Answering Lucia

Lucia asked,

"Hi Cheryl,

My friend is going to be spending 6 weeks all over Italy from June - July and would like to know if you could impart any skincare advice. She has really fair, dry skin (here on the west coast of Canada) and is really prone to eczema outbreaks. How's the humidity there? Any suggestions as to what products + brands she should bring?"

Unfortunately June and July are probably the worst times to visit Italy because it's hot and humid everywhere so eczema-prone skin will be very unhappy :-( I would suggest bringing whatever her dermatologist has prescribed (or schedule a visit before departure), and look into Eucerin or La Roche-Posay skincare. Both have high-protection sunscreen for sensitive skin, and the gentlest shower products that has the right pH balance for her skin. The choice of moisturiser will be quite important too. Something fragrance-free, preservative free will be good. Caudalie has pretty gentle stuff, but to be safe, I'd still recommend more pharmacy brands: Avène is also a good one.

I hope that was helpful!