Management of dry skin
Dry skin can occur for a variety of reasons.1 Customers with dry skin will usually be able to manage it themselves by avoiding the following factors and using moisturisers. However, itchy, dry and cracked skin are typical symptoms of atopic eczema, which is a chronic condition that may need additional management.
- Dry air – due to weather conditions or central heating
- Using traditional soap, shower gel or bath salts – advise customers to use emollient shower and bath products that don’t dry the skin
- Excessive bathing – especially in hot water
- Not drying skin carefully after bathing – advise customers to pat (not rub) their skin dry with a towel.
Atopic eczema
As the most common type of eczema, you may have lots of customers coming in asking for advice.2 Some customers may only have small areas of eczema, requiring minimal intervention, or others may have widespread areas of red and inflamed skin.
Why me?
Customers may ask what is causing their symptoms. You should advise them that the exact cause of atopic eczema isn’t known, but symptoms may be triggered by a combination of factors such as soaps, detergents, stress and weather. In young children especially, food allergies can also be a factor, so customers may benefit from keeping a food diary to determine if a specific food is making their symptoms worse.
What could help?
Customers will inevitably ask for product recommendations to help relieve and manage their symptoms. Emollients are the mainstay of eczema treatment and should be used liberally several times a day, even when symptoms are not present, in order to help prevent a flare-up.
There are several different types of emollient products available. Choosing the right product can be difficult and may require some trial and error to find the most suitable one. Generally, ointments are good for very dry skin and night time use as they are quite greasy, thick and highly moisturising, whereas creams are often absorbed quicker, so may be good for daytime use. There are also lotions, sprays, bath/shower products and soap substitutes available.