Does zinc oxide improve eczema or does the dryness make it worse?

Zinc oxide is a trace mineral that can help with the inflammation associated with eczema when applied topically because it acts as an anti-inflammatory.

Trace minerals are essential compounds found in food that the body needs to grow, function as it should as well as produce hormones and enzymes. One of the root causes of eczema can be a zinc deficiency so whilst zinc on the skin is important, it is also a good idea to find out if your child is deficient. This may be an issue as blood tests can be traumatic for children, so ensuring your child is getting sufficient foods containing zinc may prove helpful without having to rely on supplements that can be risky to take if your child’s zinc levels cannot be checked.

Eczema is a broken skin barrier caused by various issues that can vary from child to child, which is why eczema can feel incredible difficult to manage however, everyone with eczema will have a broken skin barrier so when it comes to using skincare that can help the function of this skin barrier is exactly what eczema needs for healing. 

So why is zinc so special?

If your child has had eczema for more than a few weeks you will already know doctors are quick to prescribe topical steroids. Whilst I do not disagree with the approach of tackling the skin inflammation topically, I do not support the use of steroids to do so because of the documented side effects (despite many being told there are none) and the limitations around long term use. Zinc oxide is a suitable alternative for many children, even providing better and more longer lasting relief even after stopping the use of zinc.

Not only is zinc oxide an anti-inflammatory, is also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties albeit not to be used as a substitute for antibiotics because infections can be fast growing and life threatening in children. They can also be caused by viral and not just bacterial. These properties may however prevent or reduce skin infection. Skin infections in people with eczema can be common, and can make the eczema symptoms worse resulting in a viscous cycle. Topical steroids can actually worsen or spread infection. 

Itchy skin is very common and finding a topical that can help with relieving that is vital to stop the itch scratch cycle which can make eczema worse. Zinc can be helpful at soothing the skin and relieve the itch. It can also help to retain the moisture that can otherwise be lost in people with eczema due to the broken skin barrier, by acting as a protective layer. This can also help to protect the skin from further environmental irritants that can cause more irritation.

Are there any drawbacks? 

Yes, unfortunately zinc is pure white and in order to have the right % of zinc in the product, to make it effective, it will leave a white mark on the skin. This can be particularly noticeable in darker skin tones. With babies and toddlers this isn’t too much of a problem but as a child becomes older and aware, they may not want it on when others can see them. 

Then there is the skin dryness. Early on in our eczema journey, I tried Sudocrem. I was using it for my son’s nappy and I couldn’t ignore that it states eczema on the tub. I did a little digging into zinc and it seemed like a magic fix so after checking with our eczema doctor and given the okay to try it, I did. Within a few days my son’s skin clearly became less inflamed but started to become more dry. At this point, I didn’t know enough about eczema and being told continuously by medical professionals that dry skin is the problem, I stopped using it. Roll forward a few months, and the more I educated myself on eczema the more I was discovering that our skin actually needs to dry in order for the deeper layers to rise, shed and for new skin is form. Just like a graze, a scab will form and it will dry and become tight. Often during this time the skin can become tender and itchy but we know we have to fight all temptations to pick the scab because just around the corner it will fall off and healed skin will be underneath. I couldn’t shake this theory, so I tried it again. Only this time, with the same of finding a balance between allowing the skin to dry, flake off and heal vs becoming too dry, too itchy and too sore. 

Combining Sudocrem with Balmonds Skin Salvation not only created this balance it also helped with the white cast left on the skin, making it less of a problem from that perspective too. 

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