Kerry Washington has lived with eczema since she was a toddler. “I’ve struggled with delicate, dry pores and skin since earlier than I can keep in mind,” she not too long ago informed Yahoo! Life. Now, at 46, the actor has discovered some aid, thanks, partly, to an ingredient that appears to be popping up in each cleanser, serum, and cream.
“I’m studying to essentially embrace hyaluronic acid,” she stated. “It has really remodeled the way in which that I’m capable of look after my pores and skin and the way my pores and skin seems to be and feels.” (Be aware: Washington is a Neutrogena ambassador, and hyaluronic acid is the model’s hero ingredient.)
The science backs her up on this: Eczema, a situation that impacts about 31 million folks within the US, usually manifests as dryness, itching, and irritation, usually on account of a compromised pores and skin barrier—the protecting layer of your pores and skin that retains the dangerous stuff out and the good things, like mandatory moisture, in. Sustaining hydration with an ingredient like hyaluronic acid, a humectant that pulls a ton of water to the floor of the pores and skin, might be key for not solely managing flare-ups, however maintaining that barrier wholesome usually.
As a result of sure types of eczema might be triggered by allergens and irritants, like fragrances and dyes, it normally responds greatest to light skincare, as SELF beforehand reported. Different soothing substances that may ease itchy, dry, or in any other case delicate pores and skin embrace glycerin (one other humectant that reduces moisture loss), ceramides (which reinforce the pores and skin’s construction), colloidal oatmeal (an anti-inflammatory), and petrolatum (an occlusive that seals in hydration and acts as a protecting barrier), amongst others.
For Washington, Neutrogena’s Hydro Increase Physique Cream, is “actually efficient,” she informed At present, and she or he’s additionally keen on the Hydro Increase Gel Cream, she informed The Zoe Report. (The star ingredient in each moisturizers is, you guessed it, hyaluronic acid.) As for the remainder of her routine, the 46-year-old retains it easy with cleanser, sunscreen through the day, and retinol at evening.
For infrequent breakouts, she turns to pimple patches. “I is usually a little bit of a picker in relation to blemishes, which is such a nasty behavior,” she stated. “I believe it comes from, as a child, having eczema and at all times itching and scratching—that type of sensory, tactile factor.”
Exterior of slathering on lotions, Washington informed Yahoo! Life that her glow additionally comes from an total give attention to wellness: sleep, hydration, train, meditation, the works.
She particularly struggles with stress (a recognized eczema set off), and does her greatest to handle it with a lot of self-care, together with remedy. Getting sufficient relaxation is a biggie too. “Taking good care of pores and skin can be a holistic job,” she stated. “Generally that [looks] like cocooning in my bubble tub and taking it straightforward.”
Associated: