3 Reasons to use Colloidal Oatmeal on Eczema Prone Skin
What is colloidal Oatmeal?
Colloidal oatmeal is a natural ingredient that’s proven to be beneficial in both treating and relieving the symptoms of eczema. Oatmeal is an emollient, which helps moisturize the skin by protecting the skin barrier and providing moisture to the skin, says Orit Markowitz, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist. It is also an anti-inflammatory, which targets and helps treat inflammation and redness.
Markowitz recommends those with eczema to bathe in oatmeal, but you can also find the ingredient within skin-care products, including body washes, soaps and moisturizers, and use them as needed.
Our favorite is Teddy's Eczema Bar's 02 Naked Bar.
Why are oats good for eczema?
Ask the internet this question and you’ll be presented with a long list of positive answers — of course oats are great for the skin and for problem skin conditions such as eczema, everyone declares. Use skin creams with oats in them! Add oat-containing products or oats to your bath water! You’ll notice the difference, surely.
But is this true for everyone, in all cases?
One ‘negative’ piece of research was published in the journal Allergy ten years ago — Oat sensitivity in children with atopic dermatitis — which reported that skincare products for eczema could be responsible for skin allergies, and which set out to examine the prevalence of oat sensitivity in children.
300 children with eczema were patch tested and skin prick-tested to oats, with around 1 in 6 and 1 in 5 testing positive, respectively. Children under two were more likely to test positive. A third of oat-based moisturizer users tested positive, but none of the non-users did.
Researchers reported that these figures were higher than expected, and that topical oat-containing products should be avoided in infancy.
3 reasons to use colloidal oatmeal on eczema prone skin.
Reason 1: Oats are a skin super shield 🚫
Oatmeal helps moisturize the skin by protecting the skin barrier and providing moisture to the skin
Reason 2: Oats are a skin fire fighter 🧯
Oatmeal act as an anti-inflammatory, which targets and helps treat inflammation and redness on the skin.
Reason 3: Oats are a skin savior 👼🏾
Oatmeal alleviates dryness, itchiness and scaling associated with dry skin and atopic dermatitis (eczema) prone skin.