|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Q&A about Dry Skin
- Caring for Diabetic skin
- Neurodermatitis (also known as Atopic Eczema & Atopic Dermatitis)
- Ichthyosis (fish scale condition)
- What's Urea?
- Why are Eucerin Dry Skin products fragrance-free?
- Dry, itchy scalp? Tips on taking care of your scalp.
- Itching - Is rapid relief possible?
- Foot care & the nature of feet
Caring for Diabetic Skin
If you have diabetes, skin care is more than just cosmetic. Diabetes causes a reduction in perspiration, which can lead to dry skin, especially on the legs and feet. Skin can become raw, tight, flaky and tends to itch. Diabetes can also cause nerve damage, which in turn can result in a loss of feeling. If this happens, you may not be able to feel injuries, so simple cuts can lead to serious skin problems. That's why daily skin care, including cleansing, moisturising and inspection is so important.
Cleanse with warm (not hot) water and a mild, non-soap cleanser. We suggest Eucerin® Lipid Shower Oil with 2% polidocanol to intensely replenish lipids. Keep baths or showers short (less than 15 minutes) to avoid drying out your skin. Gently pat dry with a soft towel and apply moisturiser while your skin is still damp, to seal in moisture. To prevent fungal infections, don't apply moisturiser to the skin between your toes.
Routinely use gentle, effective moisturisers with natural ingredients. We suggest the following:
Your Body - As a daily moisturiser, use Eucerin® Intensive 10% w/w Urea Treatment Lotion to smooth and soften dry, flaky skin. It soothes and relieves itching naturally with Urea. If you experience intense itching, try Eucerin® Dry Skin Relief Soothing Spray for additional relief.
Your Feet - With diabetes feet may become dry and cracked. Eucerin® Dry Skin Relief Foot Cream with 10% Urea also contains glycerin and lactic acid to soothe and smooth rough feet. Developed with endocrinologists and tested on diabetic skin, it's proven to moisturise for 24 hours and reduce the formation of hard skin and corns.
Your Hands - These may become dry and cracked too. Eucerin® Dry Skin Relief Hand Cream with 5% Urea can help. Also with glycerin and lactic acid, it provides your skin with the moisture it needs, yet absorbs easily.
Clinical studies for all products in the Eucerin® Dry Skin range prove their effectiveness and skin compatibility.
Neurodermatitis (also known as atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis)
This condition mostly affects babies and small children. The most frequent inflammatory condition in children from industrialised countries, neurodermatitis affects roughly 10% to 15% of all school children. Many people outgrow the condition during childhood, although some suffer with it throughout life. First-time flare-ups in adults are very rare. Neurodermatitis belongs to the so-called atopic category, which includes three conditions: neurodermatitis, bronchial asthma and hay fever. These conditions frequently arise in parallel or one after the other.
Among the most important causes and triggers are stress, climate, seasonal changes, chemical influences, as well as certain medications. While the exact cause of the condition is unknown, the good news is that it can be at least partially managed with a good daily skin care regimen.
Known as "the rash that itches", neurodermatitis usually appears on the face, hands, and limbs and is accompanied by an intense itch. It affects the skin's barrier function-its ability to keep moisture in and irritants out. It also disturbs the formation of natural skin lipids and lowers sweat secretion. As a result, skin loses moisture. Eventually, skin can become so dry that it cracks and fissures can develop, allowing bacteria and irritants to penetrate the skin and possibly cause infection.
It's essential to follow a good daily skin care routine. Keeping skin moisturised can help reduce the likelihood of flare-ups and dry skin itching, which is important because scratching only irritates already inflamed skin. Your GP may prescribe medications to help manage eczema, but they'll also tell you that frequent moisturising is your first line of defence and important daily management.
Try to take only one warm (not hot) bath or shower per day, and limit it to a maximum of 15 minutes. This helps prevent skin's natural moisturisers from being stripped away. Avoid soaps and instead, wash with a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser. After bathing, gently pat away excess water with a soft, absorbent towel and apply moisturiser while skin is still damp, to help seal in moisture.
Rehydration through the use of moisturisers is essential in helping re-establish skin's natural barrier, which keeps moisture in and irritants out. Use moisturisers at least twice a day... even more if you feel that you need it. Choose a fragrance-free moisturiser that's safe for sensitive skin. Eucerin offers several options for this skin type (all of which are fragrance and colourant free).
For showering, we suggest Eucerin® Lipid Shower Oil, a particularly mild product developed especially for dry skin to both cleanse and intensely replenish moisture (similar to a bath oil). It also helps soothe your skin with 2% polidocanol. You can even use it as a bath additive for bathing babies and infants. It's fragrance, colourant and preservative free.
Clinical studies for all products in the Eucerin® Dry Skin range prove their effectiveness and skin compatibility.
Ichthyosis (fish-scale condition)
Unlike neurodermatitis, ichthyosis usually affects the entire body. Characterised by rough, scaly areas, your skin can become extremely dry and flaky. It's essential to follow a good daily skin care routine. Keeping skin moisturised can reduce the likelihood of flare-ups and dry skin itching, which is important because scratching only irritates already inflamed skin.
For showering, we suggest Eucerin® Lipid Shower Oil, a particularly mild product developed especially for dry skin to both cleanse and intensely replenish moisture (similar to a bath oil). It also helps soothe your skin with 2% polidocanol. You can even use it for bathing infants. It's fragrance, colourant and preservative free. After showering or bathing, always dry yourself off thoroughly and apply moisturiser.
Routinely use gentle, effective moisturisers with natural ingredients. As a daily moisturiser, we suggest Eucerin® Dry Skin Intensive 10% Urea Treatment Lotion to smooth and soften dry, flaky skin. It soothes and relieves itching naturally with Urea. In clinical studies, for children diagnosed with ichthyosis vulgaris, Eucerin® Dry Skin Intensive 10% Urea Treatment Lotion proved particularly effective. (always read the leaflet)
For dry feet, try Eucerin® Dry Skin Relief Foot Cream with 10% Urea also contains glycerin and lactic acid to soothe and smooth rough feet. Developed with dermatologists and tested on diabetic skin, it's proven to moisturise for 24 hours, reduce hard skin and the formation of corns.
What's Urea?
A colourless and fragrance-free solid substance at room temperature, Urea is synthesised from inorganic salts. We call Urea a "natural" substance because it is present in the outer epidermis of the skin as a natural integral component. However, the Urea used in our Eucerin® products is obtained synthetically.
Urea, one of the most important end products in protein metabolism, is found in almost all body fluids. Considered one of the skin's essential natural moisturising factors (NMF's). For people with dry skin, the concentration of Urea in the skin can drop by 50%. For patients with flaky skin or neurodermatitis, as well as mature skin, the loss is even more pronounced.
With increasing age, the body's inherent production of skin lipids and its ability to store water decreases. Skin becomes increasingly more dry, raw and flaky. Fine lines begin to appear. By topically supplying natural moisturising factors, such as Urea, skin's ability to hold moisture increases. Using moisturisers daily rehydrates the top layers of the skin making it smoother, softer and better protected from the environment.
Are overdoses or incorrect doses possible?
An overdose of the ingredient in the conventional sense isn't possible because Urea is a natural substance and the skin "absorbs" just as much as it needs to replenish itself. It is advisable to start with a concentration of 5% to see if this is sufficient to give the desired results (smooth skin, relief from itching). 10% can be used for specific conditions but can irritate very inflamed or broken skin. High percentages of Urea over large areas of the body are not recommended for those with a renal insufficiency. (always read the leaflet)
Children: Urea 5%
In principle, the body's inherent Urea has no side effects and demonstrates the same effect in children as adults. Children's skin does exhibit several unique properties compared to adult skin because it is still in the development phase. For example, children have a greater body surface area in relation to body weight than adults. Diapers also block air circulation (the occlusion effect) making diaper skin more permeable. For this reason, an Urea concentration of 5% should be used to achieve the desired effects. In cases of a specific skin condition or in conjunction with medical advice, higher concentrations can be used (10%) (Always read the leaflet).
For children 3 and over a Urea concentration of 5% should be tried first, moving to 10% products if the desired effects are not achieved. In cases of a specific skin condition in conjunction with medical advice, higher concentrations can be used (10%) on children from 1 year old.
(Always read the leaflet)
Face care: Urea concentration 5%
To protect the sensitive eyes/area around the eyes, use an Urea concentrations of 5%. This should achieve the desired effects in thin-skin areas and sensitive facial skin.
Acute inflammations: No Urea-application
Urea should not be applied to acutely inflamed areas because the skin may feel an increased burning sensation.
Why are Eucerin Dry Skin products fragrance-free?
Irritant dermatitis is a condition that causes skin to react to a particular irritant in a product. The most common irritants are fragrances, which are found in many skin and hair care products, as well as in detergents and soaps. Since fragrances are the most common causes of reactions, Eucerin developed Dry Skin products specifically without fragrance for those with skin irritations, allergies and eczema. Without a fragrance the actual odour of the ingredients or the packaging can be observed.
Dry, itchy scalp? Tips on taking care of your scalp.
If you have a dry, flaky, itchy scalp or suffer from neurodermatic scalp, try to use shampoos with as few active cleansing ingredients as possible. To avoid further irritation, avoid products with fragrances, colourants and alcohol. We recommend Eucerin® Dry Skin Relief Shampoo with 5% Urea which can be used daily. Proven to prevent the scalp from becoming drier, it also helps relieve itching with polidocanol.
If you suffer from neurodermatitis, try hair and scalp moisturising oils (e.g. burdock root oil) or special treatments for dry, stressed hair also proven effective. Be aware of the penetration time of these products and make sure to wash out as much as possible with Eucerin® Dry Scalp Relief Shampoo with 5% Urea. If you have fine or short hair, you can also treat your scalp with replenishing and moisturising body care products. For example, apply the product in the evening and carefully wash out the remaining product the next morning. Avoid blow-drying with hot air, which can make the condition worse. Also you should refrain from hair colouring, bleaching, highlights and perms .
Itching - Is rapid relief possible?
Various factors can trigger itching. Infections, liver or kidney diseases, diseases of the circulation system, and high blood pressure, among others, may cause itchiness. Allergies or reactions to ingredients in medications, cosmetics and detergents may also cause reactions. If you have been suffering from itchy skin over a long period, please visit your general practitioner or diabetes specialist to find out the possible cause.
If itching is particularly agonising; if moisturising lotions aren't enough; scratching is not the answer because it often makes the itching worse and then you start a vicious cycle. Try Eucerin® Dry Skin Relief Soothing Spray to break this cycle. It relieves itching immediately and over the long term, cools, relaxes and soothes your skin.
The combination of polidocanol + evening primrose oil + glycerin is highly skin compatible and has proven very effective. You can spray it so that hard-to-reach areas (e.g. the back) can be reached.
Foot care & the nature of feet
It is quite common for people to suffer from swollen and aching feet, calluses, corns, as well as tired and heavy-feeling legs. Due to modern shoes, women are 20 times more likely to suffer from foot damage than men. These problems can be caused by the following: long standing or walking, uncomfortable shoes (too narrow, heels too high, heels that are worn down, etc.), weight, varicose veins or circulation problems (e.g. diabetes).
Eucerin® Dry Skin Relief Foot Cream with 10% Urea also contains glycerin and lactic acid to soothe and smooth rough feet. It's proven to moisturise for 24 hours and reduces the formation of hard skin and corns.
It is best applied at night to ensure an intensive action.