YouTube video

Exploring Eczema webinars: Emollients – 21 October 2024

In this National Eczema Society webinar we look at the use of emollients when it comes to the treatment and self-management of eczema, including what emollients are, how they work, and figuring out the most effective emollient for you.

The webinar is presented by Julie Van Onselen, Dermatology Nurse Advisor to the National Eczema Society. This is the second in a series of seven topics that will be discussed within our Exploring Eczema webinar series to help people better understand how to manage their eczema. This information is intended for people living in the UK and reflects UK medical guidelines.

Click to learn more information about emollients.

If you have any questions, or suggestions for future webinar topics, please contact emartin@eczema.org.

Questions

If you get a bad reaction after the first few times using a new emollient, should you stop using it immediately or is there a recommended time to use them before moving onto another?

Emollients are very individual, what suits one doesn’t suit another. This can be an irritancy or rarely a contact allergy. Move onto something else after a few days. Unless your eczema is flaring, then continue as it may be the flare affecting your skin and not the emollient. Try all new emollients when your skin is in a calm period, ideally.

Emollients are expensive, am I able to get samples from anywhere?

You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist as they may sometimes have samples they can give you to try.

Recommendations for shampoo, would emollients be as effective at cleaning your hair as a normal shampoo?

Some brands have created their own shampoos you can use, but this is quite rare. Lotion forms of emollients work well for shampoos, however they can leave your hair slightly greasy feeling afterwards. If you haven’t got scalp eczema, you don’t need to avoid using shampoo. Instead wash your hair separately to the rest of your body, e.g. over the side of the bath, to avoid the shampoo having contact with areas of eczema on your body. If you have hand eczema, try using a pair of gloves or ask a loved-one to help you.

Are the ‘dream creams’ you see online worth using?

You don’t know what the regulation of these products are, therefore there is no quality control or regulation with these products. These products may not be safe for you to use, and could possibly make your eczema worse. You need to make sure they don’t include fragrance or other ingredients that could cause irritation. Some have been known to contain hidden steroids, which if paired with your current treatment plan, can cause an excess use of steroids on your skin, which is to be avoided. There’s a big enough range of pre-approved medical emollients to use that are safe for your skin, I would recommend you use those instead. However, the choice is ultimately down to you, if you can obtain an ingredients list, feel confident in the product and would like to try it, then the choice in how you manage your eczema is down to you.