A dermatologist rating 7 viral tiktok eczema hacks

If you’ve ever fallen down a tictoc rabbit hole looking for EczemaYou are not alone. The platform is full of creative solutions, from beef balm to allergy tests, and each video seems to promise a miracle cure, usually with before and after pictures to prove it. But in a space where wellness trends can get viral overnight, it can be difficult to know what tips are legitimate, which are harmless but over-skinned, and which can actually aggravate your inflating.

Eczema affects more than 31 million Americans, and when itch, inflamed and desperate after relief, you are willing to try almost anything. But not all hacking is created equally, and some may not do as much as social media make them seem.

That is why I called board certified dermatologist Corey HartmanMD, to get his expert to take. When I asked him to weigh in on Tiktok’s most popular eczema chop, he did not hold back and called one of them “the most boring” of gangs and insists that the basics are important more than anything. “I think people want to skip the simple things, which is a good, solid, consistent skin care regime and start doing all this other things,” he says. “Just put on the damn moisturizer!”

So which hacks are actually worth trying, and which ones should you browse by? Below, Dr. Hartman the upper Tiktok hacks for eczema and rates them as worthy of hype, take it or leave it or hard pass.

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Corey L. HartmanMD, is a board -certified dermatologist and founder of the Skin Wellness Center in Birmingham, al.

Hack 1: Moisturizing right after the shower

This is the cornerstone of eczema care, and Dr. Hartman says this is the first thing he recommends that his patients do. He explains that eczema is basically a skin barriers: “It is almost like mortar between the bricks is not really there, so the water avoids. Because of that lack of a barrier to keep the hydration in, everything about eczema really has to do with restoring that skin barrier.”

Bathing hydrate the skin, but that water can quickly evaporate unless you capture it. “When you bathe or showers, you want to take advantage of that hydration and lock it in with a good moisturizer,” he says. “You get more hydration by taking a bath or shower than you do by drinking eight glasses of water.” The trick is about timing: Moisturizer should last within three minutes of having towels, while the skin is still moist.

Dr. Hartman suggests keeping a moisturizer in the bathroom so there is no excuse to skip it. The key, he emphasizes, is to have “a good, solid, consistent skincare regime”, not just moisturizing once in a while.

Rating: Worth hype

Hack 2: Beef Tallow Balm

Beef scalp may have a nostalgic, back-to-base vibe on TiktokBut Dr. Hartman says it is a trend eczema that has suffered. “Animal fat can be comedogent; it can clog pores, it can cause folliculitis and acne,” he warns.

This risk is particularly high for people with compromised skin barriers, as clogged pores can lead to painful shocks or even infection. “There are so many other active ingredients and better products that you can use safely that will not have you have problems,” says Dr. Hartman. “We don’t have to swallow in the water of the animal fat to moisturize our skin.”

If you want a thick, occlusive moisturizer, he recommends gasoline-based products (such as regular vaseline) or rich barrier cream that is non-comedogenic-in principle anything but beef.

Rating: Hard pass

Hack 3: Cut out sugar

Many TikTok creators swear by cutting out sugar as a way to clean up eczema inflaces, but Dr. Hartman says science is not there yet. “I think sugar is the devil. It is much more common in our society than in other communities that are healthier,” he says. “Anytime I can tell people not to take in so much sugar, I think it’s helpful.”

Still, he makes it clear that the connection between sugar and eczema is thin: “If I had a conversation about skin and inflammation and sugar, it would be more in the acne area, not really eczema. It is not linked to your eczema, bride.” So, in any case, cut sugar for your general health-wit you just don’t that it should be a cure for your skin.

Rating: Take it or leave it

Hack 4: Colloidal oatmeal products

Infectors have marketed rolled oats As the new “pure girl” ingredient, found in Tiktok -famous products such as Eczema honey original skin-soaked cream ($ 30), but Dr. Hartman points out that dermatologists have recommended it for decades and with good reasons. “Colloidal oatmeal has been in Aveeno for decades, but yes, it is anti -inflammatory,” he says.

He has actually published research on the efficiency of the ingredient: “I have written paper with (Aveeno) showing that in the absence of access to dermatology care for low -income areas, if you can get to a little aveeno, you can get the same level of improvement on your eczema that you can with steroid cream.”

That is why he loves to recommend oatmeal -based products, like Aveenos Eczema Therapy Rescue Aid Treatment Gel Cream ($ 18) and Gold Bond’s eczema relief hand and body lotion ($ 16). They are affordable, generally available and clinically proven to reduce itching and inflammation, which is a rare combination in the world of skin care without disk. Tiktok may hype it as if it is a discovery, but this is one of the cases where hype matches science.

Rating: Worth hype

Hack 5: Grahams C+ Cream

Graham’s C+ Cream ($ 17) is a product that has done Rounds on TiktokWith users who claim their mix of manuka honey and botany, their eczema cured. Dr. Hartman does not dismiss it directly, but he is careful to temperate expectations. “There is no magic with any of these products. All these active ingredients are things that have been in products forever,” he explains.

He notes that Manuka Honey has real anti-inflammatory properties-“There are definitely certain properties there that are advantageous,” says Han-and that ceramides in the formula help to strengthen the skin barrier. But he emphasizes that you can get the same benefits of proven pharmacy brands: “There are other products out there that are more accessible, more affordable and as effective, such as Cerave or Aveeno.”

So if Grahams works for you, good, but don’t feel that you need to spend extra money to get the results.

Rating: Take it or leave it

Hack 6: Allergy testing

Recommendation for allergy testing Videos And comments are definitely available on Tiktok, with users who claim that they “cured” their eczema by discovering food triggers. Dr. Hartman calls this “the most boring” of gang. “Allergy testing or dot testing is done by allergies, and it will give you information about things you take in your body – food, medicines – and it has more to do with asthma and breathing,” he explains.

Eczema, on the other hand, is a skin barrier question. “You may think that things you should temporarily avoid, but you can avoid all these things and still have eczema,” he says. At his dermatology office, they would “never test every eczema patient” unless there were respiratory problems or signs of allergic contact dermatitis.

He also points out that these tests can be expensive and not always covered by insurance.

Rating: Hard pass

Hack 7: fragrance -free everything

Fragrance -free products have long been the gold standard for sensitive skin, but Dr. Hartman believes that the fear of scent can be a little exaggerated. “Every now and then there is a bogeyman: first it was petroleum, then it was scent,” he says. “The pendulum has kind of swung back, and most of us realize that all scent is not necessarily the devil.”

He emphasizes that the priority will still keep the skin barrier healthy. “If you are proper to keep your skin barrier intact, the scent is not as great,” he says. “If you can avoid it, do it, but it is not the main issue for most eczema patients.”

Rating: Take it or leave it

The bottom line

Eczema care does not have to be complicated. Dr. Hartman says that the basics, such as repairing the skin barrier and moisturizing consistently, will take you further than most Tiktok trends ever could. “If you can’t access prescription steroid creams, I would stick to oatmeal and do it within three minutes after you get out of the shower,” he says. “Keep it simple, stupid.”

Olivia Tauber Is a freelance writer based in New York and pursues his master’s degree in journalism at NYU. She is the contributing assistant’s beauty editor at Popsugar and contributor to New York Magazine’s The Cut, Interview, Bustle, Self and Huffpost. Her career began in the company’s publicity at Showtime, followed by production for “The Pivot”, an Emmy-nominated series.