What to Avoid In Your Home If Your Child Has Eczema
what causes eczema?
Eczema is the immune system overreacting to a perceived threat, much like it does to a food allergy. Where eczema is present, the body is usually overburdened with internal stressors (such as a weak intestinal barrier and inflammatory foods) as well as external stressors (such as toxins in our homes/ environment). These stressors start to activate the immune system and this immune imbalance starts to present itself through the skin cells.
Eczema is common and prevalence has increased over the past decade. Most common in children under 5 years of age, it’s estimated 1 in every 5 infants has eczema over their life time, or 10 - 20% of children worldwide. It can sometimes resolve on its own, however, half of those who suffer from eczema in childhood are likely to experience symptoms that persist into adulthood.
the importance of lowering the toxic load
Eczema itself isn’t the actual root problem and a band-aid approach is not going to resolve it long term. The only way to fully resolve a child’s eczema is to address the underlying root cause of the issue, which usually starts with the gut & looking into possible triggers.
The modern world contains more toxins than ever before - which of course we cannot control. However, we can lower the toxic load in our homes by reducing the amount of external stressors they are exposed to on a day-to-day basis by making a few simple swaps.
chemicals to avoid
Household cleaners, detergents and sprays, whether in liquid form or as airborne particles, can irritate the skin of people with eczema & in particular cause a type of eczema called irritant contact dermatitis (ICD).
People with a history of atopic eczema are more likely to have sensitive skin and are therefore more vulnerable to ICD.
Chemicals to avoid
Bleach
Fragrance
Phthalates
Sodium lauryl sulfate/ sodium laureth sulfate
Phosphates & EDTA
Brighteners
Borax
Quaternium-15
Petroleum distillates
NPE (nonylphenol ethoxylate)
Formaldehyde
1,4 dioxane
Methylisothiazolinone
products to avoid
Fabric softeners: Fabric softeners are one of the most toxic household products on the market. They contain artificial colours, preservatives and a number of synthetic fragrances and are often poorly tolerated by atopic skin.
Fragranced laundry detergents: Certain laundry products contain chemicals which are known to irritate skin, especially eczema-prone and sensitive skin.
Don’t rely on “Hypoallergenic” for your laundry detergent. The problem with “hypoallergenic” products is that they’re tested on adults, not kids or babies. They may still contain irritating substances in amounts small enough that they don’t bother adults.
