Tips and Advice Explanation
When exercising wear loose clothing and remove sweat regularly by patting the skin with a towel. Limit the length of time that you exercise for to ensure that the skin doesn’t get too hot and itchy During exercise you get hot and sweaty which can make eczematous skin more itchy, irritated and sore. Wearing loose clothing will allow your skin to breathe and you to stay cool while patting, rather than wiping, the skin with a towel will remove excess sweat without irritating the skin
Shower immediately after exercising and apply emollient Showering immediately after exercise will remove sweat from the skin as well as cooling it down. However showering can dry the skin so, after patting the skin almost dry, apply an emollient to trap in moisture
Apply an emollient before and after swimming Chlorine and water can irritate and dry out your skin. Applying an emollient before exposure forms a barrier which can help alleviate this. Once you finish swimming rinse off thoroughly or shower straight away to wash off the chlorine. You should not wait until you get home as the chlorine will have dried onto your skin and while it’s in contact with the skin it will keep irritating it. Remember after showering pat the skin and when it is almost dry apply the emollient, this will trap moisture in and hydrate the skin further
Apply a pre-bathing emollient before bathing Bathing can dry out the skin, applying a pre-bathing emollient beforehand forms a barrier which can help alleviate the drying effects
Use a SLS free emollient in the bath rather than bubble baths which may contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) Sodium lauryl sulfate can irritate the skin
Take warm, NOT HOT baths, lasting no longer than 10-15 mins The heat from the water can cause your skin to get hot which in turn causes itching and flare-ups so a warm bath is better than a hot one. Baths can also dry the skin so should be limited to 10-15 minutes
Use a non-slip bath mat in the bath or shower Emollients can cause bath and shower surfaces to become slippery so a non-slip mat will stop you slipping and prevent any injuries
Always pat your skin dry Do not rub the skin as this generates heat and can make the skin more itchy and irritated, always pat it dry
After bathing apply an emollient to skin that is almost dry An emollient should be applied, within 3-4 minutes of getting out of the bath or shower, to skin that is almost dry as this will trap in moisture thus hydrating it further

Tips & Advice Sheet – Exercise and Bathing Download PDF

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