ECZEMA

What is Eczema?

Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a chronic, recurring disease; it is always present with flares that come and go.

Eczema tends to run in families and usually appears in children before the age of five.

Symptoms:

The symptoms include dry, inflamed skin and intense itching. When the skin becomes inflamed, very itchy and red, it is called ‘flares’. When not inflamed, eczema may not even be noticeable. The Eczema tends to repeatedly affect the same areas of the body when it flares.

Common areas for Eczema in small children are:

face
inside the elbows
behind the knees

Common areas with adults and older children

behind the knees
inside the elbows
on the wrists
the side of the neck
ankles
hands
face

Who gets Eczema?

All races
Sex: male-to-female ratio for atopic dermatitis is 1:1.4.
Age: 85% of cases, atopic dermatitis occurs in the first year of life. 95% occurs before the age of 5years.

Eczema is NOT:

life threatening
contagious (can not be passed on from one person to the other)

What causes Eczema?

The exact cause of eczema is unknown; but it has been linked to environmental, genetic and immunologic factors or triggers. Eczema symptoms can flare when these triggers come in contact with the skin. Inflammation is a response of the tissue to foreign matter, broken skin, injury, etc…

These factors are:

Chemical irritants in cosmetics (bubble bath…), moisturizers, cleaning products, certain detergents, air fresheners
Extremes in temperature and humidity (cold dry conditions in winter)
certain types of clothing
Stress ( an emotional factor)
Dust / dust-mites, animal hair
Certain foods (milk, wheat, peanuts)

The inflammation is characterized by:

increased blood flow to the tissue causing
increased temperature,
redness
swelling
pain

Example: the immune system may try to fight off common house dust mites or pollen allergens, causing the skin to become red, itchy and inflamed. In some cases, the itching and redness are so intense that sufferers scratch themselves until they bleed, increasing the risk of secondary infection.