What Causes Atopic Eczema
Atopic eczema is a complex condition and a number of factors appear important for its development including patient susceptibility and environmental factors. Patients typically have alterations in their skin barrier, and overly reactive inflammatory and allergy responses. Environmental factors include contact with soaps, detergents and any other chemicals applied to the skin, exposure to allergens, and infection with certain bacteria and viruses. A tendency to atopic conditions often runs in families and is part of your genes. An alteration in a gene that is important in maintaining a healthy skin barrier has been closely linked to the development of eczema. This makes the skin of patients with eczema much more susceptible to infection and allows irritating substances/particles to enter the skin, causing itching and inflammation. AE cannot be caught from somebody else.
Choose The Right Cycle
Fabrics most recommended for eczema include cotton, bamboo, and silk. The first two are pretty durable unless the fabric is very thin and prone to tearing or ripping, but silk requires a delicate touch.
As I mentioned above, its best to skip the hot water to help your laundry last longer, but its also important to consider which wash cycles may be best for different items in your laundry basket. Follow the instructions on the clothing labels, but in general, cotton and bamboo can handle more heavy duty cycles, while silk and any very thin material should be hand washed or if washed in a machine, first placed in a mesh bag and then washed using the gentlest cycle possible. I keep a few sizes of mesh bags on hand so I always have one ready to use.
Triggers That Cause Eczema Outbreaks
Eczema, also known as dermatitis, is a skin problem that causes skin irritation and inflammation. The condition can be mild or more severe, depending on the immune system of the patient. There are a lot of triggers that cause eczema outbreaks including stress, food, chemicals, materials and smoke or pollens knowing these may help, so as to be able to prevent future eczema outbreaks.
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Q 1: Where Can More Information Be Obtained
Nip Allergies in the Bub
Patient support organisations : www.allergy.org.au/patients/patient-support-organisations
ASCIA is the peak professional body of clinical immunology/allergy specialists in Australia and New Zealand
ASCIA resources are based on published literature and expert review, however, they are not intended to replace medical advice. The content of ASCIA resources is not influenced by any commercial organisations.
How Can Parents Help
Help prevent or treat eczema by keeping your child’s skin from getting dry or itchy and avoiding triggers that cause flare-ups. Try these suggestions:
- Kids should take short baths or showers in warm water. Use mild unscented soaps or non-soap cleansers and pat the skin dry before putting on cream or ointment. Teens should use unscented makeup and oil-free facial moisturizers.
- Ask your doctor if it’s OK to use oatmeal soaking products in the bath to help control itching.
- Kids should wear soft clothes that “breathe,” such as those made from cotton. Wool or polyester may be too harsh or irritating.
- Keep your child’s fingernails short to prevent skin damage from scratching. Try having your child wear comfortable, light gloves to bed if scratching at night is a problem.
- Kids should avoid becoming overheated, which can lead to flare-ups.
- Kids should drink plenty of water, which adds moisture to the skin.
- Get rid of known allergens in your household and help your child avoid others, like pollen, mold, and tobacco smoke.
- Stress can make eczema worse. Help your child find ways to deal with stress .
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Are There Any Possible Complications
As mentioned above, bacterial infection of a patch of discoid eczema can occur and needs to be treated with antibiotics. Also, care should be taken to avoid scratching the itchy patches where possible. If you scratch a skin patch too much, scarring of your skin can occur.
After a discoid eczema skin patch has healed, in many people there will be no residual signs. However, in some people there can be some permanent brown discolouration of the skin in the affected area. In others, the affected area of skin can become paler than the surrounding skin.
What Is Eczema What Does It Look And Feel Like
Eczema is a condition that causes your skin to become dry, red, itchy and bumpy. Its one of many types of dermatitis. Eczema damages the skin barrier function . This loss of barrier function makes your skin more sensitive and more prone to infection and dryness.
Eczema doesnt harm your body. It doesnt mean that your skin is dirty or infected, and its not contagious. There are treatments that can help manage your symptoms.
In the word dermatitis, derm means skin and itis means inflammation. The word as a whole means inflammation of the skin. Eczema originates from the Greek word ekzein which means to boil over or break out.
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Skin: Condition: Infomation Chinese Herbal Treatment
This is a complementary therapy that has been reported to benefit some patients but doctors do not generally recommend these. Potentially serious side effects, such as inflammation of the liver, have been known to occur with Chinese herbal treatment.
Many people with eczema benefit from a psychological approach to their condition in addition to their use of creams, ointments etc.
Find Whats Right For You
Remember that just as there is no one moisturizer or cleanser that is right for everybody with eczema, there is no single laundry regimen that works for everybody. Be willing to experiment and keep track of what you do, so when you find a regimen that works for you and your family you can replicate it.
Jennifer Roberge is a mother of two children, one of whom suffers from severe eczema. She blogs about her familys journey with eczema, allergies and asthma at Its An Itchy Little World.
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What Is The Outlook For Discoid Eczema
Once discoid eczema has been successfully treated, a flare-up can occur again in the future. Therefore, you should take care to keep your skin well hydrated with emollients to try to reduce the chance of future flare-ups. Where possible, you should also try to avoid anything that may have triggered the eczema, such as hot baths or irritating clothing. You might find a humidifier in the room helps to reduce flare-ups. If flare-ups do occur, they often affect the same areas of skin as before.
How Is Discoid Eczema Diagnosed
It is diagnosed by the typical skin appearance. If your doctor is uncertain about the diagnosis then he or she may need to exclude a fungal skin infection. For example, if there has been clearing of the skin rash in the centre , they may suggest scraping a few skin cells off a skin patch. These can then be sent off to the laboratory to look for a fungal infection. If your doctor is worried that there may be a bacterial infection of a skin patch, they may take a sample . Again, this can be sent to the laboratory to look for this type of infection.
If your doctor feels that you may have contact dermatitis, they may suggest skin patch testing. In this procedure, tiny amounts of up to 25 or more substances are applied as small patches to your skin, usually on your upper back. They are fixed on with non-allergic tape. Some days later, you return to the skin department and the patches are removed. Your skin is examined to see if there is a reaction to any of the tested substances. See the separate leaflet called Patch Testing for Contact Dermatitis for more details.
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Skin: Condition: Infomation Topical Calcineurin Inhibitors
Calcineurin inhibitors, tacrolimus ointment and pimecrolimus cream, may be used when AE is not responding to topical steroids, or in skin sites which are more susceptible to the side effects of steroids, such as the face, eyelids and armpits and groin. The most common side effect is stinging on application but this normally disappears after a few applications. They are associated with an increased risk of skin infections and should not be applied to infected skin.
A maintenance regimen using intermittent calcineurin inhibitors is useful in patients who have frequent flare-ups of AE.
Treatment Options For Eczema On The Face
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, eczema on the face results in itchy, irritated, swollen skin .
The purpose of treating facial eczema is to provide relief to the affected skin area and prevent flare-ups. There are prescription drugs and home remedies to treat eczema on face.
It is best to consult with a dermatologist before starting any treatment program. Following are some effective treatment options for eczema.
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How Stress May Trigger Eczema
When considering the relation between stress and eczema, it has been suggested that stress results in a spike in the hormone cortisol. When cortisol is produced in an excessive amount because of stress, the skin tends to become abnormally oily. As a result, you may encounter an eczema outbreak.
A study also suggests that stress affects skin conditions and increases the time required for the skin to recover from irritation and skin damage. Stress can not only trigger eczema but may also result in chronic eczema flare-ups that can leave an individual more stressed. This often forms an apparently endless cycle.
Another study revealed that the stress during pregnancy may increase the risk of eczema outbreaks in infants. The study included approximately 900 mothers, their children and analyzed their stress levels during their pregnancy stage. It was reported that women with a high anxiety levels during their pregnancy increased their infants chances of developing eczema, when they were between 6 and 8 months old.
In case of those with eczema, stress leaves an adverse impact on the immune system. As a result, the process of wound healing is badly affected and becomes slow. The immune system fails to induce a quick response to repair the tissues.
Does Eczema Get Worse At Night
Eczema symptoms often get worse at night and interrupt or delay sleep. Medications, wet wraps, medicated baths, and other methods can help people with eczema to get a good nights rest. Eczema, or dermatitis, is a skin condition that causes patches of itchiness, inflammation, swelling, and cracked skin.
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Eczema: The Autoimmune Disease Everyone Seems To Be Overlooking
The No Cause, No Cure Paradigm for Eczema is Wrong
Ive always been a questioner. This is why I believe eczema can be healed and reversed . When I was a little kid, I asked lots of questions because I wanted to know how and why things worked. Conversations I?d frequently have with my parents would go something like this:
Me: ?Why does my tummy hurt???
Parent: ?Probably because you just swallowed your gum.?
Me: ?Why would gum make my tummy hurt??
Parent: ?When you swallow your gum it can stick to your insides.?
Me: ?Why would it stick to my insides??
Parent : ?Oh, I don?t know, it just does!?
At this point I usually stopped the dialogue because I was clearly annoying my parents and I was frustrated that I didn?t get the answers I desired. Even as little kid I couldn?t understand why gum wouldn?t be digested like the rest of my food?? It also didn?t make sense to me that it would stick to my insides. There is always a reason why .
Those same feelings of frustration and disbelief came to the surface for me when I was told I had Eczema. I was instantly transported back to my childhood when I heard the words ?there is no known cause or cure.? It was so infuriating and disheartening.
And if you?ve ever had an eczema breakout you know that this isn?t just something to brush off, or something you should have to live with- ?it?s a problem that affects the way you look and feel too.
You Have Dark Patches Of Skin
An eczema outbreak doesnt always arrive in red and pink, especially if you have dark skin, on which redness isnt so apparent. Instead, you may see reddish-brown, purple, gray, or deep brown patches, according to the National Eczema Association. Also, African Americans are more likely to develop papular eczema, which presents with small bumps on the torso, arms, and legs, and also around the hair follicles, known as follicular accentuation. If youre not aware of these signs, you may not realize youre experiencing eczema.
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How Can Atopic Eczema Be Treated
Topical means applied to the skin surface. Most eczema treatments are topical, although for more severe eczema some people need to take oral medication as well.
Complete emollient therapy is the mainstay of treatment for all patients with eczema as the most important part of their treatment this means regular application of a moisturiser and washing with a moisturiser instead of soap .
Getting An Initial Consultation
When you come in for your initial meeting, Dr. Jurzyk will carefully examine your skin and discuss all of your symptoms. He will also ask you about the activities that you were engaging in before your flare-up began.
In addition to discussing these activities, you should be prepared to talk about any detergents, skincare products, and supplements that you have recently started using. Talking about these substances will help Dr. Jurzyk identify triggers that are causing you to experience skin issues.
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What Makes Atopic Eczema Flare
- Many factors in a persons environment can make AE worse these include heat, dust, woollen clothing, pets and irritants such as soaps, detergents and other chemicals.
- Being unwell, for example having a common cold cancause a flare-up.
- Infections with bacteria or viruses can worsen AE. Bacterial infection makes the affected skin yellow, crusty and inflamed, and may need specific treatment. An infection with the cold sore virus can cause a sudden painful widespread flare-up of AE, with weeping small sores.
- Dryness of the skin.
- In some, food allergens may rarely cause a flare up
- Stress
What Questions Might My Healthcare Provider Ask To Diagnose Eczema
The conversation with your healthcare provider will need to cover a lot of information. Be sure to be specific about your symptoms.
- Where is your eczema located?
- What have you used to try to treat your eczema?
- What medical conditions do you have? Allergies? Asthma?
- Is there a history of eczema in your family?
- How long have you had symptoms of eczema?
- Do you take hot showers?
- Is there anything that makes your symptoms worse?
- Have you noticed that something triggers or worsens your eczema? Soaps? Detergents? Cigarette smoke?
- Is there so much itchiness that you have trouble sleeping? Working? Living your normal life?
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The Importance Of Sleep When You Have Eczema
Easier said than done, right? People living with eczema know how difficult it is to sleep when your skin is itchy and uncomfortable. If eczema is keeping you or your child awake at night, talk with your doctor about how to get a better handle on your symptoms. Taking an antihistamine before bed can help you become drowsy. Enjoying warm, relaxing baths or showers and lathering on the moisturizer before bed can induce sleepiness and stave off itch. It also helps to turn your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary by keeping the room dark, cool and clean, and limiting the use of electronics an hour or two before bedtime.
Learn more about how to get a good nights sleep even when your eczema is flaring.
Diagnosing Food Allergy And Eczema Flare
- Your child’s doctor may suggest the steps listed below:
- Remove the suspected food or foods from your child’s diet for 2 weeks. The eczema should greatly improve.
- Then give your child that food when the eczema is under good control. This is called a “challenge.”
- If the food is causing flare-ups, the eczema should become itchy and red. The flare-up should occur quickly within 2 hours of eating the food.
- If this occurs, avoid giving this food to your child. Talk to your child’s doctor about the need for any food substitutes.
- If the eczema does not flare-up, your child isn’t allergic to that food.
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Effective Home Remedies For Eczema On The Face
Prescription or over-the-counter treatments, such as cortisone, can have negative consequences. An example is thinning of the skin. Medications provide temporary relief to the skin.
Natural remedies for eczema on the face should be the first items to try to prevent further aggravation of skin.
Here are some natural remedies to try first before prescriptions.
Rash Due To Parasites
One of the most common rashes from a parasite infection is scabies. Scabies is produced by a small mite . This mite is usually contracted by prolonged contact with another infected individual. The mite lives in the superficial layers of human skin. It does not produce symptoms until the host becomes allergic to it, which occurs about three weeks after the initial infection. It can resemble eczema. Bedbugs cause a series of eruptions where they pierce the skin.
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