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.