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When I was a teen, there weren’t many beauty tips for eczema sufferers. The main advice was just not to wear makeup! Growing up, I thought having a keen interest in beauty and suffering with eczema couldn’t work well together.
Thankfully, through lots of trial and error (and a few discussions with other beauty enthusiasts on Facebook) I’ve managed to gain a lot of knowledge on how beauty and eczema don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
I’ve spoken about my experiences in the past, where I would cancel social events when my eczema became too bad. There were occasions when I couldn’t wear makeup, which in turn made me very self-conscious. This extended beyond social events, spilling over to my work life too. I worked in a high street optician’s practice and spent most of my day getting close to customers as I sorted out their specs. This put my skin condition on display and the less polite patients would occasionally comment.
Without makeup I felt bare, but with it, it often made my face sore, or look worse because of how it reacted with my eczema.
I’d hate for anyone else to needlessly suffer, so I thought it was time I shared my best beauty tips for eczema sufferers.
Don’t Use Wipes
Wipes are bad for the environment, and they’re also terrible for your skin if you’re prone to inflammatory conditions. I used to frequently take my makeup off with wipes, and as soon as I stopped, my skin miraculously improved!
Instead, try using a makeup remover and gentle cleansers. Coconut oil works really well as a makeup remover, and even helps shift waterproof mascara.
Use Epaderm in the Shower
When my eczema is particularly bad, I have to go beyond just applying some cream every now and then. When it’s time to take a bath or shower, I give my scented products a rest and switch to using Epaderm as a body wash. I even use it on my face (but I’m careful not to get it in my eyes). Once I’m dry, I reapply it to the areas that need it. When the eczema patches have retreated, I continue to moisturise my skin daily in an attempt to keep it hydrated.
Avoid Heavy Foundation
Full coverage foundation can be drying. Combine that with scaly, flaky skin, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. I’ve lived and learned when it comes trying to camouflage my sore skin with a thick foundation. Instead, swap it out for a tinted moisturiser. Even if it clings to the dry areas, it won’t highlight them like a full coverage foundation would.
Use Epaderm to Prime Dry Areas
My eczema is usually worst on my chin, at the sides of my nostrils and under my eyes. These are areas I want to wear makeup. I’ve found that a thin coating of Epaderm helps prime dry areas, and you can wear light makeup on top to help give you an even complexion.
Epaderm Can Help With Undereye Eczema
Even on low makeup days, I like to cover my under eye bags. When eczema strikes, the texture of it can age me phenomenally, because when makeup sits on dry skin and in its texture, it can create superficial wrinkles.
To prevent this I like to apply a thin layer of Epaderm on my under eye eczema (again being careful of my eyes), then apply concealer over the top. Because areas of eczema can be extremely dry, consider choosing a concealer with an oily formulation to keep the area looking dewy and fresh.
Always Patch Test
Hair dye has come a long way in the past few years, giving everyone the opportunity to transform their locks from the comfort of their own home. Unfortunately for eczema prone skin, some of the chemicals can be a trigger. This can lead to outbreaks on your scalp, neck, ears and back (if you wash it off in the shower). To avoid any large scale nasty reactions, you should always patch test before using a new dye or bleach. Some people use their forearm, while other use an area of skin behind their ears. Personally, I use both places to patch test as I like to be sure.
Try Stick-On Nails
I love having my nails done, but more often than not I’m forced to avoid it. Having near enough constant eczema on my hands means I have tonnes of tiny cuts where the skin is broken. This isn’t such an issue for painting my nails, but when it’s time to take the nail paint off, it’s agony.
Removing nail extensions with acetone when you have broken skin is toe-curlingly painful. The trouble is, even acetone-free nail polish removers hurt and can dry out your skin.
The only painless way I’ve found to brandish beautifully painted nails is to use false nails and stick them on with sticky tabs. That way, no solvents need to be used to dissolve glue or nail paint, but you still get the glamorous look of long, stylish nails. I buy a big bag of false nails and create different sets for different occasions.
I trim, shape and file the false nails before sticking them to a stand and painting them. Once the set is ready to wear, I attach them to my nail beds with a sticky tab, then remove them to be reused at the end of the night. It’s completely pain free, but I still get the desired look.
Hopefully some of these tips will have helped you out and if you’ve got any of your own to share, let me know!