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Best Ways Of Using Moisturizer For Eczema
Moisturizers are an integral part of managing eczema.
A pregnancy-safe moisturizer is your best friend for caring for eczematous skin and should never be missed!
Here is how to best use them:
The best kind of moisturizer for eczema are the kind that feels greasy– ointments followed by creams. This makes petroleum jelly an excellent choice for eczematous skin, and yes, it is pregnancy safe. Just make sure it is white or refined petroleum.
If petroleum jelly is not for you, there are other good options like oats, shea butter, vitamin E, niacinamide, or glycerin.
The best time to use a moisturizer is immediately after a bath or handwashing, which can be drying due to the soap or use of hot water.
There is no set number of times you should moisturize. Apply it at least once a day, generously, and repeat whenever the skin feels dry or itchy.
Never use moisturizers with fragrance, as this can be a major source of skin irritation and worsen your eczema.
Before using a new product, do a patch test with a pea-sized portion of a new product on a small and discrete area of normal skin, like the wrist, to rule out any allergic reaction (redness, itchiness, hives, etc)
Read the product label carefully to rule out the presence of any chemical or ingredient that you are allergic to.
Always consult your treating doctor for product recommendations.
How has this list been put together?
A lot went into curating this list of steroid-free pregnancy-safe moisturizers for eczema. Inclusion of some ingredients (eg, propylene glycol) may surprise you, but there are a lot of fish in the sea, and you should pick the ones that you are comfortable with.
There is no fragrance (natural or artificial) in any of the recommended products, as they can irritate and worsen the eczema.
Every product in this list bears the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance (NEA Accepted), which filters out products with chemicals that may not be suitable for eczema-prone skin. That said, a product without this seal is not necessarily unsuitable, but people have a strong preference for such products, and thus, the list is based on that.
Here is the link to the database of all such products:
National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance
Some of the products contain propylene glycol, which is safe to use in cosmetic formulations during pregnancy. It serves both as a preservative and a moisturizing agent by retaining water. Many do not prefer to have it in their product; thus, if it is there, I have made a note of that.
Petrolatum or petroleum jelly is a very effective moisturizer for dry and eczematous skin, as it creates a protective barrier that prevents moisture loss. It is also pregnancy safe- just make sure you use refined or white petroleum jelly that is free of impurities and thus, safe to use.
This list has both products with and without petrolatum to cater to all preferences.
As always, all my pregnancy recommendations (at the time of writing) are free of:
Parabens
Phthalates
Triclosan
Benzophenone 3 (also known as oxybenzone)
All of the above four are endocrine disruptors. They interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system and the reproductive and other biological processes that it regulates.
Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers
These have been linked to cancer and are also known skin irritants.
*Always consult your treating doctor before starting any beauty regimen. They are the best people to guide you based on your needs and medical history.
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