PRESS RELEASES

Eczema May Be Resolved by Getting Rid of Dust

A new study has found that dust mites and roach allergens damage the protective surface layer of the skin and prevent already damaged skin from healing. For dry skin and eczema sufferers, this is bad news: it’s all but impossible to completely eliminate dust, and dust mites. However, there are steps you can take to minimize the risks – get rid of all the dust you can, and use a shielding lotion for dry skin and eczema treatment and prevention.

The current study, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, confirms the findings of an earlier study in the same publication. However, the earlier study was on mice; the new one is on humans. In the new study, participants had their skin damaged intentionally and were subsequently exposed to roach allergens and dust mites. Their dry skin and eczema worsened.

One very interesting side note of this study was the method used to damage the skin: Cellophane tape was placed on a patch of the skin and then ripped off. Compared to the pummeling our skin gets every day just from a washcloth, or even from mildly abrasive skin care products – including those intended for dry skin and eczema treatment – it’s a wonder anyone’s skin is in tact. That should teach us a big lesson in how gentle we really have to be.

How do you protect yourself from roach allergens and dust mites? The roach allergens are relatively easy to handle: make sure you don’t leave food out to attract roaches. However, those who live in an environment prone to roaches may have to take extra care. The best product I’ve found for this is boric acid. If you buy it in chalk form it’s easy to run the chalk along the joins of cupboards (all of them) and along the floor/wall joins. It’s much more effective than the usual roach killer products, and you don’t load up your house with toxic chemicals that will exacerbate your dry skin or eczema even further.

Dust mites are rather more difficult to eliminate as they are virtually invisible. However, vacuuming once a week in the spots that build up dust - behind the couch or refrigerator, in stuffed animals, carpet, furniture, pillows, mattresses, and blankets – will help. If you are extremely sensitive, you might want to encase some of them in hypo-allergenic dust covers.

But no matter how dust free your environment appears to be, it’s almost possible to completely eliminate it - which is why you also need a shielding lotion. A good shielding lotion bonds with the outer layer of the skin to form a protective layer that locks in moisture and prevents the absorption of irritants and allergens. With that protection in place, the skin can heal itself.

Taking care of dust as much as possible and using a good shielding lotion may be all the eczema treatment you need. Give it a try!