If you have eczema or psoriasis, an emollient is likely to be one of the main treatments recommended by your Doctor. But are you using it correctly, or at all?
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Heal your skin versus manage your symptoms
People are often surprised when I talk to them about emollients. They think because I promote lifestyle changes to help heal acne, eczema, and psoriasis that I’m against treatments prescribed by Doctors.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. As a trained health coach, I see the benefits of a collaborative approach to health. There is space for Doctors to work in partnership with other professionals championing healthy living, whether that’s nutritionists, chiropractors, physiotherapists, health coaches or other modalities.
Doctors get a bad rap for too readily prescribing pills and not spending enough time on the other aspects of health and wellbeing.
In Scotland, where I’m based, GPs get ten minutes with a patient if they’re lucky. That’s not a long time to diagnose, recommend treatment options and discuss lifestyle changes that may help.
The fault is with the system, not with the Doctor.
That system, unfortunately, means much of what’s prescribed for eczema and psoriasis is aimed at managing the symptoms rather than healing the skin. But, when you can’t stop clawing at your skin because of the unbearable itch, managing the symptoms is just as important. That’s where emollients come in.
What is an emollient?
Before we get into the method, it’s helpful to understand what an emollient is. An emollient is a thick cream that’s applied directly to the skin. You can also get emollient lotions and sprays but the creams tend to be more effective.
The purpose of an emollient is to help the skin retain moisture, something that is lacking in your skin if you have eczema or psoriasis. An emollient can also reduce the itch associated with these conditions.
Think of an emollient as a barrier cream rather than a moisturiser.
How to use an emollient
- Moisturise your skin first using a gentle, natural moisturiser. I used coconut oil for this.
- Allow your moisturiser a few minutes to sink into your skin, whilst you get on with something else.
- Apply the emollient on top of your moisturised skin.
- Repeat the above steps at least three times per day.
Using this method gives your skin much needed moisture first so the emollient (the barrier cream) has moisture to retain.
This is unfortunately not a method I’ve ever read on the back of a bottle of emollient. But it’s the method recommended by one of my Doctors and I saw a big improvement in the redness of my eczema and a considerable reduction in the itch within days of using this method.
Side effects of emollients
Very few people will experience side effects when using emollients. One of the main side effects can be blocked hair follicles. The primary ingredient in most emollients is paraffin. Paraffin is comedogenic, which means it can easily block the pores and get trapped in the hair follicles.
If you experience these side effects, you can minimise the future risk by applying the emollient in the direction of the hair growth only.
Which emollient to use
There are lots of different brands of emollients. Like most skincare products, you might need to try a few to find the one that works for you. Emollients are widely available for purchase or will be prescribed to you by your Doctor.
If you don’t feel the above method is making a difference in how comfortable your skin is within four weeks, try a different brand of emollient. They all contain slightly different formulations and you might find one works better for you than another.
The one that worked best for me was Balneum, which was recommended to me by a fellow eczema sufferer.
How often to use an emollient
If your eczema or psoriasis is inflamed, it’s best to moisturise and use an emollient at least three times a day. When my eczema was at its worst, I moisturised then applied the emollient in the morning, after work, then before bed.
Keeping your skin well moisturised throughout the day will reduce the itch and give any broken skin the chance to heal.
The fire risk of emollients
Keep away from fire, flames, and cigarettes when using emollients. The paraffin typically used in emollients is a petrochemical and is highly flammable. The emollient will transfer from your skin to your clothes and bed linen making them more flammable. Wash your clothing and bedding frequently but some emollient is likely to remain so always be careful.
How long to use emollients
In theory, you can use emollients for as long as required. There’s currently no evidence that long-term use of emollients presents a risk to your health. However, the emollient is helping you to manage the symptoms only. It’s doing nothing to address the underlying cause of your eczema or psoriasis.
Seek your own Doctor’s advice
The advice in this article is the advice I received from my Doctor when he prescribed an emollient for my eczema. Nothing in this article should replace your own Doctor’s advice. Always read the label and information leaflet before using any product on your skin.
Manage your symptoms and heal your skin
Social media certainly has its downsides. But one of the big advantages I see is the number of people sharing their stories. There’s an army of people improving their health by changing their lifestyle, and a new generation of Doctors such as Dr Michael Mosley, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, and Dr Mark Hyman raising more awareness of the benefits of lifestyle changes.
Here’s a great article by Dr Chatterjee on how he cured his son’s eczema by changing his diet and improving the health of his gut.
If you’re avoiding emollients because you’re looking to heal naturally, great, if it’s working for you. But if your eczema or psoriasis symptoms are causing you problems, then just know that you don’t need to choose between healing your skin and managing your symptoms. You can do both.