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The importance of maintaining a good skincare routine in your day-to-day life cannot be stressed enough. Skin drying out is the main cause of many skin related health problems such as eczema and dermatitis. Treatment starts from within and works its way out. Ensuring you keep your body well hydrated by drinking plenty of water (aiming for at least 2 litres) daily is the first step. Avoiding excessive exposure to the sun and sunscreens should be considered at all times when outdoors, even in the winter.

A daily skincare routine involving the use of regular emollients, lotions and moisturisers is recommended by all healthcare professions. Skin emollient preparations, such as creams or ointments, should be applied after every bath or shower whilst the skin is still moist. You should also avoid over drying your skin with a towel. Heavily perfumed soaps and bathing products can exacerbate skin problems and should be avoided if possible.

One of the most effective ways to manage flare-ups of skin conditions such as eczema, is to have a solid skincare routine which uses regular emollients. Daily use of products such as moisturisers help to maintain, repair and rehydrate your skin reducing the likelihood of your skin condition flaring up.

The difference between creams, ointments, gels and lotions is usually a result of the oil to water ratio. Ointments tend to be the most oil heavy and can be smooth and thick in consistency. creams are more water based compared with ointments and their consistency will be thinner and more easily absorbed. You may decide to use a cream if you have quite oily skin or an ointment if your skin is extremely dry.

As the water content increases you may end up with a gel or lotion. Gels are usually presented in a semi solid state and lotions have a consistency similar to a thick liquid suspension. In general, all emollients are applied generously onto the affected skin and can be applied multiple times throughout the day.

The skin’s main function is to act as a physical barrier between the patient and the external environment. Dry skin conditions such as eczema disrupt this function and result in the patient becoming more vulnerable to skin tears and trauma.

Skin conditions such as psoriasis are caused by the body over producing skin cells. These cells pack on top of each other resulting in the skin thickening and producing a scale like appearance. As a consequence of skin conditions like psoriasis, the patient can experience extreme itching. Scratching presents bacterial cells and fungal spores with an opportunity to invade the skin, resulting in flare-ups becoming infected.

Natural ageing and external factors such as colder weather can result in the loss of moisture from the skin. Dehydrated skin can be itchy and look uneven, pale and dry in appearance. The most important step to prevent this happening, is to employ a robust skincare routine involving the use of regular emollient preparations and barrier creams.