Sleepless Nights? How to help stop itchy, dry skin keeping your little one up at night
Sponsored by Doublebase Emollient Gel
 
Dry skin and eczema affects up to 20% of children in Ireland. It may seem like a common condition but dealing with rough, flaky and itchy skin can be all-consuming for parents and carers and desperately uncomfortable for your little ones.
 
So why are some people prone to dry skin and eczema?
Moisture is essential for our skin. It helps skin stay healthy and prevents irritation as well as speeding up the healing process. With dry skin or eczema, skin doesn't keep this moisture locked in, which gives it a rough texture that makes it prone to irritation. This condition also makes children scratch, which further damages the skin, causing a vicious cycle that many parents know all too well.
 
In the beginning, all the information that you receive can seem overwhelming. So here's our simple guide to dealing with skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis.
 
Firstly, it is important to know some of the basics. Dry skin is different from dehydrated skin. Dehydrated skin is lacking water, whilst dry skin is lacking in oils (lipids) and usually lasts longer. 
 
 
Eczema is one of the more common skin conditions in children, affecting one in five. In some cases, eczema can also lead to sleepless nights, which is obviously really hard for both kids and parents to deal with. Dry skin conditions should usually be managed with the regular use of emollients.
 
What are emollients?
These are non-cosmetic moisturisers that help to keep skin comfortable and less itchy. Finding the right one that suits your child is really important and worth the research. Emollients come in different forms; ointments (which can be greasy) creams (require frequent reapplication) and gels such as Doublebase Emollient Gel (absorbs easily and simple to apply).
 
Doublebase Emollient Gel is ideal for those with dry or chapped skin, or dry skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis or ichthyosis, and is available for self-selection in your pharmacy.
 
It helps to soften chapped skin, and moisturises and protects skin leaving a barrier of oils that help prevent water loss. During clinical trials, 88% of patients rated the reduction in dryness and itching as excellent, good or satisfactory. Compared to two other cream emollients, the Doublebase Emollient Gel formulation provided a significant increase in skin hydration. 
 
 
What do children think?
 
In a study of children with atopic eczema, they were given a choice of seven different emollients, and the Doublebase Emollient Gel formulation proved the most popular.  It is suitable for all age groups including babies, and it is also steroid-free and available in an easy-to-use pump dispenser.
 
A good tip to try to help children form a good habit around scratching is to encourage them to blow on their skin for 10 seconds, if they get the urge to scratch. By turning this into a habit, you can help children to reinforce the idea that the itch signal is delayed.
 
It is distressing to see your child uncomfortable, but by adopting the best options in available treatment, such as Doublebase Emollient Gel, you can take the first steps in making things a little more manageable for your child by helping them to sleep better at night.
 
Visit MyDoublebase.ie to find out more.
 
Brought to you by
Doublebase Emollient Gel is clinically proven to soften, moisturise and protect dry skin. Available from Pharmacies. Always read the label. For more information, click here.

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