#AveneHope is an international initiative of a French brand that every year helps children fight atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases. BeautyHack editor Yulia Kozoliy visited the Avene hydrotherapy center in France and found out more about the success of the project with a 5-year history, and at the same time - about how the real work of parents helps kids feel comfortable.
The hydrotherapy center of one of the most famous pharmacy brands in Europe, Eau Thermale Avène, is located, let's say, in the French wilderness. An hour and a half by car from Montpellier airport and 30 minutes to the nearest supermarket. But for the guests of the center hotel and those who undergo treatment there, it does not matter. Their day is scheduled by the hour, and 3 weeks are allocated to combat dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema or ichthyosis. This is one of 10 resorts in France, where skin diseases are treated (the competition is small, because the accreditation of a thermal station alone takes 10-15 years). And the views are gorgeous!
It is for 3 weeks that the little participants of the #AveneHope project spend here. In the spring of 2018, kids from Russia came to the village of Avene for the second time in five years of the initiative's existence. The main task of the center's staff is to develop an individual treatment program for each child in order to reduce skin lesions and achieve remission.
Besides children's delegations, there are also adult patients. They treat psoriasis and eczema. In general, outside the #AveneHope program, anyone can come to the center. You need a referral from a doctor and moral and material readiness. For EU citizens, treatment at the center is covered by insurance, the rest are paid independently. Additional expenses - accommodation (in a hotel or in a rented house in a neighboring village), food, transport. But even so, the amount is more than lifting. 10-15% of visitors to the center are British, Australians and Americans. Children are accepted here from 3 months.
What is #AveneHope doing?
Children, accompanied by one of the parents, undergo a three-week course of treatment (23 days). The program is drawn up after a doctor's examination and diagnosis. The most common are atopic dermatitis and ichthyosis. I will tell you how the treatment proceeds using the example of one of the smallest patients - three-year-old Sasha, who first visited the center in 2017, and this time he came to consolidate the result. Sasha suffers from atopic dermatitis since birth, which was later joined by eczema.
On the first day of her stay in the French center, the doctor canceled all the remedies that Sasha had been prescribed in Russia and prescribed daily procedures: pearl thermal baths with hydromassage (exfoliate keratinized particles), micro-sulphurization (soothe the skin), wet compresses and wraps, drinking thermal water. The result after the first week is that the clinical manifestations of the disease have decreased, the itching has gone. And the baby came home with almost "clean" skin and a fighting spirit for the final recovery!
An important part of the treatment is daily care with emollients (they are also selected individually - the responsibility of the parents for these three weeks and after the children have gone home). And here the children are in complete peace. The head of the Marie-Ange Martincic hydrotherapy center, who has been here since 1990, explains that stress (children and adults) is often one of the causes of exacerbation of skin diseases.
How does thermal water work?
The hydrotherapy center is located at the Avene thermal spring. In the 80s, it was bought by Pierre Fabre, and the brand Eau Thermale Avène was born. Since the 90s, the funds of the same name have been produced only here - the plant is located within walking distance from the center. Water is supplied to production through a special stainless steel water pipeline and is immediately packaged in sealed bottles or used as one of the components of creams, lotions, emulsions and other products (taking into account medical research, it takes two years to launch a product). The main features of the water are a low level of mineralization, a special salt composition and microflora. All this in a complex and gives an antipruritic and anti-inflammatory effect. Water samples are taken every day, it does not contain pathogenic microorganisms, but it is not sterile.
How do I protect my skin daily?
We covered the trip to the hydrotherapy center on Instagram, after several posts, questions arose on how to navigate the brand lines. Each baby has his own program here, but nothing supernatural is used, but only those products that everyone can find in the pharmacy.
XeraCalm AD is a preservative-free series for children and adults with atopic dermatitis. All lotions and creams are packaged in special bottles that do not allow air to pass through and make the product completely sterile, extending its shelf life (up to 3 years), thanks to a special sealing system. None of the ingredients in the composition irritate even the most sensitive skin. The main tasks of XeraCalm AD are to relieve itching and redness, restore the hydrolipid balance, and increase the skin's immunity. Tolérance Extrême is another sterile series without preservatives (also with a shelf life of 3 years). These are remedies for hypersensitive facial skin.
Akerat - creams for keratosis and psoriasis. The main components are water and urea. The latter can be at a concentration of 10 and 30% (highly saturated concentrate). But if you do not suffer from the diseases listed above, here is a beauty hack for you: creams can be used to soften the skin on the heels (for the effect, application at night is enough). TriXera is a series for dry sensitive skin. Suitable for daily use, if you have no visible problems, and will help out with a mild form of atopy.
Conclusions we made after the #AveneHope project
My daughter Ulyana is 5 years old, she has a mild form of atopy, so I know exactly how parents feel when their child has an exacerbation of the disease. The results of the three-week course in the hydrotherapy center turned out to be impressive - the condition of the skin of the babies has improved twice! This is a great achievement for the families participating in the initiative, but even more important is educational. Treatment, individual, step-by-step, daily, well-thought-out, continues after hydrotherapy, already by the moms and dads themselves. Add to it the lack of stress, and the atopic child will have a different look at the world around him!
