National Eczema Week

National Eczema Week runs from 10 to 18 September and this year's challenge from the National Eczema Society is for non-eczema sufferers to wear a glove or gloves to find out what it's like to have to wear protective clothing even when carrying out simple tasks like buttering toast or typing an email.

The Hand in Glove – the ECZperience campaign alerts non-sufferers to the daily inconveniences eczema sufferers have to put up with.

Dr Chris Steele's top tips for eczema sufferers:

• Moisturise Moisturise Moisturise. This is one of the important things that sufferers can do to help themselves. Skin with eczema is dry and needs all the help that it can get. Apply moisturisers frequently throughout the day and last thing at night. Always moisturise after a bath or a shower, as the skin will hold more moisture then.
• Avoid wool next to the skin as this can really irritate the eczema. Lanolin which is used extensively in many skin creams must also be avoided as it is the oil produced by wool bearing animals, primarily sheep. Synthetics may be tolerated but can make the skin sweat which again may irritate the skin. Cotton clothes and bedding are the best as cotton is cool, non-irritant and allows the skin to breathe
• Keep the nails as short as possible even adults scratch in their sleep.  Scratching damages the skin and infection can be introduced this way. Long-term scratching also causes the skin to thicken (lichenification) so keeping the nails short and smooth can minimize trauma to the skin. Children may be helped further by wearing cotton mittens at night.
• Avoid chemicals in skin products. Many skin products contain chemicals that will irritate sensitive skin. Natural products that contain no Sodium laurel sulphate, no parabens, no lanolin and no artificial fragrances are best.
• Drink more water. Keeping the body well hydrated can help prevent the skin becoming excessively dry - a common problem with eczema. Dry sin cracks and itches and can then become infected - so drink plenty of fluids.