The Truth About Eczema

“One in 10 people
will have
eczema
in their lifetime”.

 
"Atopic dermatitis (atopic eczema) is a chronic relapsing and remitting inflammatory skin disease affecting one in 10 people in their lifetime. Atopic dermatitis is caused by a complex interaction of immune dysregulation, epidermal gene mutations, and environmental factors that disrupts the epidermis causing intensely pruritic skin lesions." Atopic Dermatitis: Diagnosis and Treatment by Winfred Frazier and Namita Bhardwaj.

We need to talk about this— there’s a reason this is so common. Eczema is considered an inflammatory condition in which any number of external or internal sources can cause inflammation in and through the skin resulting in dryness, itching, blisters, or rashes. We know that eczema is often triggered by environmental stressors.

But there’s a glaring question— why, when most people go to the doctors office experiencing eczema, are things like their body wash, shampoo, laundry detergent, moisturizers, makeup, home cleaning products, fragrances and daily consumptions not addressed? 
Eczema largely occurs inside the body— the gut, nervous system, organ system toxicity, parasites, medications administered at birth etc… these are all largely at play.

Then there are many external factors that are overarching like mold, pollen, allergens— but the most predominate is product consumption. When we have toxins on the inside and then load our external environment in them, what do we think will happen to the body when it comes to applying upwards of 15-30 products a day that have heavy allergenic chemicals in them?

But to make matters worse, the next steps look like this: shower/bathe with chemical body wash rinsing off what’s left of your struggling skin microbiome, lather it with petroleum (a horrid chemical made from black tar oil rigs) locking in these ingredients to an unbreathable extent which is suffocating the skin, creating an acid wrap. Defeated, we return to the doctors and say “I’m worse”. And off you go, with the same regimen causing your inflammation in the first place but now with a topical steroid in hand. One that will surely cause worsening issues as your skin learns to rely on a steroid to do it’s natural job. Eczema is a billboard— not a burden. There is a reason that “there is no known cause”. It’s because we’re looking in the wrong place.

Eczema is the skin screaming there are things inside and outside that shouldn’t be there. This all starts with self advocation. When you learn what is hurting you, you can then fight for your body. That’s where true change begins. One thing we know for sure is that eczema is deeply affected and triggered by external factors. Creating a healthy environment for the skin to heal while maintaining it's microbiome is critical. This is why eczema in relation to product consumption is necessary to understand. We need to protect the skin like the vital organ that it is. 

While you work on addressing the route causes of your internal stressors, we can surely give you the peace of mind that you've been looking for-- safe, effective and absolutely clean ingredients that work hard to heal skin at the surface. Grassfed and finished beef suet tallow and organic cold pressed olive oil (and therapeutic grade essential oils)... these are ingredients that you can count on. SMEAR is here for you.

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