My husband and I grew up in the snow but sadly had to move to the big smoke in the lowlands for work. Due to this we take as many trips to the mountains as we can in order to reconnect, however the first time we took our son, a sufferer of eczema, it ended in disaster. Thankfully, we found a way to counteract the inflaming effects the thin, dry, air has on his skin.

WHAT IS ECZEMA?

Eczema is a common skin condition which is triggered by an allergic reaction. It is frequently called dermatitis, a catch-all term for inflammation of the skin, although some people use the term 'eczema' for specific types of dermatitis, such as atopic dermatitis in children.

Even though there are an array of instigators of eczema and dermatitis the effect is usually the same: when the skin is inflamed it gets red, swollen or blistered, and intensely itchy, leaving those with the condition in a continual state of unwavering discontent.

HOW DOES ALTITUDE AFFECT ECZEMA

As a rule of thumb, the higher the altitude the more extreme the climate and the greater effect it has on your skin, as was the situation during our vacation to Aspen. As a result of the increased elevation the air was considerably thinner , leaving it completely devoid of moisture. To throw further salt into the wound, the elevated climate's temperatures shifted drastically from warmer days with high UV levels to bitterly cold nights compensated for by hot, dry air in the mountain lodge.

As you can imagine, this had a considerably negative effect on my son's sensitive skin. The considerably drier air sucked all of the moisture out of his skin leaving it extremely dry, irritated, and red, basically igniting his eczema to unbearably high levels.

NATURAL SKIN CARE BALMS

Because this was our first experience of such inflated eczema we had no idea how to counteract it so we eventually cut our trip short in order to provide him with relief. So that our son could reap the full benefits of a fun trip to the snow, on our return we came armed with a solution.

After consulting a skin specialist we were told to bring a natural nourishing lotion that could replenish the moisture extracted from his skin. Thankfully this easy solution proved its worth to my son as his skin stayed hydrated, his eczema was kept at bay, and he could ski comfortably for the full two weeks.

We found the best type of natural skin care balms to be those which contain Helix Aspersa Muller glycoconjugates and rosehip seed oil, such as BIOBALM. These two ingredients are the closest natural substances that parallel the structural composition of human skin, allowing them to hydrate the skin more effectively than chemicals, essentially making it an excellent treatment for eczema. Furthermore, applying BIOBALM daily acts not only an outstanding eczema and dermatitis treatment, it is also a fantastic protector against sunburn and a wealth of other skin conditions and allergies. Needless to say, we don't hit the mountains without it!