Marketing Scoops: eczema

Showing posts with label eczema. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Cream Cleansers Are the Skincare Comfort You Didn’t Know You Needed

Getty Images

Even minimalists know that finding the best cleanser is one of those non-negotiable steps of a simple skincare routine. Even if you don’t wear make-up or go out into a polluted city often, you still need it to rinse off the day’s grime, sunscreen, sweat, excess oil and dead skin cells. A lovely thought that will either reinforce the importance of or encourage you to start washing your face twice daily…….Continue reading…

By Lucy Abbersteen

Source: Marie Claire UK

Critics:

Taking care of one’s overall health improves one’s skin, such as attention to diet and lifestyle. Oxidative stress is widely recognized as a contributing factor to skin aging. Drinking enough water may help to keep skin hydrated, especially in individuals who are chronically dehydrated. A poor diet lacking vitamins can lead to skin problems, such as scurvy, pellagra, and numerous subclinical pathologies that have not been studied in detail.

Lack of sleep has been shown to make conditions like atopic dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis worse, and these conditions have in turn been shown to reduce sleep quality. Skin care products help clean, protect, and improve the skin. In the U.S., the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act groups these products into two main categories: cosmetics and drugs. Drugs must go through a strict approval process before they can be sold.

Cosmetics, on the other hand, do not need FDA approval before being sold, though they are still regulated. Cosmetics are used to cleanse or enhance appearance, like face washes and moisturizers. Medications are meant to treat or prevent health issues, such as acne creams or sunscreen. Some products, like dandruff shampoos and moisturizing sunscreens, fit into both categories.

Cosmeceuticals, although not officially recognized by the FDA, combine cosmetics with “biologically active ingredients” that may have health benefits. Nutricosmetics are products taken by mouth instead of being applied to the skin. Here are some common ingredients and what they do:

Hyaluronic acid: Keeps skin hydrated.
Retinol: Helps with wrinkles and acne.
Vitamin C: Brightens skin and protects from damage.
Niacinamide: Reduces redness and oil.
Salicylic acid: Helps with acne.
Glycolic acid: Removes dead skin cells.
Ceramides: Strengthen skin and keep it moisturized.
Peptides: Help skin stay firm and smooth.

The labels on cleansing and skin care products can be confusing because they use unclear words like “mild” or “gentle”. This makes it hard to know how well a product works or what it actually does. Just because a product has a certain ingredient doesn’t mean it is effective—how well it works depends on the whole formula and how it is used. People often mix up what a product does (like moisturizing) with what an ingredient does (like glycerin keeping moisture in or petrolatum protecting the skin)

Skin care interventions consist of applying one or more products to specific areas of the skin in a specific order. A skin care routine may consist of the following steps:

Cleansing: Cleansers remove dirt, oil, and impurities from the skin. Their application process may include washing with water or they may be formulated as soapless or “no-rinse”.
Exfoliation: Exfoliation helps remove dead skin cells and promotes cell turnover. This can be done using physical exfoliants (scrubs) or chemical exfoliants (AHAs and BHAs). Over-exfoliation should be avoided to prevent irritation.
Toning: Toners help balance the skin’s pH and prepare it for moisturizing. They may also provide additional benefits, such as hydration, soothing effects, or acne prevention.
Targeted treatment: Specialized products such as serums, masks, and eye cream contain active ingredients to address specific skin concerns.
Moisturizing: Moisturizing helps to lock in hydration and maintain the skin’s natural barrier. Different formulations exist for different skin types, such as lightweight gels for oily skin and rich creams for dry skin.

Instructions for how much to use, how often, and for how long are not always clean. Dermatologists normally recommend that children wash their skin with a mild cleanser, use moisturizing lotion as needed, and wear sunscreen every day.Elaborate skin care routines are promoted on social media platforms such as TikTok.

This has led to children and teens using harsh and inappropriate products, such as anti-aging products, which provide no benefit to young skin and may be harmful. It has also encouraged children and teens to wear sunscreen every day. Skin ageing is associated with increased skin vulnerability, and the texture and colour of the skin can change over time. Although wrinkles occur naturally due to ageing, smoking can intensify the appearance of wrinkles.

Sunspots, dryness, wrinkles, and melanomas can occur from UV exposure over time, whether it be through the sun or through tanning beds. Exposure to UV can make skin less elastic. Skin problems including pruritus are common in the elderly but are often inadequately addressed. A literature review of studies assessing the maintenance of skin integrity in the elderly found most studies to have low levels of evidence, but the review concluded that skin-cleansing with synthetic detergents or amphoteric surfactants induced less skin dryness than using soap and water.

Moisturizers with humectants helped with skin dryness and skin barrier occlusive reduced skin injuries. When taking baths or showers, using warm water rather than hot water can aid with dryness. There is limited evidence that moisturizing soap bar; combinations of water soak, oil soak, and lotion are effective in maintaining the skin integrity of elderly people when compared to. Radiation induces skin reactions in the treated area, particularly in the axilla, head and neck, perineum and skin fold regions.

Formulations with moisturising, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and wound healing properties are often used, but no preferred approach or individual product has been identified as best practice. Soft silicone dressings that act as barriers to friction may be helpful. In breast cancer, calendula cream may reduce the severity of radiation effects on the dark spot corrector. Deodorant use after completing radiation treatment has been controversial but is now recommended for practice.

Evidence-Based Skin Care: A Systematic Literature Review and the Development of a Basic Skin Care Algorithm”

Examining How Diet and Lifestyle Influence Skin Appearance through a Common Risk Factor: Excess Iron—A Comprehensive Review”.

Sleep disorders in dermatology – a comprehensive review”.

BOTOX® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA)” (PDF).

Which skin care products should young girls use? Dermatologists recommend this simple routine”.

Hygiene and emollient interventions for maintaining skin integrity in older people in hospital and residential care settings”.

Acne clinical guideline”.

Topical Acne Drug Products”.

Generalized Dermatitis in Clinical Practice.

Microencapsulated Benzoyl Peroxide for Rosacea in Context: A Review of the Current Treatment Landscape”.

Interventions for rosacea”.

Warning Letters Address Drug Claims Made for Products Marketed as Cosmetics”.

Skin anti-aging strategies”.

Are Some Cosmetics Promising Too Much?”.

Protecting the radiation-damaged skin from friction: a mini review”.

Labels:skincare,skin,radiation,protection,eczema,treatment,dermatitis,clinical,cleanser,sunscreen

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

The Surprising Link Between Sleep Disturbance and Atopic Dermatitis (AD)

Verywell Mind / Getty Images

If you have atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as eczema, then you know the struggle: You climb into bed ready to catch some zzz’s, but can’t sleep because of the intense, relentless itching. Thanks to my current flareup (courtesy of the dry, cold weather), symptoms that are usually just minor irritations during the day have suddenly become hard to ignore at night. It’s an exhausting, frustrating cycle……..Continue reading….

By : Kendra Cherry, MSEd

Source: Very Well Mind

Critics:

Symptoms refer to the sensations that people with AD feel, whereas signs refer to a description of the visible changes that result from AD.The main symptom of AD is itching which can be intense. Some people experience burning, soreness, or pain. People with AD often have generally dry skin that can look greyish in people with darker skin tones of colour. Areas of AD are not well-defined, and they are typically inflamed (red in a light coloured skin or purple or dark brown in people with dark skin of colour). Surface changes include:

scaling cracking (skin fissures)
swelling (oedema)
scratch marks (excoriation)
bumpiness (papulation)
oozing of clear fluid
thickening of the skin (lichenification) where the AD has been present for a long time.

Eczema often starts on the cheeks and outer limbs and body in infants and frequently settles in the folds of the skin, such as behind the knees, folds of the elbows, around the neck, wrists, and under the buttock folds as the child grows. Any part of the body can be affected by AD. Atopic dermatitis commonly affects the eyelids, where an extra prominent crease can form under the eyelid due to skin swelling known as Dennie-Morgan infraorbital folds.

Cracks can form under the ears, which can be painful (infra-auricular fissure). The inflammation from AD often leaves “footprints” known as postinflammatory pigmentation that can be lighter than the normal skin or darker. These marks are not scars and eventually go back to normal over months, provided the underlying AD is treated effectively.

People with AD often have dry and scaly skin that spans the entire body, except perhaps the diaper area, and intensely itchy red, splotchy, raised lesions to form in the bends of the arms or legs, face, and neck. Genes that may contribute to AD are mainly those responsible for immune response (e.g., TH2 cytokine and JAK-STAT pathway genes) and skin barrier (e.g., filaggrin, claudin-1, loricrin).

Immune response: Many people with AD have a family history or a personal history of atopy. Atopy is a term used to describe individuals who produce substantial amounts of IgE. Such individuals have an increased tendency to develop asthma, hay fever, eczema, urticaria and allergic rhinitis. Up to 80% of people with atopic dermatitis have elevated total or allergen-specific IgE levels.

Skin barrier: About 30% of people with AD have mutations in the gene for the production of filaggrin (FLG), which increases the risk for early onset of atopic dermatitis and developing asthma. However, expression of filaggrin protein or breakdown products offer no predictive utility in atopic dermatitis risk. People with atopic dermatitis also have decreased expression of tight junction protein Claudin-1, which deteriorates the bioelectric barrier function in the epidermis.

According to the hygiene hypothesis, early childhood exposure to certain microorganisms (such as gut flora and helminth parasites) protects against allergic diseases by contributing to the development of the immune system. This exposure is limited in a modern “sanitary” environment, and the incorrectly developed immune system is prone to develop allergies to harmless substances. Some support exists for this hypothesis with respect to AD. Those exposed to dogs while growing up have a lower risk of atopic dermatitis.

Also, epidemiological studies support a protective role for helminths against AD. Likewise, children with poor hygiene are at a lower risk for developing AD, as are children who drink unpasteurized milk. In a small percentage of cases, atopic dermatitis is caused by sensitization to foods such as milk, but there is growing consensus that food allergy most likely arises as a result of skin barrier dysfunction resulting from AD, rather than food allergy causing the skin problems.

Atopic dermatitis sometimes appears associated with coeliac disease and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. Because a gluten-free diet (GFD) improves symptoms in these cases, gluten seems to be the cause of AD in these cases. A diet high in fruits seems to have a protective effect against AD, whereas the opposite seems true for heavily processed foods. Exposure to allergens, either from food or the environment, can exacerbate existing atopic dermatitis. Exposure to dust mites, for example, is believed to contribute to the risk of developing AD.

The prevalence of atopic dermatitis in children may be linked to the level of calcium carbonate or “hardness” of household drinking water. Living in areas with hard water may also play a part in the development of AD in early life. However, when AD is already established, using water softeners at home does not reduce the severity of the symptoms. Colonization of the skin by the bacterium S. aureus is prevalent in those with atopic dermatitis.

Abnormalities in the skin barrier of persons with AD are exploited by S. aureus to trigger cytokine expression, thus aggravating the condition. However, atopic dermatitis is non-communicable and therefore could not be directly caused by a highly infectious organism. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence for the effectiveness of anti-staphylococcal treatments for treating S. aureus in infected or uninfected eczema.

The role of S. aureus in skin irritation occurs via inflammation factors that induce itching, which may damage the skin, further driving inflammation, and facilitating the growth of S. aureus, thus promoting a chronic cycle. There are no established clinical methods using dietary or topical strategies to inhibit or prevent atopic dermatitis. Specific dietary plans during pregnancy and in early childhood, such as eating fatty fish (or taking omega-3 supplements), are not effective.

Taking probiotics (for example Lactobacillus rhamnosus) during pregnancy and feeding probiotics to infants are strategies under research, with only preliminary evidence that they may be preventative. Using moisturizers daily in infants during the first year of life does not help to prevent atopic dermatitis, and might even increase the risk of skin infections. No cure for AD is known, although treatments may reduce the severity and frequency of flares.

The most commonly used topical treatments for AD are topical corticosteroids (to get control of flare-ups) and moisturisers (emollients) to help keep control. Clinical trials often measure the efficacy of treatments with a severity scale such as the SCORAD index or the Eczema Area and Severity Index. Daily basic care stabilizes the barrier function of the skin to mitigate its sensitivity to irritation and penetration of allergens.

Affected persons often report that improvement in skin hydration parallels improvement in AD symptoms. Moisturisers (or emollients) can improve skin comfort and may reduce disease flares. They can be used as leave-on treatments, bath additives, or soap substitutes. There are many different products, but the majority of leave-on treatments (least to most greasy) are lotions, creams, gels or ointments.

All of the different types of moisturisers are equally effective, so people need to choose one or more products based on what suits them, according to their age, body site affected, climate/season, and personal preference. Non-medicated prescription moisturisers may also be no more effective than over-the-counter moisturisers. The use of emollient bath additives does not provide any additional benefits. Creams and ointments containing corticosteroids applied directly on skin (topical) are effective in managing atopic dermatitis.

Newer (second generation) corticosteroids, such as fluticasone propionate and mometasone furoate, are more effective and safer than older ones. Strong and moderate corticosteroids are more effective than weaker ones. They are also generally safe and do not cause skin thinning when used intermittently to treat AD flare-ups. They are also safe when used twice a week for preventing flares (also known as weekend treatment).

Applying once daily is as effective as twice or more daily application. In addition to topical corticosteroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, such as tacrolimus or pimecrolimus, are also recommended as first-line therapies for managing atopic dermatitis. Both tacrolimus and pimecrolimus are effective and safe to use in AD. Crisaborole, an inhibitor of PDE-4, is also effective and safe as a topical treatment for mild-to-moderate AD. Ruxolitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, has uncertain efficacy and safety.

Epidemiology of atopic dermatitis”.

Handout on Health: Atopic Dermatitis (A type of eczema)”.

Atopic dermatitis: skin-directed management”.

Atopic dermatitis: natural history, diagnosis, and treatment”.

Revised nomenclature for allergy for global use: Report of the Nomenclature Review Committee of the World Allergy Organization, October 2003″.

Atopic Dermatitis”.

Evidence-Based Dermatology.

Topical calcineurin inhibitors for atopic dermatitis: review and treatment recommendations”.

Atopic dermatitis in diverse racial and ethnic groups-Variations in epidemiology, genetics, clinical presentation and treatment”.

Skin pigmentation and eczema”.

Atopic dermatitis: an overview”

Atopic Dermatitis”.