In recent years, we have witnessed the rise of cannabis-infused products in the skin care market. This has gone hand-in-hand with the broader acceptance that cannabis has been acquiring both in society and legislation everywhere. Studies show that people who suffer from skin conditions or illnesses are growing more familiar with the health benefits brought by some cannabis components, such as cannabidiol — CBD.
CBD is a non-psychoactive component found in the cannabis plant. It is excellent for health issues due to its antioxidant, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. Doctors and dermatologists have been showing continuous interest in the possibilities of CBD as a treatment for skin-related issues. Damage provoked by oxidative stress and free radicals as we age, as well as psoriasis, acne, and eczema, could be successfully treated with the help of cannabidiol.
Unfortunately, it is still early as far as cannabis-related researches go. We still don’t know just how beneficial CBD could potentially be to treat all of these health issues. But what we have seen thus far does not disappoint.
Understanding Eczema
Eczema can be defined as a skin issue where the dermis becomes irritated and itchy. The term itself is both medically and commonly used, although it refers to a broader set of skin conditions.
As the National Eczema Association has revealed recently, approximately 30 million Americans suffer from eczema skin conditions. Dermatologists describe eczema as a skin condition where the skin barrier does not function at its best. This leads the skin to become increasingly dehydrated and inflamed. Symptoms of eczema include skin dryness and redness. Itchiness in the dermis is also very common. Although eczema is a hereditary skin condition, there are many external factors that may worsen it. If the environment triggers our allergies or irritates our skin, this might affect eczema in our body.
Eczema usually appears only as unsettling itchiness at different spots of our skin. It could be regular, or it could be temporary. In certain seasons of the year, the condition may be more sensitive to exposure. However, people with severe eczema might experience a far worse debilitating effect. To severely ailed patients, eczema could provoke major skin infections, as well as impairing the immune system. Mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, could also be triggered by severe eczema.
What Are the Best Ways to Treat Eczema?
Treating eczema usually requires two very important steps. Dermatologists and skin care professionals consider that eczema first requires the skin barrier to be repaired, to improve skin hydration. After that, we should check on the inflamed skin. If there is a major rash on certain areas of the skin, these could lead to inflammation, which is why they must also be treated.
Eczema can typically be treated through gentle skin cleansers and moisturizers. Hydrocortisone creams are often employed in the treatment of eczema, as are steroid ointments. Oral immunosuppressants and UV light therapy are also widely used to treat this condition.
How CBD Can Be Used
Doctors consider that CBD is a component with several soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it very useful to treat skin conditions, such as eczema. Endocannabinoid is a component that we produce naturally in our body, and it can also be found in our skin. CBD can be used to quell eczema by applying it to our skin, and relying on the endocannabinoids and receptors from it.
In medical terms, the endocannabinoid system is part of our immune system. This helps explain why skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema could be a symptom of immune system debilitation. Since skin is the largest organ in our body, it could also be regarded as part of the immune system. The weakened endocannabinoid system in our skin could be the one causing the skin condition. CBD can then be used to influence our endocannabinoid system, thus helping treat eczema successfully.
Many dermatologists regard CBD as a great component for skin treatment. They consider it positive that CBD’s beneficial properties impact the root of the skin conditions, but also that its origins are natural and plant-based. It could be considered a mirror-image of a molecule which our body produces by itself, in that toxicity is low, whereas the potential effect it brings can be significant.
How to Apply CBD as a Treatment for Eczema
The endocannabinoid system in our body has a regulatory function, in the sense that it accelerates things and slows them down when necessary. CBD could then work as a preventative component, or be used when we feel we’re getting a flare-up. Doctors believe that the gravity of the skin condition could determine whether we should treat eczema only with topicals, or if a combination of topicals and comestibles can be used.
If the skin issue is merely a moderate one, dermatologists consider that topicals are probably the best choice to treat it. If we develop a very irritated skin with a continuous set of eczema flare-ups, which could be a chronic skin condition, topicals and comestibles will be required. Doctors are growing confident on the effects of CBD as a means to treat eczema, both in topical and indigestible solutions.
Which Form of CBD Works Best?
Doctors advise us to use the full spectrum form of CBD to soothe a skin condition such as eczema. This will allow us to gain all the benefits the cannabis plant has to offer to treat the condition and lessen its harms. When it comes to hemp-derived forms of CBD, doctors consider it’s not such an easy question to answer. The key thing to distinguish whether hemp and cannabis can be paired is if the CBD form is an isolate.
If we choose to apply a CBD isolate that has no traces of cannabinoids or any other terpenes, we can’t experience the full health effects the component has to offer. Data shows that something called the Entourage Effect has a beneficial impact when CBD is used to treat skin conditions. Unfortunately, this effect only shows in full spectrum CBD.
What Is the Future of CBD and Eczema?
Most professionals in the medical industry consider that eczema patients will be treated with CBD in the future. Studies consistently show that CBD has many anti-inflammatory effects when it’s employed to treat skin conditions. Not only it is beneficial in the treatment of eczema now, but it will probably become part of prescribed medications in the near future.
