4 Parts Of Your Beauty Routine To Avoid When You Have Atopic Dermatitis

Taking care of atopic dermatitis, or eczema, may seem simple enough — bring on the moisturizers, slather on the ointments! But just as important as building a routine that works for you is knowing what to avoid, especially since eczema can flare in response to triggers.

That’s the nature of atopic dermatitis, or eczema, which is more than just having dry skin. “It’s fundamentally a disease of skin barrier and immune dysregulation,” says Pearl Ugwu-Dike, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY. Your immune system has an outsized response, leading to inflammation. That can create a vicious cycle, she says, in which “the barrier becomes compromised, irritants penetrate more easily, inflammation increases, and the skin becomes intensely itchy. Scratching then further damages the barrier, reinforcing the inflammation.”

To break that cycle, steer clear of your triggers, which vary from person to person and can include stress, weather changes, sweat, fragrances, new products, harsh cleansers, and environmental allergens, says Ugwu-Dike. Some are more common than others. “People with atopic dermatitis often notice their skin is very sensitive to cold or products with fragrance,” says Jocelyn Gandelman, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York, NY. So, with that in mind, here’s what to avoid in your routine.

Avoid: Hot, steamy water

Sorry in advance, but if you love to spend a half-hour in a super-hot shower, you’re not doing your skin any favors. “I know that a hot shower can feel like a spiritual experience, especially when your skin is itchy,” says Ugwu-Dike. “Unfortunately, to your skin barrier it may feel like more of a personal attack.” That’s because hot water can strip the natural, moisturizing lipids on the surface of your skin and increase transepidermal water loss, worsening dryness and leaving compromised skin even more vulnerable. It might be unpleasant in the cooler months, but Ugwu-Dike recommends taking a cold-to-lukewarm shower for five to 10 minutes instead, followed by “the application of a thick fragrance-free moisturizer while the skin is still damp from the shower,” she says.

Also, it’s not just showers to blame. For patients with hand eczema (which, one study found, can affect almost 15% of people), it’s important to watch the water temperature when washing your hands or when wearing gloves while doing the dishes. “That can make a huge difference in protecting dry skin,” says Gandelman.

Avoid: Sudsy soaps

Lather with caution, since “harsh surfactants and traditional alkaline soaps can also really worsen dryness by disrupting skin-surface lipids and barrier function,” says Ugwu-Dike. For starters, you don’t have to apply it everywhere. “Soap is only really needed for the face, armpits, groin, and feet,” says Gandelman. Besides that, unless an area is visibly dirty, you don’t need to scrub every inch of your body thoroughly. Skipping the head-to-toe soap “tends to make things a lot less dry and irritated,” she says.

What you’re washing with matters, too: Swap super-sudsy, fragrant body bars or washes for fragrance-free, soap-free formulations, says Ugwu-Dike.

Avoid: Fragranced formulas

Fragrance is nice in the moment, but it’s an incredibly common trigger for eczema. “Fragrance compounds can irritate eczema-prone skin, and some can cause allergic contact dermatitis,” says Ugwu-Dike. That also applies not only to “fragrance” on the ingredient list, but also to essential oils and botanical compounds. In fact, some products marketed as all natural, with botanical flower- or plant-type ingredients, tend to be more irritating to sensitive skin,” Gandelman explains.

Don’t just look for the term “unscented” on the bottle. Since some unscented products can still technically contain fragrant ingredients, Ugwu-Dike says, look for “fragrance-free” instead, which ensures that it’s free of all of these culprits.

Avoid: Skipping your routine

So your flare has cleared up. That’s great! But that doesn’t mean you can skip your eczema routine — which actually happens a lot. “Many patients discontinue all treatments when their skin starts feeling better even though the inflammation is not necessarily completely resolved,” says Ugwu-Dike. Even when symptoms ease, the routine still matters.

But eczema is a chronic disease, so even when your skin is clear, it needs the same TLC. In fact, instead of just responding to flares, “some patients even need to work with a dermatologist to continue appropriate topical anti-inflammatory medications to problem areas on a scheduled basis,” she says. Keep your moisturizers and ointments close — and apply them regularly — to keep your skin healthy and comfortable now and in the future.

Presented by BDG Studios

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