Itchy protease!

How to put a stop to overactive protease, the culprit in eczema.

DERMATOLOGISTS agree that eczema is one of the most prevalent skin disorders, particularly in babies and children. The dry, itchy skin condition is so common that it affects approximately 10-15% of children at any one point in time.

Did you know that protease attacks play a vital role in the severity of your childs eczema?

Protease is an enzyme that is naturally present in the skin. The role of protease is to break down protein in the skin to allow for natural skin renewal. However, overactive protease breaks down the skin barrier, leaving it thin and weakened, allowing water loss, and irritants and allergens to inflame the skin.

Soap has been linked to the increase in protease activity in the skin, and an increase in skin pH, which leads to skin damage, and oftentimes becomes the trigger for flare-ups of eczema, especially in children.

Protease effectively breaks down protein in the skin to allow the natural desquamation process. In people with eczema, this skin barrier is disrupted, and as such, the skin barrier is more vulnerable to irritation by substances such as soaps and detergents.

Eczema occurs when the surface of the skin becomes weakened, allowing irritants and allergens to penetrate the skin barrier and cause inflammation. As such, parts of the body with naturally thin skin such as flexural areas and the face are prone to eczema.

So how can we monitor protease activity on our babys skin?

The answer is to be extra careful about the products we use on our babys skin. Instead of being distracted by nice smells and cute packaging, we should pay careful attention to the ingredients that make up the product and how they react with young, fragile skin.

It is important to use an extra gentle cleanser that helps prevent protease attacks, facilitates the repair of babys skin, and cleanses the skin, without disturbing the skins natural moisturising factors.

Originally posted here:
Itchy protease!