Bamboo & Eczema

Eczema can be an uncomfortable, irritating and debilitating condition that can have a severe effect on the quality of life for those who suffer from it. Severe eczema can cause sleep loss, stress and depression. For parents of babies and children with eczema, it can also be distressing to see their children in pain or discomfort and constantly scratching an itch that doesn’t stop.

What is Eczema?

Eczema is the name given to the condition where the skin becomes irritated, cracked and inflamed. People who suffer from Eczema may have less fats and oils in their skin than those who do not. This means that the skin does not retain moisture as well and gaps may open up between the skin cells as they are not plumped up with water. The gaps allow more water to be lost from deeper layers of the skin and allow bacteria and irritants to pass into the deeper layers of the skin. Certain substances are known to aggravate eczema. For example soaps and detergents which remove the oils and fats from the skin. Healthy skin that has plumped up skin cells and a fats and oils is more able to repel allergens.

What Causes Eczema?

There are a number of different types of eczema. The most common is Atopic eczema which although not completely understood is thought to be due to a combination of a tendency passed from generation to generation and environmental factors. Triggers vary from person to person but some common triggers include soaps and detergents, dust mites and their droppings, animal fur, hair and saliva, pollen, overheating and rough clothing.

Eczema in babies and children

Although atopic eczema can affect people of any age but it primarily affects children with between 5 and 15% of children being affected by the age of seven. It is also a problem for many babies with it beginning in the first year of life for 60% of those children suffering from it.

The condition can also be aggravated in babies and children due to the itch scratch cycle. It can be very difficult to stop children from scratching as the itch will give them an intense urge to scratch.

Treatment of Eczema

There is currently no cure for eczema but it can be treated. Doctors and nurses can prescribe creams to moisturise and reduce inflammation. The avoidance of known triggers can also help to manage the condition.

How can bamboo and organic cotton help?

As rough clothing, chemicals, infection, being too warm and damp can all be triggers of atopic eczema, organic cotton and bamboo clothing are both though to help. Bamboo is very soft with sweat wicking, thermo regulating and anti bacterial properties, helping to reduce a number of the triggers of eczema. Organic cotton is also cool to wear and allows the skin to ‘breathe’. Both Bamboo and organic cotton clothes are free of chemical residues. The National Eczema Society provides a fact sheet with details of stockists of organic cotton, silk and bamboo clothing that may help sufferers of eczema.

There are plenty of parents who have found bamboo clothing to reduce eczema and the discomfort associated with it in their babies and children.