Triderma MD Eczema Fast Healing Cream
I have what I like to call "Bad First Impression Eczema," meaning that I have eczema, but only on my face and hands. It's not severe, but it's enough to be annoying and make me self conscious. I tend to get eczema after a breakout, so I'll have to treat my acne spots, then treat the eczema that comes after the acne. The Clarisonic is a big help with keeping flakiness and irritation away, but sometimes I need to bring out the big guns and give those itchy flakes some heavy-duty treatment. This is where Triderma MD Eczema Fast Healing Cream comes in.
I found this cream at Walgreens during a particularly bad flakeout (flakes after a breakout). It seems medical (the box actually says "medical strength"), which in my mind equals effective, and I was desperate for some serious help. I bought a tube, tried it out, and BAM! I was speeding down the road to recovery. The number one thing I like about this cream is that it doesn't break me out. My skin can be so sensitive, so I was a little wary of putting it on my face, but it worked great without any ill effects. The cream is thick, and smells just medicine-y enough to make you feel like you're using something super powerful. Sometimes if my skin is really raw it stings when I first put the cream on, but it's a good kind of sting where I think, "Oooh, that means it's working!" Usually though, it just feels like I'm putting a nice, protective layer of comfort on my skin. It's like my skin is being swaddled and quietly rocked to sleep. That may sound weird, but seriously, I put this stuff on and will literally close my eyes and go, "Aaaaahhhhhhh." It's that comforting.
In addition to having occasional face eczema, I also use Retin-A, which can make your skin super flaky and sensitive. Sometimes if my skin is feeling really raw and I have a few flaky spots I'll just smear this stuff all over my face like a regular moisturizer before I go to bed. Otherwise I usually just put it on the affected spots. Even if you don't have eczema, if you're using Retin-A or anything else that makes your skin super sensitive, this cream could really help you out.
In terms of moisturizer, I'd say I use this when my skin is at it's worst, Weleda Skin Food when it's inbetween good and bad but needs some serious moisture, and regular old moisturizer (Right now I'm using Vanicream Lite) the rest of the time. And just because I use it on my face doesn't mean you can't use it all over your body. Elbows, legs, knuckles, whatever. For those of us with eczema, this is the ticket to being flake-free.