Immediately upon its application, the Avène cream felt soothing on the unbearably itchy and burning patches on my fingers and hands, which were already starting to develop those red, scaly patches and raised bumps consistent with my atopic dermatitis. I even applied it around my lips, which were more chapped than usual from the harsh New York winds. With the urge to itch magically alleviated, I knew that my skin might have an opportunity to heal, and at the very least, not get worse.
I continued to apply the richly-textured cream throughout the week, noticing that my eczema was improving and my skin was significantly more hydrated than before I started using it. But for as thick as the cream went on initially, it didn’t dry down to be overly greasy on the skin. Rather, it felt like a welcome layer of comfortable protection, and I was able to still use my hands normally.
Advertising itself as a restorative barrier cream, it makes sense that the Avène Cicalfate acts as a shielding and isolating layer to compromised skin. And, according to the brand, the formula also works by improving the conditions that are optimal for damaged skin to recover by employing protein-rich postbiotics and a copper-zinc-sulfate complex.
