By Henry Ehrlich
We at AAC.com are always on the lookout for innovative approaches to allergy treatment. But innovation isn’t always high-tech like phone apps or nanotechnology. Sometimes it’s just applying common sense to basic care.
Thus, AD Rescue Wear. In both our book and this website Dr. Ehrlich recommends “wet PJs” for atopic dermatitis—wrapping your child for bed in wet cotton pajamas to ensure moist, and therefore less-itchy, skin throughout the night. He recalls the old days on the pediatric ward at Bellevue when kids who couldn’t stop scratching had their hands tied overnight. But wet PJs are quite a production, as Beth Scott, founder of AD Rescue Wear, can attest. She recalls going through the wet PJ routine a few years ago with her son during a Thanksgiving visit to her parents and hearing her father say, “He will get pneumonia.” An all-too-common refrain from grandpas and grandmas everywhere.
But it worked, and it gave Beth an idea. What if you could make pajamas just like regular ones, but specifically made to hold water snug to the skin all night? This past summer, after three years of exploring materials and manufacturers and talking to doctors, the Colorado company launched its WrapESoothe™ product line at the National Eczema Association. Through the company website, they are selling (or will soon) a full line of products made specially for all afflicted areas—whole bodies, elbows and knees, hands, tops and bottoms.
“We considered all of the triggers in regular clothing and pajamas that can be irritating and eliminated them from our products. Designed to be multi-functional, our products are perfect for Wet Wrap therapy or for wearing dry to protect and soothe itchy skin.
“Our products are made with 94% TENCEL, a fully sustainable fiber made from eucalyptus wood. The fiber and the manufacturing process have been awarded multiple environmental awards such as Oeko-Tex Standard 100, proving the fiber is free of hazardous chemicals. The TENCEL fiber is smoother and more breathable than cotton with excellent cooling and thermo-regulating properties. The unique fiber minimizes the growth of bacteria, an important benefit to children with eczema.”—from the adrescuewear website
Note: AD Rescue Wear products have earned the Seal of Acceptance from the National Eczema Association