Impact on eczema
People who suffer from eczema face all kinds of risks when it comes to experiencing a flare-up in their condition. Almost anything they come into contact with on a daily basis can trigger an increase in the severity of symptoms. From cleaning products to handling citrus, there are a number of potential irritants. Many people with this condition may not be aware that there is a definite link between eczema and laundry detergent. The chemicals and different ingredients involved in creating these products can cause the condition to worsen without the patient being aware of the cause. The itching and inflammation associated with the condition can often be directly related to a person’s cleaning routine of clothing. However, there are some steps that can be taken to minimize these types of risks.
Are there dangers?
Both laundry detergents and fabric softeners can cause people to experience discomfort. While a person may not experience any type of reaction when he first starts using a particular product, these chemicals and detergents can build up on clothing over time. As the chemicals build up, they are slowly released, causing a person’s condition to steadily worsen. The oxidants that are present in most detergents help them in removing stains. However, these chemicals also dry out and damage skin cells. As the pH levels in the skin change, they inevitably lead to skin irritation and inflammation. Fabric softeners can be especially irritating due to the fact that they are designed to coat fabrics with particular chemicals that make them feel softer with each wash.
Precautions and solutions
Scented products have also been linked to increased skin irritation in people who suffer from eczema. The best laundry detergent for eczema avoids these types of unnecessary ingredients. You can also lessen the damaging effects of detergent by using only minimal amounts of soap and skipping fabric softeners altogether. While it’s important not to wash your clothes too often when you suffer from eczema, you should always wash new clothes before you wear them. Fabrics are finished with dyes and other chemicals that can be slowly released on the skin. It’s also important to pay attention to the size of the loads you wash regularly. When you overload the machines, the detergent won’t have a chance to dissolve properly, allowing higher amounts of chemicals to build up on the fabrics.
Treat with detergents
A considerable number of people also wash their clothes by hand and apply starches after they have been washed. While there is no inherent chemical in starch that directly affects eczema, starch does cause fabric to stiffen. Stiff fabrics cause a greater amount of friction that can irritate and dry out the skin. When washing clothes by hand, you should make sure the detergent has enough time to completely dissolve in the water before you agitate the fabric. You should thoroughly rinse fabrics when you are done washing and wear gloves to decrease the amount of contact between the detergent and your skin. Completely dissolving the soap before starting other cycles in the machine is crucial when it comes to protecting the skin from the effects of eczema. People with this condition would do well to let the rinse cycle finish completely or run the rinse cycle twice to ensure complete dilution of the detergents.
