October is Eczema Awareness Month! As a dermatologist I take care of lots of patients who have eczema and/or dry skin. Let’s get ready to learn about cleansing in the setting of dry skin and eczema!

In the past it has been recommended that people who have dry skin or eczema should not bathe every day. Guess what? Not true. It’s actually okay to bathe your skin daily! You can safely bathe every single day. However you must remember to use lukewarm water. If the water is too hot, it can dry out your skin. Moisturizing is key, but I digress because this is a blog post about cleansing.

After bathing, if your skin feels squeaky clean… Guess what? That’s actually a bad thing! That means that you have ripped away all of the natural oils that occur on the skin. So… squeaky clean is not quite a goal you actually want to have. You definitely want to cleanse the skin with something that is gentle and will replenish the moisture in your skin.

Bathing should ideally be limited to five minutes or less. So… about the length of two of your favorite songs! Sing away… for 5 minutes.

I hope that you have enjoyed these tips about cleansing in the setting of eczema and dry skin! In appreciation of Eczema Awareness Month, seek care from a dermatologist if you have dry, itchy skin!