When A Moisturizer For Sensitive Skin Isnt Enough
Whether you feel an over-the-counter moisturizer for sensitive skin isnt helping , dont waste any more time trying to self-diagnose a sensitive skin condition make an appointment with a dermatologist or your primary care provider. Theyll likely provide you with a prescription cream or help steer you in the right direction of OTC formulas that are best for you.
Some questions you should be prepared for include:
- Where on your face and/or body are you experiencing skin sensitivity?
- How long have you noticed youve had sensitive skin?
- Do any of your close relatives have sensitive skin or a notable skin condition?
- What makes your sensitive skin better if anything?
- Is your skin extra-sensitive to the sun?
- Is your skin prone to rashes and bumps?
- Do you have broken capillaries on your nose and cheeks?
- What makes it worse?
- Do you have sensitive skin to touch?
- Is your skin affected by the climate indoors and outdoors?
- What skincare, cosmetics, fragrance, and laundry detergents do you use?
How To Use A Moisturizer
Itâll work best if you apply it after a bath or shower. Use lukewarm — not hot — water. Bathe for just about 10 minutes.
Pat your skin dry. Leave it slightly damp. That way you donât remove all the moisture you got from bathing.
Apply moisturizer within 3 minutes after you get out of the water. Wait longer and your skin will start to dry out.
Soften the moisturizer by rubbing it between your hands. Use your palms to smear a thick layer all over your skin. Apply it gently in simple downward strokes. Try not to rub it in circles or up and down.
It may feel sticky at first, but that’s OK. Don’t try to take off the extra. Your skin will absorb it.
Each time your wash your hands or get them wet, moisturize them, too. Keep moisturizer by each sink in the house so you don’t forget.
If you use a prescription skin medicine, put it on before you moisturize.
Moisturize Multiple Times Per Day
After properly prepping your skin for moisture with the right cleanser, choose a moisturizer that will lock in hydration, soothe flare-ups, and help prevent future problems. Ideally, youll use a moisturizing product thats light enough for day use too. We like Blu Atlas because its all-natural, lightweight, and loaded with hydrating ingredients.
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Aveeno Eczema Therapy Itch Relief Balm
Aveeno is a well-known name in eczema relief products, and this itch relief balm formulated for eczema is an excellent treatment for irritated skin. Its dermatologist-recommended and accepted by the National Eczema Association to provide instant relief for itching and irritation on eczema-prone skin.
This balm uses Aveenos signature ingredient, colloidal oatmeal, to soothe skin and protect the top layer. It goes on light and is safe for daily use, even for children. Its also free of fragrances and hypoallergenic, so you dont have to worry about irritating sensitive skin.
Plus, if you use it daily, it helps lock in moisture to prevent future flare-ups. It can also fade scars and spots that eczema patches have left behind.
How We Chose The Best Moisturizers For Sensitive Skin
To choose the best moisturizers for sensitive skin, we looked at products formulated specifically for sensitive skin, analyzed product labels for irritating ingredients, and read user reviews to understand how these products worked for people with sensitive skin. We also searched for products that had been recommended by dermatologists specifically for people with sensitive skin.
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Lotions Creams And Ointments
There are three types of moisturizers: lotions, creams, and ointments. Theyâre classified by the amount of oil and water in them. The more oil they contain, the better they are for eczema.
Ointments have the most oil. Theyâre usually the best choice to treat eczema. They won’t burn when you apply them to your skin. They help it hold on to moisture.
Some people like to use them overnight. This gives your skin time to absorb them fully. Petroleum jelly and mineral oil are examples.
Creams are a good choice if you don’t like the greasy feel of an ointment. They have the second highest amount of oil. They can also seal in moisture.
Be sure to read labels carefully. Creams often contain additives that can irritate your skin or cause allergic reactions in some people.
Lotions are mostly made of water and have the lowest amount of oil. They don’t usually work well for people with eczema. They evaporate quickly and may have ingredients that bother your skin.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
Elizabeth Ardens Eight Hour Cream has helped millions improve their skin. In just a few hours, you can boost your skins protective barrier, repairing, lifting, and hydrating your skin. Its not necessarily an eczema treatment, but those who deal with eczema on their faces can benefit from its fantastic hydration.
The Eight Hour Cream is more of a night treatment because its a little heavier and has a slightly sticky residue. It offers deep-seated protection while you sleep and can help soften eczema patches overnight.
You can choose a scented or fragrance-free option. Most with sensitive, eczema-prone skin will do best with the fragrance-free kind.
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What To Look For In A Moisturizer For Sensitive Skin
When shopping for the best moisturizer for sensitive skin, look for a formula thats both hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic and, if possible, contains ten or fewer ingredients to lessen the risk of reacting.
Avoid ingredients like phthalates, fragrances, and alcohol, which may cause irritation or even a bad skin reaction. Its necessary to note how important it is for moisturizers for sensitive skin to be free of any fragrances, which often contain harsh ingredients that can act as irritants. Whats more, beauty companies are allowed to keep their fragrance ingredients a secret thanks to an industry loophole. Some of the best ingredients for a sensitive skin lotion or cream include:
- Hyaluronic Acid: Moisturizing
- Squalane: Anti-inflammatory
Reserveage Nutrition Hydrating Hand & Foot Cream $4318
According to Dr. Libby, ReserveAges hand cream is a rich, luxurious cream that absorbs in quickly to moisturize skin with humectants like glycerin and repair the skin barrier with copper-encapsulated peptide technology. Not to mention, its a collagen booster and comes in the loveliest pink packaging weve seen.
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Beautystat Cosmetics Universal Moisture Boost Cream
This lightweight product is suitable for all skin types. It is fragrance-free, cruelty-free, and dermatologist-tested.
The ingredients include hyaluronic acid, ceramides, pomegranate sterols, ganoderma, and bifida extract. These ingredients help provide all-day hydration and protect and repair the skin, the company says.
A 1-oz pot of BeautyStat Cosmetics Universal Moisture Boost Cream is available online for $50.
What Causes Eczema On Your Face
There are different types of eczema, according to the National Eczema Foundation, including ones you might find on your face:
- Atopic dermatitis may show up on the cheeks and come along with asthma and/or hay fever
- Contact dermatitis is associated with a specific allergen, like a harsh detergent or fragrance your body doesnt like
- Seborrheic dermatitis is common on the nose and scalp and linked to a yeast
Experts arent 100 percent sure what causes eczema at its root, but it likely starts with a genetic predisposition and is then triggered by things like cold weather, hot showers, bacteria, stress, yeast, and hormonal changes .
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What Ingredients Are Best To Help Treat Eczema
Eczema is a clinical dysfunction of the skin barrier, Dr. Libby notes. As such, genetic, environmental, and immunologic factors contribute to its flare-up, but its a priority to repair the skin barrier. Namely, ingredients to help reverse eczematic effects are humectants, emollients and occlusive moisturizers.
According to Dr. Libby, humectants help add moisture back to the skin, while emollients add back oils, lubricating and softening the skin. Occlusive moisturizers work to prevent transepidermal water loss .
Common humectants are glycerin, lactic acid, urea and hyaluronic acid, Dr. Libby adds. Emollients examples are glycol and glyceryl stearate, soy sterols, squalane, and oils like jojoba, sweet almond, etc. Common occlusives are petrolatum, dimethicone, shea butter and mineral oil.
Other Ingredients To Soothe Eczema
Research continues to evolve to identify the best ingredients for treating eczema. Dr. Anthony shares two ingredients that have been found to be particularly soothing.
- Licorice root: Studies show that glycyrrhizin, a compound in licorice root, has anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe skin with eczema. And Dr. Anthony says its unlikely to cause allergies.
- Colloidal oatmeal: Made of finely milled oat kernels, this ingredient has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that make it a good choice for people with eczema.
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Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
Recommended by Dr. Elias, this multipurpose primer conceals redness even rosacea to even skin tone, while minimizing the look of visible pores, fine lines, and imperfections. This oil-free formula also delivers broad-spectrum SPF 15 sun protection with mineral-derived sunscreens, Titanium and Zinc Oxide.
On the companys website, this product costs between $19 to $75 depending on the size, which includes an 8.95ML travel size for $19 a 30ML bottle for $54 and a 60ML jumbo size for $75. Comparatively, the prices are the same at Sephora, where it received 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 5,644 customer reviews.
Choosing Moisturizers For Eczema
With a dizzying array of moisturizers available without a prescription, it is easy to get confused about what is best for people with eczema. MyEczemaTeam members frequently share recommendations for products they find helpful:
- I found that Cetaphil lotion worked better than the 2.5 percent cortisone or Arnicare!
- Skin is still dry, but by applying Aveeno, my skin is more supple.
- I found Avene AD good.
- Bought myself some La Roche-Posay for eyes and pure vitamin C essential oil. I must say after two days, my eyes look so much better.
The National Eczema Association has created a Seal of Acceptance, which appears on some packaging and indicates that a product does not contain harmful ingredients for people with eczema. You can consult their directory of products that have been awarded the seal. Be aware that the seal is given only if a company applies for it, and some products may be effective even without the seal.
Always avoid ingredients, including fragrances and dyes, that can cause allergic reactions. In general, thicker and more emollient creams and ointments are better, but it needs to be a formulation that you can use often. For dry skin on the face, look for a moisturizer that is noncomedogenic, meaning it will not clog pores and cause acne.
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Look For Sensitive Skin
When reading labels, check for the words noncomedogenic and hypoallergenic, as these terms denote products that are generally safer for sensitive skin.
Noncomedogenic means that the product is oil-free but wont strip your skin of moisture. Hypoallergenic means that the product typically doesnt cause allergic reactions. Its important to note, however, that the Food and Drug Administration doesnt require cosmetic manufacturers to provide hard data to prove any products claims.
Beekman 1802 Pure Goat Milk Body Soap And Body Cream
- Price: $$$
I discovered goat milk skin care products in late 2020, and Ive been a fan ever since. Beekman 1802 has a line of fragrance-free goat milk soaps and lotions, and Ive found it to be one of the few product lines that wont irritate my already sensitive skin when Im having a flare.
Goat milk has been used on sensitive skin for thousands of years, thanks to its high lactic acid content and pH thats identical to human skin. Its gently hydrating, attracting and retaining moisture while it serves up fatty acids and probiotics for calm, happy skin.
In the shower, the bar soap lathers nicely, cleans well, and leaves my skin feeling soft, not stripped.
Straight out of the shower, I use the whipped body cream on my damp skin. It takes a minute to absorb, but it doesnt leave me feeling sticky.
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Dry Itchy Skin You Might Be Taking Too Many Showersyour Browser Indicates If Youve Visited This Link
Its easy to assume that dry, irritated, itchy, and dull skin is just a result of the cold weather itself, but one expert notes that it could actually be excessive showering thats to blame. Dr Manuraf Singh of My Healthcare Clinic explains: Every time you wash your skin you are taking part of the epidermal barrier away.
Metro
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Skinfix Eczema+ Dermatitis Face Balm
While many listed eczema creams are for all-over protection, this one is made especially for your face. Because your face has thinner, more sensitive skin, it can be wise to choose a moisturizer thats made to benefit it.
It uses almond oil and colloidal oatmeal to temporarily soothe and relieve irritants. It also nourishes and protects.
Its also been tested by ophthalmologists to ensure its safe for use around the eyes. If you get any eczema patches under or around the eyes and on the eyelids.
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Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream Fragrance Free
Hands can be especially challenging to treat for eczema as theyre so often exposed to the elements and you need to wash them often throughout the course of a day. To help combat the damage, slather on a Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream every time after your hands come in contact with water. A small dab of this glycerin-rich formula goes a long way to soothe and protect your hands instantly. Its fragrance and dye free, and has the NEA Seal of Acceptance.
Say No To Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Once a common ingredient in aqueous creams, SLS is now thought to worsen eczema by causing stinging, itchiness and redness. Studies show that non-SLS aqueous creams are less likely to irritate skin than aqueous creams that contain SLS. These days, many products have been reformulated to remove the ingredient.
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What Causes Eczema On The Face
Theres no clear indicator of why eczema appears on a specific area of the body, like the face. However, certain environmental triggers like sunlight, friction, dirt, or perfumed soaps might cause a flare-up on the face.
Usually, eczema is genetic in nature. Its caused by a flaw in your skins protective layer, so allergens, irritants, and other environmental factors can penetrate the skin barrier at a certain point and cause itchy, dry patches.
Best For Itch Relief: Sarna Steroid
When itchiness strikes, Dr. Markowitz recommends reaching for this over-the-counter topical treatment, which soothes distressed skin using cooling camphor and menthol. It also locks in moisture to repair the skin and prevent future dryness and itchiness. The lotion is also available in a sensitive skin formula, which stops irritation with itch-relieving pramoxine hydrochloride.
âSarna is a skin and sanity saver,â. âI suffer from stress-induced eczema. I have a steroid cream that I can use up to twice a day, but Sarna makes a huge difference in how quickly my skin heals up, because it offers immediate relief and I can use it as much as I need throughout the day.â
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Ingredients To Look For In A Cream Or Moisturizer For Eczema
Weiser says the following ingredients can help soothe eczema symptoms:
- Petrolatum
- Ceramides
- Fatty acids
Need more help choosing products? The National Eczema Association recognizes products that are suitable for care of eczema or sensitive-skin with the NEA Seal of Acceptance. Acceptance of a product means that the product has been evaluated to determine that it does not contain ingredients or contents that are known to be unsuitable for use by persons with eczema or sensitive skin conditions. You can find the NEA Seal of Acceptance logo on product packaging and labels.
With that in mind, here are our picks for the best creams and moisturizers for eczema:
Avoid Fragrances And Botanicals
A good rule of thumb is that if you love the way it smells, dont use it on your eczema. I always recommend fragrance-free, Dr. Anthony says. Some people love scented products, but the botanicals used in lotions and creams can be a problem in terms of allergic contact dermatitis for people with eczema.
He encourages eczema patients to use bland products that dont have fragrances or floral-based ingredients and to avoid ingredients like:
- Lavender.
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Best Eczema Creams Of 2021
La Roche Posay Lipikar Eczema Cream, $14.99This is a great eczema cream with multiple ingredients that help treat and soothe the condition. It contains 1% colloidal oatmeal, which is extremely soothing and alleviates itching. It also protects the skin to keep it from becoming further irritated. Niacinamide helps improve the skin barrier, which is essential in the fight against eczema. The stronger the skin barrier, the less likely it is that youll have eczema flare-ups. Shea butter and glycerin are moisturizing agents that help lock in moisture to ameliorate a flare-up and to keep skin soft.
Eucerin Eczema Relief Body Cream, $14The main ingredient in Eucerins Eczema Relief cream is oatmeal. Other active ingredients include ceramide-3 and licochalcone , both of which help reduce redness and itching. They also fortify the skin barrier, keeping essential lipids locked in to prevent further dryness. Licochalcone can also be found in some acne medications, thanks to its ability to relieve redness and inflammation. It has been proven to be as effective as hydrocortisone, an ingredient often used to treat atopic dermatitis.
In addition to squalane, Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream contains a high concentration of glycerin , cyclohexasiloxane , and several different emollients. The formula is paraben-free, fragrance-free, mineral oil-free, dye-free, and TEA-free.