What Is The Difference Between Eczema and Dry Skin?

Let's face it, when it comes to skin health, knowing the difference between dry skin and eczema is critical for when understanding how to manage it and the right treatments. Although both conditions can cause discomfort, itchiness an irritation, they actually have very different characteristics and requite different approaches to care. Sure, they're quite similar but let's explore what exactly makes them that little bit different.  

What actually is dry skin?

Let's face it: Some of us struggle with 'dry skin' but we don't really know what this means. The scientific name is 'xerosis', and it's a condition that occurs when the skin lacks sufficient moisture due to a variety of factors, which include: 

Weather Conditions: Think cold, dry air in winter can strip the skin of its natural oils.
Aging: As we age, our skin produces less oil, leading to dryness.

Hot Showers: Believe it or not, prolonged hot showers can impact the moisture of your skin as hot water can remove natural oils.

Harsh Soaps and Detergents: Products with really strong chemicals can deplete the skin's moisture barrier.

Dehydration: Not drinking enough water can also contribute to dry skin.

When it comes to symptoms, there are a few that are super common - usually, these are rough, scaly or flaky patches or skin, tightness, especially after bathing or swimming (or using a cleansers that are stripping. Luckily for you, both our Orinrin Cleanser and Oju Omi Cleanser do not strip the skin as they're super gentle), and generally redness and irritation. 

How to manage dry skin?

Having soft, supple, moisturised skin is something we're all consistently striving for. Especially living in the UK, where we have freezing winters and (occasionally) a scorching summer, so our skin naturally takes a beating. The first thing we recommend:

Moisturise Regularly: It's no secret that Shea Butter is the ultimate moisturiser, apply our Gold Shea Butter or Ivory Shea Butter all over your body and leave overnight. You'll wake-up feeling like a whole new human. Take our word for it.

Avoid Hot Water: We know this is so hard, especially living in the UK, where it's so cold. We know you want to get home and run a hot bath or shower,  but consider lukewarm water and you'll see a massive difference. We also suggest using our Idan Oil as a bath oil, drop a few mls into bath and let marinate before you get in. You'll feel relaxation like never before.

Stay Hydrated: Is there anything better than an ice-cold water? (There isn't, maybe an Iced Tea - but that's subjective!). Make sure you're drinking plenty of water throughout the day, this will really help keep your skin hydrated.

What is eczema?

Eczema is a chronic infalammatory skin condition that's often linked to genetic and environmental factors. Some of the most common triggers include: Allergens, like pollen, or irritants like soaps, detergents and even perfumes. Sometimes, eczema can be triggered by the climate, extreme tempreatures and humidity levels can worsen symptoms. Also, stress can massively trigger and aggravate eczema. 

Eczema symptoms can vary, but commonly include:

Intense itchiness, red to brownish patches, thickened scaly skin, small raised bumps that may leak fluid, crusting and oozing, swollen and sensitive skin.

How to manage eczema?

Eczema can be managed quite effectively with a combination of lifestyle changes and treatments:

Moisturise Frequently: We don't want to harp on about how good our Shea Butter is, but, hear us out. It's truly the miracle balm for eczema. Abi, who has a young daughter with eczema, consistently applies our Shea Butter to her little one and sees massive improvements. She is a huge advocate of using our Shea as a cure-all!

Medications: Topical corticosteroids and other prescribed meds can help manage the inflammation. Remember, you need to see a doctor for these.

Bathe Properly: This may sound silly, but taking short and lukewarm baths using mild, fragrance-free cleansers will change the game.

Soft fabrics are a must! Choose cotton or other soft fabrics to reduce irritation.

Manage your stress levels, this might sound obvious, but managing your stress levels plays a huge part in keep irritation at bay, think about stress-reducing techniques such as yoga or meditation.

What's the difference between eczema and dry skin/

Though, yes, symptoms are similar there are key differences. The underlying casuse of dry skin is primarly environmental factors and dehydration whereas eczema is a chronic condition with genetic and immune components. Dry skin is usually temporary and can be easily managed, whereas, where eczema is chronic, it may require longer-term treatment. Eczema also presents itself with more severe inflammation, redness and sometimes crusting, whilst dry skin looks flaky and rough without signification inflammation. But the factor that brings both these two together is that they're managed by one simple thing: Apply moisturiser liberally (and lifestyle changes of course!). Eczema may require more comprehensive treatment, but a good, moisturiser will do the job in the short-run.

If you have questions about how to apply our Shea Butters, ping us on hello@lihabeauty.com and we're always happy to help!

If you fancy reading other blogs, check out:

How To Look After Your Décolletage?

What Is The Story of Queen Mother Idia?