Bikini designer, 30, who has struggled with chronic eczema her entire life shares the four things that have transformed her skin - and the 'miracle' baths she swears by
- Bikini designer Karina Irby shared how she cleaned up her eczema-prone skin
- The 30-year-old from the Gold Coast has struggled with eczema her whole life
- Karina said she regularly has 'unicorn baths' with potassium permanganate
- She has also stopped shaving every single day, but does it 2-3 times per week
An Australian bikini designer who struggles with chronic eczema has revealed how she transformed her skin, and her tips to help others do the same.
Karina Irby, 30, from the Gold Coast, said she has struggled with eczema, folliculitis and staphlococcus for many years, but has learned to manage her painful itchy skin conditions by doing four different things.
'I get asked on the daily how I transformed my skin, so stop scratching for a minute because here it is,' Karina posted on her Instagram page.
An Australian bikini designer who struggles with chronic eczema has revealed how she transformed her skin, and her tips to help others do the same (Karina Irby pictured)
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One of the main things Karina said she swears by is daily 'unicorn baths' - which is a warm bath filled with potassium permanganate, which can be bought from a chemist
While the 30-year-old said you should always 'visit a dermatologist' to get a professional opinion first, she said there are several things you can do yourself at home as a 'recipe for success'.
'To put it simply, due to my conditions I have a lot of staph on my skin,' Karina said.
'Any irritations to the surface whether that's scratching or shaving can lead to hundreds of infections, so I needed to kill the bad bacteria and stop infection ASAP.'
The first thing the bikini designer (pictured) has done which helped is stop shaving quite so often. She stopped shaving every single night and now only does it 2-3 times per week
1. Stop shaving so often
The first thing the bikini designer said she has done which helped is stop shaving quite so often.
'I was shaving my legs every single night,' Karina said - which resulted in bloodied and often painful spots.
Now, she said she only shaves two or three times a week and has noticed a huge improvement in her eczema.
Potassium permanganate costs just $12 from local chemists, but has a miraculous ability to help the skin (Karina pictured before and after unicorn baths)
2. Try a 'unicorn bath'
The second approach that Karina swears by is 'unicorn baths', which are pink baths that she has every evening to soothe her skin.
'Get yourself some potassium permanganate from your local chemist,' she said.
This costs just $12 from the likes of Chemist Warehouse and other pharmacies, and it is a common chemical compound that combines manganese oxide ore with hydroxide.
'Add a tiny tiny pinch into a warm bath and soak for 10 minutes,' Karina said.
When she was first healing her skin, the 30-year-old said she would do it every morning and evening - but now she just does it once daily.
The third thing you need to do is moisturise regularly, and Karina (pictured) said she loves one cream above all others; the Extra Relief Cream by Kenkay which costs $19.95
3. Moisturise regularly - but well
The third thing you need to do is moisturise regularly - but using the right sort of product.
'You need a thick, clean moisturiser that will keep your skin hydrated all day and night,' Karina said.
She loves Extra Relief Cream by Kenkay, which costs $19.95 and is designed for 'symptomatic relief of skin affected by dryness, irritation or mild rashes'.
'I can't swear by this moisturiser enough,' Karina said.
'It leaves a film on your skin tat lasts all day so you don't dry out at all. I've tried almost every thick sorbolene cream on the shelves and none compare to Kenkay.'
If you don't use this one, Karina said you need to look for thickness - as this is what will give you lasting protection.
Finally, the designer (pictured) said you should try and limit stress as much as possible - as doing so will inevitably help your skin in the long run
4. Try to limit stress
Finally, the designer said you should try and limit stress as much as possible - as doing so will inevitably help your skin in the long run.
'Keep yourself around positive people and try not to get aggravated,' she said.
You should also allow plenty of time while keeping up your treatments, as the designer said you can't expect there to be miracles overnight.
Karina said cutting dairy from her diet has helped in this respect.
Thousands who saw the post were impressed with Karina's (pictured) tips, with many others adding their own to the mix - including light therapy and no dairy products
Thousands who saw the post were impressed with Karina's tips, with many others adding their own - including light therapy and no dairy products.
'Not eating milk products really helps with eczema,' one woman posted.
'Milk products are highly inflammatory. Helped me a lot. Haven't had any eczema since.'
Others suggested trying CBD oil or a zinc supplement if you're really struggling.
'Honestly, one of the best things for my eczema has been Frank Body Coffee Scrub,' another woman added.
'It relieves the itch and leaves the skin feeling rejuvenated and moisturised.'
