An obstacle course. For the 2.5 million French people suffering from atopic dermatitis, the simple choice of a hygiene product is a headache. 69% of women who suffer from atopic dermatitis have difficulty choosing an emollient that suits them, 59% for shampoo and 46% for a cleansing product, according to a survey carried out by the French Eczema Association. Daily, skin problems, which affect one in three French people, affect the quality of life. Two-thirds of people with psoriasis become anxious as summer approaches, according to a study published in 2022. Breakouts of red patches that peel off, that is to say they come off in strips or shreds, make them fear the gaze of others in 74% of cases. Six out of ten patients hide their skin by wearing covering clothing. Finally, skin problems have a lasting impact on the mind. According to a study published in the journal Annals of Dermatology and Venereology at the end of the Spring of Chronic Inflammatory Skin Diseases in 2022, patients with a skin disease would have a lower capacity for resilience than those without a chronic disease or suffering from osteoarticular pathology, such as osteoarthritis, back pain or even osteoporosis. Discover patient advice to limit symptoms.
Stéphanie, 35 years old, suffering from eczema
“Using samples, I ended up finding the right cream”
I have had eczema on my body since childhood but when I was 18 it spread to my face and neck. On a daily basis, the most important thing to reduce plaques and limit breakouts is to hydrate your skin well. I do it morning and evening, putting on a large layer which will be absorbed in 30 minutes by the skin. It is only after this time that I can put on makeup with suitable products. It’s difficult to find the cream that matches your skin because, even if there are ranges for atopic people, you never know if a product is suitable before trying it. Tolerance is unique to everyone and my sister, who also suffers from eczema, cannot tolerate the same creams as me. To test, I regularly went to the pharmacy and asked for samples. This is how I ended up finding the right cream. The other problem with eczema is itching. To calm them down, I always have a cream and thermal water in the fridge because the cold relieves me in case of crisis. Conversely, heat and sweat can also make eczema worse. I therefore favor loose cotton clothes in the summer and wear several layers so that I can take them off as I go. As for sport, I tend to do it in the morning to avoid sweating too much. With this illness, you have to constantly adapt, but these tips allow me to have a better quality of life on a daily basis.
Julie, 48 years old, suffering from psoriasis
“I exchange advice with other patients”
At first, when I was 20, I was ashamed of this disease and hid my plaques under loose clothing. Now I take full responsibility for myself, I dress as I want, even with skirts! When I have a big occasion and a psoriasis flare-up, I camouflage it by wearing clothes that cover or by putting tinted cream on the redness. The appearance is not optimal but it makes the plaques less visible and distracts the eye. On a daily basis, I learned to live better with psoriasis. The most important thing, to do at least twice a day, is hydration of the body and face. This is essential during flare-ups because the cream softens the skin, the scabs are less dry and bleed less. When I’m in crisis, I also pay attention to my lifestyle: drink a lot of water, limit alcohol or coffee which are drying, eat a good diet, limit stress and overwork, etc. Finally, my last advice is to talk about the disease with those around you but also with people who have the same pathology, via associations or groups on social networks. We exchange advice, we talk freely about our difficulties without being judged. It also allows you not to feel alone, to be more accepting and to calm down.
Manon, 29 years old, suffering from acne
“I track down harmful ingredients”
Between the ages of 23 and 26, acne disfigured me. I no longer recognized my face and no treatment reduced the marks. By researching and testing other solutions, I managed to overcome this disease. The first step was to sort and to remove all the bad cosmetic and hygiene products I was using, that is to say those whose ingredients were harmful like Sodium Laureth Sulfate, a stripper which destroys the skin barrier but which nevertheless made up the cleansing gel for acne that I used at the time! Afterwards, I worked a lot on my stress and anxiety, to reduce them on a daily basis. The final step was to change my birth control method. I switched from the hormonal IUD to the copper one. The improvement was radical, in about a year, I had almost no acne. Today, like everyone else, during my periods or periods of stress, I feel much better about myself. I also recommend that women who suffer from it have good skin hydration. This is counter-intuitive because we tend to think that the skin needs to dry but, in reality, it is dehydration that promotes the appearance of spots. Personally, I have a twice-a-day skincare routine. I always start with a purifying gel to cleanse my skin followed by a makeup remover if it’s in the evening. Then, a moisturizing cream then a hazelnut oil that I apply by massaging my face so that the products penetrate well.
Skin problems: the opinion of a dermatologist
In addition to treatments, how can you improve your quality of life when you suffer from a skin disease?
For psoriasis, eczema and acne, today we have treatments – local or oral – which are very effective. But the patient can also take action by taking care of their lifestyle: diet, stress, alcohol consumption, etc. Among the concrete advice, I often tell patients to expose themselves to the sun in summer, before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m. It’s not always intuitive when you have a skin problem, but light is beneficial. For acne, I recommend reviewing the skincare routine, using creams or makeup that are not comedogenic, carefully analyzing the ingredients and banning certain ones like parabens, changing the pill if the acne is hormonal, etc. For contact eczema, which is a reaction of the skin to an external substance and which often complicates atopy, I ask my patients to do patch tests to find the responsible allergens and eliminate them.
Today, are we better treating the psychological aspect of the disease?
Of course, in our society where everyone must be seen in their best light, having a skin disease is often very difficult to live with. In overall care, the psychological factor is increasingly taken into account. As a healthcare professional, I listen to patients because it is important that they can speak and feel understood, which is not always the case in the private sphere.
Thanks to Isabelle Gallay, dermatologist
Read also :
⋙ Eczema or psoriasis: how to tell the difference?
⋙ Acne: here is the ingredient that you should definitely not apply to your face according to a dermatologist
⋙ Eczema, psoriasis, vitiligo: advice from the dermatologist to better cope with your skin disease