treat skin and improve the quality of life of the wearer.

The company’s second breakthrough was a skin friendly and natural insect repellent which could be applied to textiles. When worn, the garment delivers long lasting insect repellent properties for the wearer and negates the need for smelly lotions and sprays.

In the last 10 years, we have managed to refine our expertise and have been able to turn our attention to the major issue of damaged skin conditions such as eczema.

Today, the unique polymer that is used in the eczema soothing range of Dreamskin garments is probably the most advanced example of incorporating a technology into a fabric to deliver a medicinal treatment.          

To find out more about IFT plc products, please visit http://www.ift-plc.co.uk.

George Costa