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Eczema Bulletin, Issue #030 - Make a New Year's Resolution To Benefit Your Eczema
January 02, 2016


Eczema Bulletin, Issue #030 - Make a New Years Resolution To Benefit Your Eczema



Welcome to January's edition of the Eczema Bulletin e-zine, and thank you for subscribing.

This is the 30th edition of Eczema Bulletin. It will bring you articles and news about eczema, and also any updates to what-is-eczema.com. If you would like to add any suggestions for articles or news, or even add your own then I would love to hear from you

You can contact me here


This month's Eczema Bulletin includes

  • January's Featured Article – Make a New Year's Resolution To Benefit Your Eczema
  • My favourite eczema news article
  • Tip of the Month
  • 5 Ways To.....manage hand eczema


Make a New Year's Resolution To Benefit Your Eczema


Its that time of year again when we decide to do or stop doing something. This year we could make a resolution that will help our eczema.

I know that making resolutions can seen pointless to some people, as a lot of us don't stick to them for very long.....some of mine have been broken before the end of 1 January!

Picking a smaller resolution that doesn't involve a massive change is a good place to start. Also breaking the resolution down helps.

Mine this year is to drink at least 2 litres of water everyday. I do drink water every day, but sometimes not enough. I've made a basic plan of how I'm going to track it. I've got a diary and a 2 litre bottle at home for my days off, and a smaller bottle at work which I need to drink at least 4 of. This isn't a massive change for me I just needed to have a plan of how I was going to do it.

If you're good at sticking to resolutions then you could choose a bigger resolution.

If I thought that I was more focused than I am then I would go sober for a year. I know my eczema is affected by alcohol, and I have cut down a lot over the last 8 years. But I'd be interested to see how giving up completely for a time would benefit my skin.

I am going dry for January, I have a friend doing it as well a so that helps, but I would like to do it for longer. Doing something for a month is a start, and may help me to do it for longer. Sometimes looking at the smaller picture is easier than the looking at the bigger picture.

Let me know about your eczema friendly resolutions and how you plan to make them work. Have you made a plan of how it will happen, how you'll work through the hard times or the reasons why you want to do it? I'd definitely love to hear how you've got on.




Eczema News Article


A new injection has been reported to be able to help eczema sufferers with itchiness.

It is said that high levels of a certain protein in the skin and blood is the reason why people with eczema itch. This injection reportedly works by introducing an antibody into the body which neutralises the protein. When this happens the itchiness subsides.

There has been a trial in Japan which has reported that after just one injection that patients reported 45-50% less itchiness.

The injection isn't yet available as more testing will be needed.

The initial results are positive and I'm very interested to see how any further testing goes. This could help a lot of eczema sufferers. By reducing itchiness this can help to break the itch-scratch cycle. By breaking the cycle the symptoms of eczema, made worse by scratching, will improve.

I'll keep updated on this story.



Tip Of The Month - The Benefits of Calendula


Calendula essential oil comes from the calendula plant, which is mainly found in Europe and North America.

One of the benefits of calendula is that it is a great anti-inflammatory. Helping to reduce the redness associated with eczema. It also has anti-bacterial properties. This can reduce the amount of bacteria on the skin, helping to lower the risk of your eczema becoming infected.

It can also help reduce itching. This can be extremely helpful at night, as a lot of eczema sufferers find that they scratch during the night, sometimes without even knowing that they do it.

Because of all of its benefits it can help reduce any skin damage and be a great way to manage eczema.

You can use it on yourself and your child as its rare for it to cause side effects or any skin irritation.

You can read more about calendula, here, including the different ways you can use it.


Do you have a tip you would like to share? Let me know :)



5 Ways To.......manage hand eczema


1. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. The most important part of managing your hand eczema. I've lost count of the number of times that I've mentioned how important moisturising is. Using an emollient on your hands can help to limit skin damage. Your hands are constantly in use, and eczema can often appears where the folds and creases are. If the skin becomes sore and dry then cracks can start to appear. Not only can that be painful, but they can also let bacteria in causing the eczema to become infected. Using an emollient helps to moisturise the skin which keeps it supple, reducing damage

2. Be mindful when cooking and touching certain foods. The heat produced by cooking can be an irritant in its self. But add to it having handle the foods which can be an irritant and your eczema can end up itchy and irritated. There are some foods which I can eat without them affecting my eczema, but if I touch them then my hands can get very sore. Onions and meat are two of these foods. I wear latex free gloves when I prepare them

3. Wrap your hands at night. By using a bandage and some emollient you can create an overnight intensive moisturiser for your hands. Cover your hands in an emollient and wrap with the bandage. Covering the cream up helps it to absorb into your skin. Doing this can help in two ways. As the emollient is absorbed deep into the skin it helps to soothe it and prevent further damage, and the bandage makes it very difficult to scratch

4. Look after your hands after they have been in water. Water is very drying on the skin. I always notice that my hands are itchier and drier after I have washed them. Depending on how much time I have I do one of two things. If I'm at work where my hands need to be dry, I'll pat them dry then moisturise them. If I've got more time I'll shake off as much of the water as I can then put the emollient on. When the skin is still damp this helps to seal the moisturise into the skin. Once the hands are dry I'll moisturise again

5. Look at your hand jewellery. There is nickel in a lot of jewellery and for some eczema sufferers it can cause irritation. You can find some gorgeous rings and bracelets without nickel, or you could try putting some clear nail varnish on them. For some reason it stops the irritation caused by nickel. Another issue with jewellery is that irritants and bacteria can get trapped under it. Remove the jewellery every day if possible and clean the area of skin around it, and the ring or bracelet



Keeping Up-To-Date With What is Eczema


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The February edition of Eczema Bulletin will include

  • February's Featured Article - Eczema and the Menstrual Cycle
  • My favourite news item of the month
  • Tip of the Month
  • 5 Ways To.....manage foot eczema



Hope you enjoyed January's Eczema Bulletin, and thanks for reading

Have a great 2016 :)

Teri


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