What is the Best Eczema Skin Care Routine?
Eczema is a common skin disease that causes itchy, dry and red skin. This means that the skin barrier - the outer layer of the skin that protects the sub-layers and body from infection - is exposed to irritants, allergens and bacteria.
Eczema can be quite a distressing skin condition, particularly if it appears on noticeable areas of the body like the hands and face, and can greatly impact confidence and self-esteem.
It is paramount to select the best eczema routine to calm, soothe and hydrate the itchy, dry skin and inflammation that eczema causes.
Here we share some of the advice we give to our patients, though we do recommend you schedule an appointment with one of our recommended dermatologists to find the best eczema skin care products suited to your skin type and the severity of your eczema.
If you have mild eczema, you can try our suggestions below for an eczema skincare routine, to see whether you can control eczema naturally.
What is the Best Skin Care Routine for Eczema?
It is essential to follow your doctor’s recommendations for eczema creams or eczema ointments to treat your condition. If they do not give you a medicated eczema cleanser or eczema moisturizer, here are our suggestions.
Using our skin typing system, it is much easier to narrow down the perfect choices of products for your specific Baumann Skin Type.
If you buy products that are designed for a different skin type than your own, you might be putting your skin health at risk. For that reason, there are many best skin care routines for eczema, but none of them are right for every single skin type.
Which Eczema Cream Should I Use on my Face?
Our favorite eczema cream for the face is Zerafite Barrier Repair Moisturizer, which provides a natural way to soothe skin. It is particularly effective for eczema that causes dry skin and scaling.
Zerafite Barrier Repair Moisturizer is formulated with argan oil, which is moisturizing and soothing, as well as effective at fighting infection and healing wounds; macadamia nut oil, an anti-inflammatory that repairs skin cells and prevents dryness; and MLE Technology.
MLE Technology is a sophisticated blend of soothing and hydrating lipids, which strengthens the skin barrier and replaces the lost lipids that eczema causes.
The loss of lipids in the stratum corneum (the outer layer of the skin) can increase water loss from within the skin by up to 75-times that of non-eczematous skin. Therefore, restoration of these lost lipids is an essential step to reduce the dry skin seen in eczema.
Skinceuticals Triple Lipid restore is infused with essential lipids to restore the natural elasticity and moisture content of the skin. These lipids include ceramides, natural cholesterol and fatty acids.
In addition, vitamin E and essential oils provide the benefit of antioxidants to support cell repair and reproduction, and added moisturization.
What Eczema Cream Should I Use on my Body?
Choosing an eczema cream for the body requires careful consideration, and it’s imperative to opt for a fragrance-free body lotion or cream to reduce the potential of further irritating the skin.
Zerafite Ultra Rich Body Cream is an unscented skin barrier cream that is ideal for use on the body, particularly as it will not stain clothing. Like Zerafite Barrier Repair Moisturizer, Zerafite Ultra Rich Body Cream contains a group of fats that naturally mimic the skin’s natural barrier, called Myristoyl/palmitoyl oxostearamide/arachamide MEA. These fats soothe the inflamed skin caused by eczema and keep it hydrated.
Zerafite Ultra Rich Body Cream also contains glycerin to moisturize, heal and protect the skin; stearic acid to protect the skin’s surface against water loss; and argan oil. It is a very safe body lotion that is highly effective for eczema.
Another eczema cream for the body Avene XeraCalm A.D Lipid Replenishing Balm, perfect for dry, sensitive skin. This eczema cream is also fragrance-free, paraben-free and preservative-free. It contains evening primrose oil, which naturally contains gamma-linolenic acid (commonly used in eczema and psoriasis treatments) to soothe the skin, and glycerin to moisturize, heal and protect.
Finally, La Roche Posay Lipikar Balm, endorsed by the National Eczema Association, is a safe body lotion that is particularly beneficial as a skin barrier cream for the hands. It contains shea butter, which has high concentrations of essential fatty acids and vitamins, which provide anti-inflammatory and healing properties.
Shea butter is also an excellent source of stearic acid, which is essential to repair the skin barrier. La Roche Posay Lipikar Balm also contains hydrating glycerin and calming niacinamide (vitamin B3).
What’s the Best Eczema Cream for my Children?
Eczema in children usually appears between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, and getting them to stop scratching at their itchy skin can be a nightmare for parents. As childrens’ skin is much more delicate than an adult’s, it is more sensitive to irritation; therefore, it is essential to select a safe body lotion for your child’s eczema that is fragrance-free.
In our opinion, Zerafite Ultra Rich Body Cream is really the only option. It is a safe, unscented body cream that will protect and repair the skin’s natural barrier. It is suitable for even the most sensitive skin, and its natural ingredients of glycerin, stearic acid, argan oil and Myristoyl/palmitoyl oxostearamide/arachamide MEA are perfect for your child’s delicate skin to keep it hydrated and reduce inflammation.
What’s the Best Eczema Cream For my Baby?
It is important to treat eczema in babies as soon as possible because it can reduce their risk of developing asthma and allergies later in life. You should never use soap or a foaming cleanser when you bathe a baby but use a creamy cleanser instead, such as Zerafite Creamy Cleanser or VMV Hypoallergenic creamy cleanser, both of which are gentle enough for your baby’s skin.
It is essential to always use fragrance-free eczema creams for your baby, to avoid further irritation to their delicate skin.
In Summary
I hope you found my advice on caring for your eczema useful. You can also browse our skin care blog library. Let us know if you have any unanswered questions.
Once you know you Baumann Skin Type you will receive educational emails about your skin.
Dr. Leslie Baumann MD, FAAD
Does baby oil make eczema worse?
Baby oil, also called mineral oil, is a good occlusive ingredient. It can be used to help keep atopic skin hydrated but it is not as good for eczema as a barrier repair moisturizer because it does not have ceramides and cholesterol. It most likely will not make eczema worse.
Does glycerin make eczema worse?
Glycerin is a humectant which pulls water into itself. In a dry climate glycerin can make eczema worse by pulling water out of the skin. =If you want to use glycerin for eczema combine is with an occlusive moisturizer.
Best References and Scientific Publications on Eczema Skin Care Routines
- Baumann L. Moisturizers in Ch. 43 of Baumann's Cosmetic Dermatology Ed 3. (McGraw Hill 2022)
- Baumann, L. Ch. 7 Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw Hill 2015)
- Kerscher, M., & Williams, S. (2006). Skin Care in Atopic Eczema. In Handbook of Atopic Eczema (pp. 524-533). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
- Eyerich, K., & Ring, J. (2023). General Management of Patients with Atopic Eczema. In Atopic Dermatitis-Eczema: Clinics, Pathophysiology and Therapy (pp. 117-141). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
- Goh, C. L., Wu, Y., Welsh, B., Abad‐Casintahan, M. F., Tseng, C. J., Sharad, J., ... & Chan, H. N. K. (2023). Expert consensus on holistic skin care routine: Focus on acne, rosacea, atopic dermatitis, and sensitive skin syndrome. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 22(1), 45-54.
- Magnolo, N., Jaenicke, T., Tsianakas, A., Czech, W., Thaçi, D., Pinter, A., ... & Luger, T. A. (2023). Comparison of different skin care regimens in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis receiving systemic treatment: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
