Living with eczema during the winter season 2020 - Part 2

How to manage eczema during the winter season

Following on from part 1, this blog has the answers to winter eczema issues. Please also be aware that we are all unique and what may work for some people may not work with others. It’s all about trial and error, and there is nothing wrong with experimenting and trying out new things.

Clothing

Personally I am careful about woolly clothing. Some woolly materials have caused irritation to my skin including rashes and feeling extra hot. I get round this by wearing a think long sleeve cotton top underneath woolly jumpers. This means that the wool is not direct on my skin. Also cotton clothes allow moisture which prevents the skin from drying out.

Secondly, thick woolly socks irritate my skin. I personally recommend wearing cotton socks and having an extra pair of socks at hand. This in case it rains or snows and the socks get wet.

Thirdly, I am cautious about scarfs because I’ve experiences flare ups round my neck in the past. I have a couple of scarfs from Primark which have caused me no issues.

Finally, I wear cotton tights rather than nylon. Places I would recommend buying these are Marks and Spencer’s and Primark.

Moisturisers

I use thicker moisturisers and ensure that I have small bottle of moisturiser with me in my handbag. I also moisturise throughout the day. Hand moisture is also important during the winter as well as wearing gloves. However, be mindful about the material of the gloves!

Make sure you don’t use harsh soaps or have hot baths as this dries out the skin. Have luke warm showers for a short length of time to avoid skin dryness.

If you use steroid creams make sure you have some spare in case you have a flare up. If you use organic creams or any other relevant products, also ensure that you have a reasonable supply. There is nothing worse than running out of these products at a time of need!

Conflicting temperatures of cold and heat

While at home, the office or in anywhere indoors have the heating on at around 18 degrees. High heating temperatures can affect the skin and can cause the air to become dry. Also consider investing in a humidifier as this may help keep the air moist. Another suggestion for adding moisture is to place a bowel of water near radiators. As much as we like to keep warm and toasty sitting to close to a radiator is not ideal.

If you drive, keep heating vents away from your face. Having the vents towards you is likely to cause skin dryness in the face.

Stress and mental health

Prepare for the festive season by purchasing items in advance and ideally online if you can. This is in order to prevent crowds in shopping centres. On top of that online shopping is also a safer option during the pandemic. In regards to this Christmas being unusual, what the government decides or how many new COVID cases and deaths there are is totally beyond our control. The only thing we can control is remaining safe and to do things with caution.

Ensure you have some downtime and have time to relax and unwind. This could be a movie on Netflix, reading a book or talking to a friend. Also do not feel guilty about doing self-care activities. If we don’t take care of ourselves then we will not the best version of ourselves around others.

I’ve experienced a lot of work-related stress over the last couple of months. What has helped me relax is listening to worship music along with meditating to various things on YouTube (please contact me directly if you would like further details). Make sure that you rest and get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can also trigger eczema. In addition, finding something short and sweet to watch just to make you laugh.

What we eat and drink can also be linked to stress and mental health. I know that if I’m stressed I’m likely to binge on all the wrong foods especially chocolate! The flip side is that we’re more likely to have a flare-up while binge eating (as well as gaining a few extra pounds!). This then leads us on to the next topic:

Food and nutrition

Be mindful on what food we are eating. Not consuming too much sugar or allergens if you are allergic or intolerant to anything. However it is the season to the jolly so a few treats and a little bit of alcohol won’t hurt. Drinking water is also important all year round, the more we keep ourselves hydrated then less likely our skin will dry out.

Lack of nutrients/supplements

The last thing I do especially during the winter is taking vitamin D tablets every day. Our vitamin D levels are likely to decrease during the winter due to lower temperatures and lack of sunshine. Research has shown that this may help with skin issues.

Another tablet I take is evening primrose tablets. This helps improve eczema, general skin health, heart, blood pressure as well as PMS.

I hope that all of these answers help you manage your eczema during the winter. Wishing all the best to my readers during this season and stay blessed and safe!

Below are a few links which I found researching online which may be useful:

Living with eczema during the winter season 2020 – Part 2