Although acne & eczema are skin conditions derived from opposite sides of the spectrum, the good news is they can be treated simultaneously!
Here’s a quick breakdown, eczema refers to a group of inflammatory skin conditions that may cause itchy, dry, and discolored skin patches. While acne is a skin condition that causes skin breakouts including pimples, nodules, and cysts.
Acne prone skin is usually a result of excessively oily skin, with eczema prone skin being the result of overly dry skin.
Salicylic acid is a great option to treat both skin conditions due to its ability to soften keratin and loosen dry skin. In lame terms this acid “removes dead skin cells, which can be beneficial for eczema as well as actively unclogs pores which causes acne”. The softening of keratin may help by “slowing down the shedding of skin cells in follicles and reducing clogged pores and acne breakouts, while softening the skin’s keratin which can help to loosen the dry skin accumulating from eczema”.
A gentle approach is ideal to treat these skin conditions simultaneously in order to refrain from worsening either condition:
- Consult a dermatologist
- Enjoy a balanced diet to support healthy skin from the inside out
- Protect your skin! Use sunscreen!
- Bottoms up! Drink plenty of water to hydrate your largest organ
- Manage your stress to minimize flare ups
Consulting a dermatologist is vital while treating both acne and eczema as an overlap in treatments can cause one or both conditions to worsen. For example: “drying agents like retinoids can irritate eczema, while topical steroids can sometimes contribute to acne.” Suffering from eczema and acne simultaneously? Call the office for a consultation today!
Chin up, shoulders down and away, heart forward, and lead with love.