Eczema: What can I do?

Eczema or atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with symptoms such as:

·         itching

·         dryness

·         red and scaly skin.

Eczema happens when your skin’s natural barrier against the elements is weakened. This means your skin is less able to protect you against irritants and allergens. When triggered by a substance inside or outside the body, your immune system reacts by producing inflammation.

Eczema is likely caused by a combination of your genes and triggers in the environment. This is why symptoms may vary from patient to patient.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body. It is an airtight and watertight barrier between the outside world and our body, and helps to regulate temperature, protect us from the sun’s rays and lock in moisture. It also allows us to feel sensations such as warmth, cold, pressure or pain. 

Most importantly, our skin creates a physical, chemical and biological barrier, protecting us from germs and toxic substances in the environment.

Healthy skin is maintained by a complex interaction of chemicals produced by the skin cells such as lipids, ceramides and proteins. These chemicals form a barrier in the outer layer of our skin, or epidermis.

What happens when our skin barrier is compromised?

When the skin barrier is compromised, some of the functions of our skin are also compromised. For example, when the skin’s moisture barrier cannot keep in water, our skin can become dry and scaly. Importantly, losing the skin’s physical barrier allows foreign substances and environmental elements to enter our body. Because our immune system is programmed to recognise and react to anything foreign, it creates inflammation to alert the body that an “intruder” is present.

 Inflammation occurs when our immune cells release substances that send other immune cells to the site where the “intruder” has been detected. These substances increase blood flow and blood vessel permeability, which explains why eczema lesions are red and inflamed.

Our skin also has many nerve endings that detect sensations such as pain. When these receptors become stimulated by local inflammation, our brain interprets this as itching. This explains why skin affected by eczema is itchy and irritated.

Left: Normal skin with an intact skin barrier integrity protecting our body from the environment. Right: In Eczema, the barrier function is compromised, allowing the entry of irritants causing local inflammation.

Left to right: Day 0 to Day 5 shows the healing effect of NERINE Moisturiser for Eczema, with a visible reduction of the Eczema and the healing taking place.

The cycle of eczema

The cycle of eczema can start with a small rupture in our skin barrier. This allows bacteria, irritants or allergens to enter. Our skin then flares up, which triggers an itch-scratch cycle. The scratching ruptures the skin even more, which means that more allergens can enter, resulting in more irritation and more itching—and so the vicious cycle continues.

Current eczema treatments

Eczema treatment can start with preventative measures to minimise the initial flare-up. The most important thing to do is to identify your triggering factors and avoid these. Eczema triggers could be:

·         weather (cold or hot air)

·         seasons (pollen in the air)

·         certain foods

·         fragrances

·         certain fabrics such as wool or polyester.

To minimise the effects of environmental factors that we can’t control, such as a particular season, you can support your skin barrier by regularly applying hydrating creams to maintain moisture.

Keep your fingernails trimmed to help with involuntary scratching. For babies, you can also use gloves at night to minimise scratching.

There is no specific treatment for eczema, and each treatment is associated with the severity of the condition.

Mild eczema is generally managed with preventive measures and skin moisturisers.

Moderate to severe eczema is commonly treated with topical immunosuppressors such as corticosteroids and tacrolimus ointment.

More recently, antibodies (such Dupilumab) have been used to block one of the pathways in allergic reactions. This treatment has shown good results in severe cases.

Limitations of current treatments

One of the significant limitations of all the current treatments is that they control only one of the factors involved in eczema. This means that the effect of these treatments is limited.

Eczema is caused by a complex interaction of factors and, addressing only one of these factors will not control to condition effectively.

This is why we have created a formulation that treats all the factors that cause eczema, providing fast and lasting eczema relief.

NERINE Moisturiser for Eczema

NERINE Moisturiser for Eczema creates a barrier, which helps to prevent eczema flare-ups. It also hydrates your skin, minimising irritation and increasing the elasticity of your skin.

A unique feature of NERINE Moisturiser for Eczema is that it stops the itching sensation. The cream provides fast relief and minimises the risk of further damage to your skin.

NERINE Moisturiser for Eczema is made of natural ingredients with proven anti-inflammatory properties. These ingredients reduce skin inflammation and swelling to minimise the itching sensation.

Finally, NERINE Moisturiser for Eczema promotes skin healing, restoring its natural dermal barrier.

NERINE Moisturiser for Eczema is safe for use on all skin types and is compatible with all other creams or treatments.