Where to begin??
This page by the brand DermaZen is a good place to start.
Efficient healing requires a combination of:
- Adding things to build yourself up
- Eliminating things that are breaking you down
BUILDING UP
- There is a lot of evidence that supports vitamin D supplementation.
- It is possible to overdose on vitamin D. Recommended supplementation right now is 600 IU per day, and up to 2000 IU is considered safe.
- Sunshine 🙂 [In Defense of Sunlight by Rowan Jacobson overviews the benefits of sun exposure]
- Strengthen your microbiome. Try a basic probiotic. This book outlines the basics of gut health [pdf link] written by Drs. Justin Sonnenberg and Erica Sonnenberg
- Some have found that applying the probiotic topically can help, see this postand this post; Defensinis another option for topical probiotic
- This is a list of anecdotes of other supplements that people have tried
- If you are in a dry climate, I highly recommend trying a humidifier
- Being mentally strong & reducing stress is critical
CLEARING POTENTIAL INFECTIONS
- Eczema affected skin is compromised and therefore vulnerable to being colonized by “bad” microorganisms. This is summarized at this website here and also here
- To heal, you absolutely must ensure that these are kept in check. I strongly suggest trying a hypochlorous acid product like SkinSmart
- zinc oxide creams can also help keep microorganisms in check; recommended brands are Sudocrem & Medline Remedy Essentials
- If you have an overwhelming case, review the NJoose protocol here
- please note: the post recommends the effective use of hibiclens antibacterial soap, which I have used for short periods of time (~2-3 days) for stubborn eczema. HOWEVER: bacteria can develop a resistance to hibiclens, so I recommend not using it more than necessary
- Some people have found that their eczema is infected with fungal pathogens. This is true in the case of seborrheic dermatitis, which is caused by malassezia yeast. This is a good article to read See my post about SebDerm here.
ELIMINATING TRIGGERS
- Triggers can be either environmental or food
- This PAGE summarizes relevant r/eczema stories. I highly recommend looking at this summary of strategies that people have used to identify what is triggering their eczema
- Switching to hypoallergenic products is critical if you’re just starting out, especially soaps and detergents, including all laundry and hygiene products.
- consider switching to aleppo soap
- Vanicream is good for deodorant, shave cream, & shampoo
- switch to a laundry detergent cleared by the national eczema association & DO NOT USE DRYER SHEETS
- Some people have a lot of success identifying food triggers via elimination diets. This guide is excellent, especially page 16
- Using an air purifier is an excellent way to reduce environmental allergens
- Shower head filter is worth considering as well
MOISTURIZING
- Trying different topical products to find one that works for you is another potentially helpful strategy
- The list of products I’ve learned about is here
- Some people have reported that specifically using low pH products helps, such as SebaMed
- Note that some products contain colloidal oatmeal which can be a trigger for some
- Other product recs from reddit users are here