Category Archives: Eczema

Eczema may ruin your spring and summer wardrobe the itchy, red inflamed skin can ruin any outfit, no matter how wonderful the clothes look. There's one surprising irritant you may not know about.

The National Eczema Association (NEA) states: "There are several distinct types of eczema.

"[And] it's possible to have more than one type at a time."

Contact dermatitis occurs when the skin comes into contact with irritating substances or allergens.

As a result, the exposed area of skin may burn, itch and become red.

Symptoms of contact dermatitis include: redness and rash, burning or swelling, or blisters that may weep or crust.

And the surprising irritant is fragrances did you know that trying to smell good could lead to such an adverse reaction?

The NEA confirms that "fragrance sensitivity" is seen in "eight to 15 percent of people with contact dermatitis".

READ MORE:Coronavirus symptoms: Pernio is a symptom explained by a dermatologist what is it?

And fragrances aren't restricted to perfumes and aftershaves fragrant cosmetics are just as bad.

In fact, the organisation adds: "Fragrances are most likely to cause allergic contact dermatitis accounting for up to 45 percent of reactions in cosmetic products."

Other common irritants include solvents, detergents, fumes, paints, bleach and wool.

Additionally, some people may experience contact dermatitis after coming into contact with tobacco smoke, some soaps and astringents.

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The NHS comments that the skin reaction typically takes place within a few hours or days after exposure to the irritant.

The best way to manage contact dermatitis is to avoid the irritant.

However, this may not always be possible, and so the NHS advises to use emollients and topical corticosteroids.

Emollients are moisturisers that are applied to the skin to stop it from becoming dry.

This is because side effects may develop with prolonged use of steroid treatment.

Fortunately, most people with contact dermatitis would only need a short course.

Should the inflammation become infected at any stage, a doctor may prescribe an antibiotic.

However, infections are rare for those with contact dermatitis.

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Eczema rash: The one surprising irritant you may be wearing - Express

Eczema is a long-term condition that causes the skin to become dry, itchy, red and cracked, according to the NHS. But, moisturising the affected skin with sunflower oil could help to get rid of the condition, it's been claimed.

Young children are most at risk of developing eczema symptoms, but it could also develop in later life.

If you have eczema, your symptoms can vary between small patches of dry skin, to widespread, inflamed areas of cracked skin.

But you could lower your risk of dry skin by regularly moisturising with sunflower oil, its been revealed.

It can be used on almost all types of skin, including oily or acne-prone skin.

READ MORE:Should you be worried about itchy blisters on your hand?

"Sunflower oil contains several compounds that have benefits for skin," said the medical website.

"They include oleic acid, vitamin E, sesamol, linoleic acid.

"Linoleic acid helps to maintain the skins natural barrier, supporting its ability to retain moisture. It also has an anti-inflammatory effect when used topically.

"This makes it beneficial for dry skin and for conditions, such as eczema."

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Eczema treatment: The best oil to prevent dry skin - and you've probably got it at home - Express.co.uk

These creams will hydrate and restore your hands and help protect your skin from increased washing.

Whether youre still practicing strict stay-at-home safety measures or carefully exploring the parts of the country that are cautiously reopening, its never been more important to disinfect your hands. While its obvious to most that clean hands are critical during times of pandemic, Dr. Joshua Zeichner, M.D., Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research at New Yorks Mount Sinai Hospital, warns that avid hand care is always important, especially when traveling:

Whether there is a pandemic or not, travelers should always be extra vigilant about hand washing. Whether youre on a plane, bus or train, you are in close contact with hundredsof other people who are all touching the same doorknobs, counters and seats. This creates a breeding ground for microorganisms that can easily spreadan infection from one person to many others.

Unfortunately, as many are already experiencing, increased washing can lead to a host of skin issues, especially when the wrong products and techniques are used. As Dr. Zeichner explains, Many people end up disrupting the skin barrier. When there are cracks in the outer skin layer, the skin loses hydration and becomes inflamed.

Happy Hands is a four-part series rounding up the best products to keep your hands clean and comfortable during the COVID-19 pandemic now, and as you travel back into the world after. In this edition, the 15 best hand creams from Cuticle Convenience to Avo-mazing Antibacterial are presented.

Oatmeal Hand Cream

Originally intended to relieve eczema sufferers, the Oatmeal Hand Cream from Eczema Honey blends the hydrating powers of honey with the emollient properties of colloidal oatmeal and the soothing touch of aloe and shea butter for all-around relief to dry, irritated hands. Pro Tip: Avoid getting to that stage by using this cream on a daily basis!

Beeswax Hand Cream

Plenty of products incorporate honey, but few take advantage of the whole hive like Savannah Bee Companys Hand Cream, incorporating all four ingredients (royal jelly, beeswax, propolis and honey) for hydration, protection and repair. Its available in Cedar, Honey Almond and the newly-released Rosemary Lavender.

Honey Almond Whipped Body Butter

This one doesnt actually have honey in it, but the Honey Almond Whipped Body Butter from 100% Pure gets high marks for its honey-almond scented blend of shea, cocoa and avocado butters with aloe and rose hydrosol for added hydration. If sweet scents arent your thing, try the more spa-like fragrance of the equally decadent Eucalyptus Hand Buttercream.

Manuka Honey Hand Cream

If youre not familiar with manuka honey, consider it the superhero of the honey-verse. With antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, its the king of honeys and the power behind Manuka Honey Hand Cream from A. Combined with grapeseed extract and ponga fern seed, the trio of natural New Zealand ingredients balances your skins microbiome to maintain moisture and protect from external damage (and signs of aging!). Pair it with Prepare Brightening Lotion for ultimate results.

Kana Vita Cream

Kana Vita Cream contains double the typical CBD potency of comparable creams for ultimate relief of inflamed or irritated skin, and rehydrates your dried-out hands with Swiss Alps spring water and edelweiss flower extract in combination with jojoba oil and almond kernel oil. The thick cream has a refreshingly light scent and can be applied to trouble spots like dry hands or swollen feet, or even be used as a regular face mask for more vibrant skin.

CBD Muscle Cream

CBD Muscle Cream from Extract Labs was designed for heavy-duty muscle relief with 1500 mg of potency to soothe the most overworked bodies from pro athletes to pro caregivers, and anyone else who could use a little muscle relaxation. Cooling menthol, anti-inflammatory arnica, and calming rosemary and lavender are whipped together (not heated, to preserve the ingredients powerful properties), and each batchs lab certificate of analysis is published online for total transparency and authenticity. (This one is not intended for your face).

CBD + Mankua Cream

If youre torn between the honey creams or the CBD creams on this list, stop debating and choose CBD + Manuka Cream from Medterra. Combining the age-old wisdom of applying manuka honey to protect and hydrate skin with the growing research supporting the use of CBD to relieve soreness and irritation, this cream comes in two travel-friendly sizes (1 oz with 125 mg and 2 oz with 250 mg).

Hand Food

If your hands arent yet brutalized by constant washing, help prevent future irritation with regular use of Hand Food from Soap & Glory. This hydrating cream brings moisture and relief from shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow in a rose and bergamot fragrance with mandarin, jasmine, peach, strawberry, and soft musk and amber for a results thats almost too tempting not to taste (dont).

Rich Hydrating Cream for Body & Hands

Fork & Melon draws on its signature French watermelon seed oil to bring moisturizing, anti-aging and detoxifying comfort to your sore skin with Rich Hydrating Cream for Body & Hands. Blurring the boundaries between lotion, cream and butter, this cream goes on thick but absorbs rapidly, leaving only smooth, calm skin and a light citrus scent behind.

Sea Spa Hand Cream

Where better to find the most moisturizing magic than in the sea itself? Repchage brings the moisture-binding properties of seaweed together with shea butter in Sea Spa Hand Cream and adds green tea and vitamins C and E to soothe already-dry hands with a non-greasy cream. Bonus: Lavender and chamomile will help soothe your mind along with your hands each time you apply.

Antibacterial Hand Cream

While olive oil and eucalyptus can be found in a host of hand creams, not many also incorporate avocado extract for additional hydration and nourishment, and even fewer are also antibacterial. The new Antibacterial Hand Cream from Sunytizer, developed in the very early stages of COVID-19s arrival in the United States, is all of these things, providing relief to over-washed hands and a boost of protection with each application.

Orange & Rose Hand Cream

While rose-scented products generally tend to take too deep a dive into that unmistakable fragrance, Orange & Rose Hand Cream from John Masters Organics relies far more on the skin-restoring properties of the flower than on its scent. In fact, despite containing both rose and palmarosa (an Indian grass with a sweet floral nose), this cream smells nothing like your grandmothers perfume and provides serious relief to overworked hands.

Black Fig + Vetiver Hand Cream

You might think of sunflower oil as more of a kitchen ingredient, but its high vitamin E content provides long-lasting moisturizing benefits and omega 6 acid helps reduce inflammation and generate new, healthy skin cells. The Hand Cream collection from Paddywax blends sunflower oil with sweet almond oil and shea butter for a hydrating hand cream as wonderfully aromatic as its beloved candle collection, with fragrances like Eucalyptus Santal, Black Fig + Vetiver and Rosewood Vanilla.

Matte Cuticle Cream

With so much attention to restoring and protecting your hands, dont forget your cuticles, where dryness often leads to cracks and opens you up to infection. KBShimmers Matte Cuticle Cream combines jojoba, cocoa butter and shea better to moisturize this often-overlooked part of your hands, and comes in a keychain-friendly screw-top container for worry-free convenience on the go. It comes in 7 scents, but if youre already using other scented products on your hands youll be most interested in the Barely There variety.

Shea Hand & Nail Cream

It should be no surprise that shea butter is one of the most sought-after ingredients in the Travertine Spa Collection of organic skincare, but youll be shocked to discover how effective a tiny dose of its Shea Hand & Nail Cream is. A small dab of this thick cream with enhanced hydration from aloe, watermelon and rose will treat not just your nails but your whole hands, making the quarter-ounce travel container the perfect fit for pockets and purses (a larger size is also available). Bonus: Youll appreciate the light floral blend of lavender and geranium adding an extra ounce of spa sensation to your revived hands, too.

(These specific products are not endorsed by Dr. Zeichner, whose participation in this series is solely as an expert on the general importance of skin care. Consult your physician or dermatologist to discuss the best practices and products for you.)

You can find Happy Hands, Part 1: Soaps and Sanitizers here.

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Happy Hands, Part 2: Best Hand Creams In The House And On The Road - Forbes

Living with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, or eczema, means Im always thinking twice about what might exacerbate these skin conditions. I need to especially consider what in my environment might trigger itchiness or rashes. Now, as were all faced with the novel coronavirus, Im even more vigilant about how practices such as frequent hand-washing and disinfecting may affect my health.

Take, for example, a recent shopping trip to my local Costco. I grabbed a shopping cart before entering, much like any other time. On this visit, though, a bleach wipe container sat on a table inside the door. I dutifully took a wipe to disinfect the cart handle. Then I looked at my hands, wondering if I should wipe them too and thinking about how it might irritate my skin.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) website lists ways to protect yourself from exposure to the coronavirus. Im already at a higher risk for serious illness because I have asthma. Im also concerned that I might be at a higher risk because I take a biologic to treat psoriasis.

RELATED: What You Need to Know About the New Coronavirus if You Have Asthma

The National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Boards recommendations for those with psoriatic disease state that patients with severe disease, those on potentially immunosuppressive therapies and those presenting with comorbid conditions may be at a higher risk for infection. They recommend patients contact their healthcare providers office with any concerns related to treatments such as biologics.

Even if you are not in a higher risk group for COVID-19, the public health message is for everyone to follow measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

A repeated message to stop the spread is to clean hands frequently, ideally with soap for at least 20 seconds. If soap is not available, then hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol serves as a replacement. Unfortunately, frequently cleaning my hands dries them out. Soaps and hand sanitizers can contain perfumes that my skin reacts to as well.

The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD) recommends that you leave some water on your hands when drying them and apply hand cream or ointment while theyre still damp. The AAD also points out that dermatologists recommend using a cream or ointment that contains mineral oil or petrolatum and says its fragrance-free and dye-free.

Another CDC guideline is to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, because they can serve as pathways for the virus to enter the lungs and throat. Germs can spread when you touch a contaminated surface, such as a doorknob or countertop, and then touch your face.

Touching the face is something people often do without even noticing. A study published in February 2015 in the Journal of Infection Control observed that students touched their faces 23 times an hour, with 44 percent of touches involving a mucous membrane. With rashes on my face, including my eyelids, it can be very difficult for me not to touch my face.

On their website, the National Eczema Association responded to questions related to the coronavirus, including how to avoid touching facial eczema. Their first recommendation is to practice distraction techniques such as playing handheld video games, arts and crafts, or playing a musical instrument.

They also recommend using competing responses, which replace one behavior with another. For example, every time I want to touch my face, I might snap my fingers or touch my leg instead. They conclude, If you do need to deliberately touch your face, wash your hands first; avoid the nose, eyes and mouth; and perhaps use a clean cloth or Kleenex.

Since psoriasis and eczema on my face is an ongoing issue, I follow my facial skin treatments carefully to reduce irritation and itchiness. Contact your healthcare provider or dermatologist if you need to address skin concerns on your face.

Keeping social distance to prevent the coronavirus is critical, but it can be very isolating especially for people living with a chronic condition.

Fortunately, we live in an age where people connect through a variety of electronic means, such as video and text chat, virtual communities, or online games and activities. I felt uplifted and encouraged after recently joining a church group on a video chat. If you are sheltering at home, you may have more time to catch up with old friends and family.

Virtual connections can even help you communicate with your doctor. TheNPF Medical Board, for example, recommends telehealth appointments whenever possible for routine visits during the pandemic. Both my daughters successfully used telehealth for their recent doctor appointments. I utilized messaging to discuss my psoriasis with my dermatologist.

RELATED: Your Everyday Guide to Telemedicine

Living with skin diseases might add some complication to following CDC guidelines, but they can be overcome. Lets pledge to do so together to flatten the curve and save lives.

Here are some resources to help answer your questions about managing psoriasis and eczema these days:

National Eczema Association (NEA): Ask the Ecz-perts: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF): Coronavirus Concerns?

NPF Psound Bytes podcast: Ep. 64 "Coronavirus and Psoriatic Disease: Your Questions Answered"

You can read more about my experiences in myblogfor Everyday Health and on mywebsite.

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Preventing Coronavirus Exposure When You Have Psoriasis and Eczema - Everyday Health

Were all washing our hands multiple times a day to help keep us safe from COVID-19, but the non-stop scrubbing leaves our hands a lot drier than were used to.

Frequent washing draws moisture from the skin, and for those of us that are prone to dry skin, eczema, or have other sensitivities, something to soothe our hands post-wash is a necessity (not to mention a relief).

WATCH: Songs thatll help you remember how long to wash your hands. Story continues below.

Weve rounded up a selection of some of our favourite natural hand creams to nourish and soften our skin, all of which can be safely delivered in Canada.

Clinically tested and proven to protect against excessive dryness and eczema, we keep a tube of Skinfix Hand Repair Cream at the ready for repeated hand washings, and pop it into our pockets for post-sanitizing moisture when were out for a socially distanced walk.

A combination of healing botanicals and natural oils including colloidal oatmeal and sweet almond oil relieves our hands of itching and irritation while providing the nourishment we need.

A luxurious treat for tired and dry hands, the uplifting floral fragrance of this cream helps us unwind, while argan oil, shea butter, and aloe vera nourishes our skin with vitamins and fatty acids.

VladimirFLoyd via Getty Images

We also appreciate that Kahina donates a portion of their annual revenue to support the communities of the Moroccan workers who harvest the argan oil.

This gluten-free and vegan lotion is perfect for hands (or anywhere else on the body!) and most of the ingredients are sourced from local Canadian growers.

We keep our bottle next to the sink for a simple pump or two after washing our hands, and we love the fresh scent of rosemary, citrus, and lavender. The notes of lavender in particular help calm us after a tough day studies have shown that lavender can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Weve found a relaxing self-hand massage before bed is a soothing way to wind down, and this lotion is a lovely addition to our mindful ritual.

The cream nourishes our skin like a dream thanks to organic argan oil, olive oil, and an aromatic blend of essential oils.

A blend of sustainably sourced shea butter, palm and coconut oil gathered through womens collectives in Ghana repairs and soothes dry, sensitive skin.

We love using this cream on our hands as its enriched with vitamin E, which has anti-aging properties and can help reduce inflammation.

WATCH: Six tips to keep your hands moisturized from all that washing. Story continues below.

Unscented and perfect for tucking into a pocket or keeping on the nightstand, this made-in-Toronto blend of camellia, hemp and meadowfoam oil protects our hands night and day.

The fresh scent and smooth feel of this easily absorbed hydrating hand cream almost makes up for the fact that were washing our hands a dozen times a day.

Made of a dermatologically tested and certified natural blend of sea buckthorn (traditionally used to repair and renew skin), sesame, and essential oils, this cream works wonders on our chapped hands.

We got a giggle from Cocoon Apothecarys cute product name (a bit ironic since were missing hugs and physical contact right now), and the Touchy Feely Lotion itself is one of our faves to protect our skin from dryness and the effects of ongoing hand washing.

The spring-fresh scent of lavender and rosemary boosts our mood, while organic olive oil helps our hands stay soft.

This soothing hand lotion, made from a healing blend of lavender, aloe and grapeseed, instantly moisturizes our skin and uplifts our spirits with a soothing scent.

Available in either a convenient pump dispenser or a portable tube, the upside to all this hand washing (asides from the health benefits) could be the opportunity to heal our skin with this aromatic and therapeutic lotion.

For extra sensitive skin, or for those of us who are feeling the effects of multiple lathers, this cream is a gentle, fragrance-free option to protect our hands.

Hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested, this oatmeal-based cream instantly soothes and helps to gently moisturize and soften.

Read more from the original source:
Natural Moisturizers That Will Soothe Dry Skin From All Your Hand Washing - HuffPost Canada

Regeneron's (NASDAQ:REGN)stock has increased by 34% in 2020 as the company and its partner Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) initiated two large scale phase 2/3 clinical trials in March where it is providing an existing drug, Kevzara, to treat patients with severe COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This development has investors optimistic about its prospects. But Regeneron's financial performance for the full year will be driven by the company's core business of treating eye diseases, asthma, eczema, and cancer.

Let's take a closer look at the biotech stock's main revenue drivers to decide if it's a buy today.

Image Source: Getty Images

As of April 9, there have been over 1.4 million worldwide confirmed COVID-19 cases and almost 90,000 virus-related deaths. While there are no approved drugs to effectively treat COVID-19 patients, many companies, including Regeneron, have commenced clinical trials to determine whether existing compounds used for other diseases can help these patients recover.

In March, Regeneron and Sanofi announced that they initiated two large phase 2/3 trials to assess whether Kevzara can prevent lung damage and respiratory distress in patients with severe COVID-19. Regeneron and Sanofi currently market Kevzara as a treatment for adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Kevzara blocks the interleukin-6 (IL-6) protein, which may cause a patient's immune system to overreact and damage the lungs.

Recently, a preliminary study performed at a Munich Hospital found patients who have a minimal amount of IL-6 protein have significantly lower rates of respiratory failure and may not need mechanical ventilation. Earlier, a small Chinese study showed that patients who received Actemra, Roche Holdings' (OTC:RHHBY) IL-6 receptor antagonist and competing RA drug, were able to be discharged from the hospital and return home.

Eylea, an injectable drug that prevents blindness, grew by 14% in the U.S. to over $4.6 billion in 2019 (about 60% of Regeneron's sales).Eylea's revenues should continue to increase as it the company fully launches a pre-filled syringe delivery option for physicians and continues to market to the drug to adults with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that affects almost 11 million people in the U.S and is the leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 and older. Eylea prevents the disease from progressing to an advanced stage and results in rapid, large sustained improvement for patients with mild to moderate AMD.

Regeneron will also benefit from growth in its diabetic eye business as it has established a dedicated salesforce to specifically contact specialists that see these types of patients. The company is devoting a significant amount of resources to improve on the low current rates of diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy (DR). DR is a complication of diabetes that causes damage to the retina and can lead to severe vision loss. Early treatment with Eylea, however, can halt the progress of DR, reducing the risk of blindness. This is a welcome development for the almost 8 million people who have DR.

Dupixent sales reported by Sanofi grew by almost 151% to over $2.3 billion in 2019 as physicians prescribed the drug to other adult patients with eczema and treated patients in three new sub-segments (asthma, children with eczema, and adults with chronic long-term sinus inflammation linked to nasal polyps). While Sanofi records all of global Dupixent sales on its income statement, it paid Regeneron over $1.4 billion in contribution revenue in 2019, up 40%, relating to royalties and profits from Dupixent (and two other drugs).

Dupixent should continue to grow as it is used for other patients in these three markets and it will enjoy further growth if it obtains approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for using the drug for asthma in pediatrics, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, eczema in pediatrics, and several other indications.

Regeneron generated $176 million in revenue from Libatyo in 2019, up from almost $15 million in 2018. Libtayo treats advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CSCC), a form of skin cancer that accounts for an estimated 7,000 deaths each year in the U.S. As of November 2019, its share of U.S. patients with CSCC was 43%, up from 3% when it was launched in October 2018.

Regeneron is currently testing Libtayo in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients, cervical cancer, and Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC; the most common form of skin cancer). Libtayo's revenues should increase in the near-term as physicians continue to prescribe the drug for their CSCC patients and the drug is eventually used in other types of cancers.

I consider to be Regeneron a buy right now because it has ample opportunity to increase the revenue and profits it currently generates from its three key drugs, Eylea, Dupixent, and Libtayo. While investors will be waiting for further updates on Kevzara, they should focus and monitor Regeneron's progress in expanding its the diabetic eye segment, further penetrating the three emerging areas for Dupixent, gaining market share in CSCC, and obtaining FDA approval for treating other indications with these drugs.

While it's easy to be enthralled by its progress in the COVID-19 space, investors thinking about buying Regeneron would do well to consider the stock from a more holistic stance. And it looks good from here.

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Here's Why Regenerons Stock Is Worth More Than Its Coronavirus Work - Motley Fool

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A commonly expressed protein called periostin can directly activate itch-associated neurons in the skin, according to new research.

The researchers found that blocking periostin receptors on these neurons reduced the itch response in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis, or eczema. The findings could have implications for treatment of this condition.

Itch sensations are transmitted from neuronal projections in the skin through the dorsal root ganglia (DRG)clusters of sensory cells located at the root of the spinal nervesthen to the spinal cord.

We have found that periostin, a protein that is produced abundantly in skin as part of an allergic response, can interact directly with sensory neurons in the skin, effectively turning on the itch response, says lead author Santosh Mishra, assistant professor of neuroscience at North Carolina State University. Additionally, we identified the neuronal receptor that is the initial connection between periostin and itch response.

The researchers identified a receptor protein called v3, expressed on sensory neurons in skin, as the periostin receptor.

In a chemically-induced mouse model of atopic dermatitis, the team found that exposure to common allergens such as dust mites increased periostin production in skin, exacerbating the itch response. However, when the researchers turned off the receptor protein, itch reduced significantly.

Periostin and its receptor connect the skin directly to the central nervous system, Mishra says. We have identified the first junction in the itch pathway associated with eczema. If we can break that connection, we can relieve the itch.

The research appears in Cell Reports.

Funding for the work came from NC States startup fund. Additional researchers from NC State, Wake Forest University, and Duke University contributed to the work.

Source: NC State

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1 protein in the skin kickstarts a pesky itch - Futurity: Research News

During these dare I say it again strange and uncertain times, it's so important to find ways to unwind and stay calm amid all of the craziness. Lately, one of our personal favorite activities for self-care has been taking baths, not only because we have more time on our hands, but because it's a soothing experience for both the body and mind.

Add some bath salts or a muscle-relaxing soak into the mix and it gets even better. (Spa-like, some might say.) There's a variety of options to choose from, too... bath bombs, dead sea-infused salts, and colloidal oatmeal elixirs, just to name a few.

As always, Allure editors were more than happy to share some of their most-loved products, but we also tapped two board-certified dermatologists for their go-to bath picks. Take it from us: These skin-loving salts and soaks turn bathtime into a serious treat.

Now enough chit-chat ahead, find nine amazing options that are worth adding to your arsenal if you want to soak the stress away, and get softer skin while you're at it.

All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

See the article here:
The 9 Best Bath Salts and Soaks of 2020 Reviews - Allure

SINGAPORE: In the last few months, senior patient service associate Judy Tan, 56, who works at Singapores National Skin Centre, has been struggling to find a balance between managing her eczema-prone skin and maintaining tip-top hand hygiene at work.

Tan suffers from irritant hand eczema on her right hand, a skin disease commonly seen in people working in the healthcare and food industry due to stringent hand hygiene practices.

Her work at the National Skin Centre involves handling patient enquiries, clinic registration as well as appointments and billing matters.

The eczema on her hands, which started about two years ago, has left her with painful, dry and cracked skin. Sometimes, the cracked skin would bleed.

Even the simple act of washing the dishes or shampooing her hair is challenging when her skin acts up.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has made it even more challenging for her as healthcare workers must sanitise their hands after each patient encounter.

Tan, who works in a subsidised dermatology clinic where she sees up to 100 patients each day, said: I try to wash my hands with soap and water, and then apply moisturiser after handwashing in between patients instead of using alcohol rubs, which really hurt my skin.

If I have to use alcohol rubs or disinfectant wipes to clean the table counters at work, I will use the other hand, which is still holding up at the moment.

Tan said that her skin issues are not unique. Since the authorities stepped up on infection control measures, many of her colleagues have also been experiencing similar symptoms.

Tan said: Like me, the majority of my colleagues are also experiencing dry, itchy hands. However, I am honoured and proud to be in healthcare at this critical moment, so I will still carry on and do my part even though my hand eczema affects my lifestyle.

She has sought treatment at the skin centre itself. For now, she uses olive oil and hand cream, and wears cotton gloves at night after applying moisturisers to ease her severe skin dryness.

SANITISING HANDS 30 TO 50 TIMES EACH WORK SHIFT

Good hand hygiene helps prevent the transmission of infections such as Covid-19, but these preventive practices can also damage the skin.

Anecdotally, dermatologists approached by TODAY said that they are seeing a rising number of people with irritant eczema in the last two months all related to increased handwashing and overuse of harsh sanitising and disinfecting products.

Dr Mark Tang, senior consultant dermatologist at The Skin Specialists and Laser Clinic, said that skin issues related to over-washing and hand hygiene practices are an unavoidable reality for many people at the moment, particularly for healthcare and frontline workers.

He said that medical personnel must sanitise their hands after every patient encounter, which could be 30 to 50 times for each shift.

Being a little obsessive about hand hygiene is important and even life-saving at this time.

For those with a predisposition for hand or facial eczema, it is a very difficult time for them to balance the dilemma of maintaining hand hygiene and preventing eczema flares, Dr Tang said.

RASHES ON FACE FROM WEARING MASKS

Dr Tang has also encountered cases of facial rashes and mild pressure sores due to prolonged wearing of surgical or face masks.

The skin doctor, whose clinic is in Mount Alvernia Medical Centre, sees around two to three cases of hand rashes and one to two cases of facial rashes a week.

This does not include the many informal consultations he has when he encounters other healthcare workers in the wards and along corridors.

Dr Suzanne Cheng, senior consultant at the National Skin Centre, said that she has also noticed an increase in irritant eczema on the arms, legs and trunks due to frequent use of antiseptic body washes.

In particular, those with pre-existing eczema will suffer more because they already have a defective skin barrier, which makes their skin more sensitive.

DISRUPTING THE SKINS NATURAL B

ARRIER FUNCTION

Dr Cheng said that handwashing with soap and other aggressive disinfectants strip the skin of natural oils and damages the skin barrier.

When this is repeatedly done, it can cause skin dryness and flaking. In more severe cases, there is skin inflammation, itch, cracks and soreness.

Frequent use of an alcohol-based hand rub as well as disinfectant wipes and solutions for decontamination of high-touch areas has a similar effect, she added.

Even for those without pre-existing eczema issues, dermatologist Lynn Chiam from Children and Adults Skin Hair Laser Clinic said that certain ingredients found in hand sanitisers and detergents can disrupt the natural barrier function of the skin and strip away the skins natural oils and reduce its ability to protect itself.

The ingredients used in hand sanitisers that may affect the skin include various forms of alcohol, such as ethanol, n-proponol, isopropyl alcohol, chlorehexidine, hydrogen peroxides, quaternary ammonium derviatives, colorants and fragrances, Dr Chiam said.

So, although dermatologists see irritant eczema more commonly in people working in the healthcare and food sectors who must wash their hands more frequently, Dr Cheng from the National Skin Centre said that almost everyone now can develop the skin disease due to more vigorous hand hygiene practices to limit transmission of Covid-19.

Dr Chiam said that besides the healthcare sector, those working in the education and childcare sectors are more likely to sanitise and wash their hands more frequently as well.

In her practice, she has seen a 20 per cent increase in patients with hand eczema in the last two months. They range from young adults to parents of young children to the middle-aged group.

In severe cases, both hands are cracked, fissured and bleeding. It is painful (for them) to open their hands as the skin is so dry and painful, she said.

One of Dr Tangs patients, a 34-year-old auditor who did not want to be named, said that excessive handwashing in the last few months following the birth of her first child has worsened her hand eczema.

Right now, the dry and irritated skin around her joints has started to split spontaneously, which causes her a lot of pain.

I wash my hands even more these days, especially after I touch lift buttons or door handles. When well-meaning colleagues offer me hand sanitisers, Ill feel obliged to use them even though the alcohol rubs burn my skin so much that I feel like screaming when I use them, she said.

Dr Tang said that some of the more severe cases he has seen have infected areas with crusting and oozing. Tiny water vesicles (fluid-filled blisters) as well as swollen and inflamed nail folds can also develop.

These patients have constant itch that can affect their sleep. They also scratch incessantly, leading to further worsening of the inflammation and infection, he said.

CRACKED SKIN RAISES RISK OF ACQUIRING INFECTIONS

While good hand hygiene helps prevent transmission of infections, the experts warned that skin that is cracked and damaged could, ironically, put people at a higher risk of acquiring infections.

Dr Chiam said: Over-washing and over-disinfecting our hands can lead to excessive stripping away of natural oils on the skin, which are important components of the skin barrier. With a defective barrier function and cracks, tears in the skin from dryness, bacteria and viruses can enter the skin more readily.

Dr Tang said that although broken and fissured skin may increase the risk of bacterial infections and certain skin viruses such as the human papillomavirus that can cause warts, it does not increase ones risk of getting respiratory viral infections such as Covid-19 per se.

This is because respiratory viruses are usually transmitted via the respiratory tract or mucosal lining.

However, he pointed out that people with hand rashes may not adhere closely to hand hygiene practices due to their skin condition.

These lapses can increase their personal risk of getting infected. So, early prevention and treatment of hand rashes are vital in

our fight against the pandemic, Dr Tang said.

A GENTLE CLEANSER WILL WORK JUST AS WELL

For those prone to getting eczema or have active eczema, Dr Cheng of the National Skin Centre advised avoiding or minimising contact with irritants such as soap, disinfectants, detergents and alcohol-based wipes and rubs.

Use a gentle, soap-free, fragrance-free cleanser instead. Ensure there is easy access by putting a bottle by the sink, shower room and at your workplace toilet.

A cleanser does not need to be antibacterial or industrial-strength to clean skin and remove dirt, bacteria and viruses, she emphasised.

She also cautioned against using hot water to wash hands or shower because it can worsen skin conditions. The temperature of the water used for handwashing does not impact the removal of germs such as bacteria or viruses that cause diseases.

Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, programme leader for infectious diseases and the co-director of global health at NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that regular handwashing works best to clean hands, but added that a hand sanitiser is useful when a tap is not readily available.

Regular soap is sufficient to pry apart the envelope of viruses such as Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, while water additionally washes away the virus particles, which does not happen with hand sanitiser, Associate Prof Hsu said.

He explained that most of the active ingredients in hand sanitisers available will work against the coronavirus, particularly those containing alcohol above 60 per cent concentration.

However, cleansers marketed as antibacterial offers no advantage against viruses, he said. They act against bacteria instead. Today Online

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Covid-19: Frequent hand-washing, sanitising giving rise to skin problems - New Straits Times Online

Incessant itching is a harsh and problematic reality for eczema sufferers, causing all sorts of problems that can range from skin infections to trouble sleeping. Scientists investigating the biological processes behind the condition have uncovered a protein in the skin they say acts as a switch for itch-related neurons, offering a potential new target in the ongoing search for more effective treatments.

A number of factors can cause outbreaks for eczema sufferers, including irritants, reactions to certain foods, and allergies. The itching sensation, which often goes with other symptoms such as dryness and redness, is driven by neurons in the skin, which take their cues from sensory cells based at the root of the spinal nerves.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have been examining this pathway through experiments on mice, in which they chemically induced cases of eczema. When exposing the animals to common allergens such as dust mites, the scientists observed an increase in a skin protein called periostin, which served to greatly exacerbate the itch response.

We have found that periostin, a protein that is produced abundantly in skin as part of an allergic response, can interact directly with sensory neurons in the skin, effectively turning on the itch response, says Santosh Mishra, lead author of a paper. Additionally, we identified the neuronal receptor that is the initial connection between periostin and itch response.

The receptor protein, called v3, is expressed in the skin's sensory neurons and acts as the connector for periostin in driving the increased itch response. The team found that by switching off the receptor, they could break this important chain and significantly reduce the severity of the itching.

Periostin and its receptor connect the skin directly to the central nervous system, Mishra says. We have identified the first junction in the itch pathway associated with eczema. If we can break that connection, we can relieve the itch.

The research was published in the journal Cell Reports.

Source: North Carolina State University

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Scientists identify a protein that switches on allergic itching - New Atlas