Re: to scrub or not to scrub

The short answer to your question is "not to scrub" or "...no, don't scrub". Here's why...

I'm going to make the assumption that by scrubbing you mean exfoliating of the dead skin cells. Skin cells are constantly growing. As new skin cells form, the old skin cells die off. It (the skin) naturally exfoliates. This natural exfoliation is how the skin rids itself of toxins. When we bathe/cleanse the skin, we are helping the skin in the exfoliation process. As a result, exfoliation becomes an important, preventative skin care regimen for healthy skin. By exfoliating/shedding of the dead skin cells, the atmosphere for bacterial infection/irritation is greatly decreased.

The exfoliation that your question seems to refer to is what I am going to refer to as "assisted exfoliation". The reason that I'm making this distinction is due to the fact that the skin naturally exfoliates; and as a result, I don't want to confuse the points in my answer to you. "Assisted exfoliation (where a loofah, buff puff pad or other exfoliating tools/cleansers are used to slough off the dead skin cells) should not be done in a harsh, scrubbing manner. In addition, and keeping in mind that "assisted exfoliation" is a preventative skin care maintenance practice, you don't want to scrub or exfoliate the skin when the skin is irritated/inflamed/infected. Based upon the description of your skin lesions, your skin is already in the latter stage of the healing process. If you were to scrub/exfoliate, you would slow down or reverse the healing process. In essence, it would be like picking a scab.

The scab, (hard, crusty skin) serves as a protective barrier (against the free radicals/bacteria) for the new skin cells forming underneath the scab. As more and more of those skin cells form and thicken, they'll replace and push that hard scab lesion off of the skin to reveal the new skin underneath. If you pull the scab or scrub it off before the new skin is ready (completely formed underneath the scab), then you will run the risk of reopening the wound and reinfecting it. This starts the whole process over again. As a result, if you really want to nourish the new skin cells underneath the scab, then you would need to focus on feeding the cells the nutrients internally. This is where the diet with a focus on replenishing nutrients through whole food consumption comes into play. Vitamin E, essential fatty acid, and beta carotene foods/drinks are just some of the examples of the nutrients that would benefit/nourish the new skin cell growth. Remember that they are growing from the inside out. The internal care is essential for those cells. Scrubbing the crusty, hard skin layer to get to the new skin would cause more damage than good.

Basically, exfoliation is an important preventative measure; however, and when the skin is irritated, you want to hold off on exfoliating/harsh or abrasive scrubbing. One of the better things to do at this stage in the healing process is to gently wash/pat the skin and apply vitamin E oil as a moisturizer.

Your question is really important. Over and over, I speak about the healing process; however, I find that many people seem to lack an understanding of that process. As a result of the lack of understanding, they become frustrated with the process; and in a panic, end up reversing the process through suppression or some other form.

Here is a very basic description of what is happening during some of those stages:

Inflammation - histamine being released as the immune systems initial response to identifying/fighting off the allergen/irritant

Oozing/weeping (pus) - white blood cells are killing off the bacteria

Hard crusty skin/scab - where the skin was irritated/wounded, the hard crusty skin layer serves as a protective barrier for the new skin forming underneath. Eventually that layer will begin to dry and flake off; however, you don't want to force that process before its ready. If so, you run the risk of "picking the scab" and reinfecting the wound.

When I speak about the two week healing process for my niece's severe (total body) eczema flareup, I'm referring to these stages of healing. She first had the raw/irritated/inflamed skin. After identifying and removing her allergen/irritant, we began to care for the skin with the Burt's Bees Baby Bee skin care kit. We bathed the skin using the buttermilk soap/bath milk and followed up with the Buttermilk lotion as her moisturizer. After we bathed and moisturized the skin, we applied the Baby Bee talc free powder. This cooled the skin and relieved the itching. She began to show immediate healing results. The redness and inflammation went away in the first 3 days. The remainder of the week, the raw skin began to dry and form the hard protective layer of skin on the surface. It was during that second week, that the protective layer began to shed/flake. As we saw the skin flaking, we were able to gently exfoliate the flaking skin (by brushing the loose hanging skin with a towel/rag). At the end of that two week period, she had the most beautiful, flawless skin.

The hard crusty layer of skin is unsightly; however, it is the healing process. It is crucial that at that stage of the healing process, you don't scrub/pick the scab layer. Remember that the new skin is being protected by that barrier and will promote the exfoliation of that barrier when the skin cells have completely filled in underneath the wound. When the skin begins to flake, that is when you can begin to gently exfoliate.

aunty


Tweet