Can you use Vanicream Moisturizing Cream for facial eczema?

Why it is a reasonable choice

Eczema makes skin dry, itchy and inflamed. Moisturizers help trap moisture, and creams or ointments are generally better choices for eczema than lotions. Vanicream Moisturizing Cream is designed for dry, sensitive skin and contains petrolatum. It is free of fragrance, masking fragrances, botanical extracts and essential oils, and has the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance.1345

This is Vanicream Moisturizing Cream, not Daily Facial Moisturizer or Moisturizing Lotion. Vanicream explicitly permits facial use, so the tub does not need a second job title. The cream contains no ceramides; Vanicream's Daily Facial Moisturizer is a different formula that does.1

How to apply it to your face

1. 1Test the cream before putting it across your face. Apply it to a patch about the size of a quarter on the inside of your arm daily for 7 to 10 days. If the skin stays clear, start facial use.
2. 2Wash with warm rather than hot water. Keep baths or showers to 5 to 10 minutes, then gently pat your skin dry, leaving it slightly damp.
3. 3Smooth the cream gently onto your skin rather than rubbing vigorously. If you use a tub, remove the cream with a clean spoon or spatula to reduce contamination.
4. 4Reapply when your face feels dry or tight. Vanicream directs use as needed, including after bathing or swimming and before exposure to wind and cold.

You can use the cream during the day or at night. General emollient guidance suggests applying moisturizer at least 3 or 4 times daily, so morning and bedtime need not be the only opportunities.4

What should you expect?

Vanicream describes the cream as easy to spread, quickly absorbed and soothing for red, irritated, cracking or itchy skin. Moisturizing helps manage dryness, but eczema often persists or returns and can need medicines as well as skin care. The cream has a moisture job, not the entire eczema department. Keep moisturizing when your skin feels dry rather than treating the tub as a short course of medicine.125

Can you use it with prescription eczema cream?

For a steroid cream or another skin treatment, general guidance is to leave 20 to 30 minutes between the medicine and moisturizer, and ask your doctor which goes first. This avoids diluting the treatment or spreading it beyond the intended area. Pimecrolimus has specific directions: apply it to dry skin first, let it absorb completely, then apply moisturizer. Ask your prescriber about using Vanicream with it.46

When should you stop or get help?

Stop using a product that appears to trigger a new rash. Contact dermatitis, a rash caused by contact with an irritant or allergen, can develop even after years of using the same product. Fragrance avoidance does not rule out reactions to other ingredients. Persistent burning, stinging, inflamed follicles or worsening facial acne after an emollient are reasons to speak to a doctor or pharmacist.457

See a dermatologist for a rash that blisters, keeps returning or causes discomfort, or for raw, irritated skin that needs a tailored treatment plan. If moisturizing is not controlling your eczema, tell your dermatologist what helps and what does not so treatment can be adjusted.57

Keep emollient residue on clothing and bedding away from flames and cigarettes. Washing reduces buildup but does not remove it completely.4