Eczema and Silk with Dr. Harley Farmer

Dr. Harley Farmer is the founder of Execzema and the author of the book – “What is Eczema: A path to ending the misery”.

Eczema is a condition where patches of skin become inflamed, itchy, red, cracked, and rough. Blisters may sometimes occur. Different stages and types of eczema affect 31.6% of people in the United States and the numbers are on the rise in the UK. 

Dr. Farmer you have been passionate about helping people with eczema over the years including adults, children and babies. What has been the inspiration behind this?

I’ve always had a drive and ambition to help those who need it.

Eczema is a skin condition which is uncomfortable, irritating and painful. Through research and application, I discovered what was causing eczema and had the means of showing people how to end it, passion seemed appropriate.

Imagine the eyes of a toddler suffering the misery of eczema. Then imagine those same eyes after you have guided the parents and succeeded in ending eczema for that child. The new glow in those young eyes has fuelled my passion for years.

Please share with us your background and how your approach is different?

Technically I’m a veterinary surgeon with a PhD in disease prevention. It’s the PhD which earns me the Dr title. I am not a medical person and hence I am not bound by their constraints. Medical institutions are correct in saying they can’t end eczema. That does not mean I can’t guide people to do it themselves. I like to read technical medical literature. I enjoy uncovering the gems of knowledge others have left behind and then sharing those gems.

The key piece of evidence for eczema shows why the most commonly used products will maintain eczema. I look into identifying those products and stopping them to allow the skin to heal itself.

When it came to a child’s eczema, for a long time I explained to parents how to avoid maintaining their child’s eczema. It’s vitally important to stress that I do NOT end or cure eczema, I simply let the parents discover what is causing it and when they remove that cause their child’s skin heals itself. My contribution is to explain eczema and the first two letters in my brand EXeczema® come from explain.

How is silk and avoiding eczema related?

I am delighted that the second edition of my book ‘What is eczema? A path to ending the misery’ has gone into its 5th reprint.

"My most important insight was to realise eczema begins as a simple irritant reaction. The irritant can be from many sources yet an all too common one seems to be from artificial fabrics like clothes and especially bed clothes. I often wonder if those fabrics hold the chemicals used in washing and those chemicals are the main irritants."

Children spend a lot of time in their nightclothes which is why so many parents of children with eczema favour 100% silk. When the eczema is gone, I remind them the person still has sensitive skin, so they should do all they can to avoid their skin contacting unfavourable products that aggravate it further. 

The dreaded eczema has been beaten along with the enormous expense of managing it. To keep eczema away I suggest they use the best, most comfortable natural fabrics they can find. Reinvest the money they were going to waste on managing eczema.

For those suffering with eczema, the ultimate self care is high-quality silk bed linen as part of an irritant reduction program. Use the best, most comfortable natural fabrics you can find which is why I recommend Mayfairsilk. Investing in sleep provides amazing rewards.

Tell us something we may not know about you?

I have a confession to make. I experiment on myself and my skin all the time. Why? Because I used to suffer from severe eczema until I did a degree in pathology and learned how to end my own eczema. My skin remained very prone to eczema and I learn a lot by trialling all sorts of products. That knowledge gained over so many decades now allows me to test products quickly and thoroughly. My wife helps in these life experiments as she is equally qualified and shares my adventurous spirit.

I managed to acquire one Mayfairsilk pillowslip before the brand was launched. Just the one so we had to share it taking alternate nights. We read the instructions as PhDs tend to do and chose to ignore them in a determined effort to see if it stood up to life’s little challenges. The result? Yes, it did and now my wife has commandeered it. We both loved it but wisdom on my part, with a bit of cowardice, suggests it is hers and I need to find another for myself!

I recommend Mayfairsilk for those suffering with eczema. For those who would seek my guidance towards ending their eczema, I would then recommend it as a reward for escaping the misery of eczema. I can’t imagine a better way of re-investing the money they would have been wasting on managing eczema.

What are your mantras?

I have three key mantras: 

1. Listen to your skin: 
   If your skin is red, it’s trying to tell you something. When you make changes like improving the fabrics which contact the skin, it will let you know whether a change was wise. If you’ve been battling eczema for some time, you will already know a lot, so trust your judgement.
2. “Skin is a natural material which loves other natural materials”. 
   Trust your instincts and go for the best natural bed linen you can afford.
3. “Invest in the best”. 

For more about Dr Harley Farmer please visit his website here.

Mayfairsilk is delighted to have Dr Harley Farmer as one of our experts explaining eczema.

To find out more about how our fabrics help your sleep, improve hair and skin complexion, see more on the benefits of silk.

Our 100% pure silk bed linen and apparel are hypo-allergenic, anti-bacterial, anti- mould and dust mite free, making them a preferred choice for many. View our range of 100% pure silk pillowcases and 100% pure silk bed sheets.