General Information

Eczema is a form of allergy that affects the skin and causes inflammation. It is a form of ‘dermatitis’ and is commonly known as ‘atopic dermatitis’. The term applies to a wide range of skin conditions, which are persistent. The skin conditions include dryness and rashes, which further leads to itching followed by swelling, reddening and cracking of the skin. Finally, you see a clear fluid substance weeping out of those cracks, forming a crust over the skin and flaking of the skin. Usually a patch is formed, with severe itching and this spreads all over the skin.

 Eczema does not look the same on every person, though the symptoms are almost same but the patches might be different. It can affect any part of the body. In infants, it usually affects the face and the forehead region. Incase of adults it might affect the face, elbows, neck, ankles and knees.

About 10 to 20 percent of the world’s population is suffering from atopic dermatitis, which includes women and children as well. It has been found that the disease disappears as a child grows up, if treated properly in the preliminary stage. Eczema is not contagious as most of the other skin diseases. However, the worst part is that eczema cannot be cured it can only be prevented. Once you are affected by it, reoccurrence is likely.

Causes of Eczema

The cause of eczema is still a mystery. The doctors believe that it happens due to a typical function of the immune system. Sometimes it might also trigger when one is exposed to some allergic substances like soap, jewelry, cosmetics, perspiration or due to the clothing material.

Some of the common causes include:

Soaps and detergents
Jewelery
Clothing material
Weather
Cosmetics like creams, lotions, powder
Perspiring
Bacteria
Infection


Common Types of Eczema:

Atopic Eczema: It is hereditary and often affects a family whose members have a history of asthma and hay fever. Scratchy rashes are the most significant symptom of this form of eczema followed by reddening, inflammation, blistering and peeling of skin. It usually affects the face, scalp, elbows, knees and buttocks.

Contact dermatitis: It is usually of two types allergic; which happens due to the use some of some allergen and irritant; which is an instant reaction to some kind of solvent. About 75 percent of this kind of eczema is of irritant type. This form of eczema can be cured by avoiding the use of the substance that is either an allergen or an irritant.

Xerotic Eczema: It triggers with an unusual dry skin and becomes very complicated with time, which leads to eczema. It is at its worst form during winters as the weather is usually dry. This disease is common in old aged people. It mainly affects the arms and trunk.

Seborrhoeic dermatitis: It is also known as cradle caps or dandruff. It causes dryness and scaling of the eyebrows and scalp. Reddish pimples and patches are seen on the scalp, which is often scaling. It happens to infants as well, usually in the form of a thick yellowish scalp, which is crusty and is known as cradle cap. It is curable.

Some of the rare types of eczema are:

Dyshidrosis: It affects the palms, fingers, soles and toes.

Discoid eczema: It affects the lower portion of the leg and is usually in the form of round spots. The rashes are either dry or oozing.

Venous eczema: It affects people who are over 50 and is the result of venous diseases.

Dermatitis herpetiformis: It is a symmetrical rash affecting the arms, knees, thighs and the back.

Neurodermatitis: It occurs in the form of a small spots due to constant rubbing and itching.

Autoeczematization: It is an adverse reaction caused by infections which are caused by parasites, virus or bacteria.

Signs and symptoms

Eczema, in medical terms is often known as “the itch that itches”. The symptoms are-

Intense itching
Rashes which are patchy with usually redness of the skin, swelling and oozing
Itching and burning sensation
When scratched it becomes crusty
Fluid filled blisters
Cracking skin, usually painful


Health problems

People affected with eczema usually tend to stay aloof. The rashes are very ugly and if it has affected the face then the situation is very hard to digest. It is depressing as well.

Constant itching of the skin is irritating and disturbs sleep as well. The cracks are very painful and a sticky fluid oozes out which forms a crust.

If eczema is hereditary then it might be accompanied by asthma.

Diagnosis

Eczema is diagnosed with the help of a scoring system. The first step of diagnosis is to observe the appearance of the rash followed by recognizing the affected part of the body. A doctor would like to look into certain things before reaching a conclusion

The family history
Food habits
Living conditions
Allergic reactions
Medication
Use of any chemical

Eczema usually shows a rise in eosinophill or IgE and this need to be determined through tests.

Treatment

Eczema cannot be cured. The treatment is usually to reduce the impact of the disease thereby giving relief to the person suffering from the disease.

An antihistamine prevents the affect of eczema and gives relief.

Corticosteroid is a steroid used for preventing the harshness of the rash. The course of this medication is usually not too long as it might have side effects.
Corticosteriod which can be purchased Over-The-counter for Eczema includes
1. Dermaid 1% for mild to moderate Eczema
2. Becoderm -C for stubborn Eczema which hydrocortisone cream is not strong enough

Antibiotics and anti fungal ointments can be used.

Emollients or moisturizers are a good way of preventing the skin from drying. These come in the form of ointments, creams and lotions. Application of emollients is very easy, but it is always better to seek doctor’s advice.

Ichthammol can be used for treating certain types of eczema. It is available in the form of ointment and cream. The cream is usually composed of zinc.

Coal tar can be used for treating different types of eczema. It is highly used in New Zealand in the form of –

Egoderm Cream and Egoderm Ointment
Pinetarsol soap free range of bath and shower preparations
Sebitar Shampoo
Coco Scalp


Cetaphil is a gentle moisturizer and is a great relief for eczema patients. It soothes the affected area.

Egoderm Cream is another form of moisturizer that can be used in eczema. This is a non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory method of treating eczema.

Besides medication, one can also go for alternative therapies to relieve themselves from the clutches of eczema. The therapies include-

Oatmeal diet
Sea of sulfur
Aloe Vera
Shea butter moisturizer
Tea tree oil
Linseed oil (Flaxseed Oil )
Calamine lotion
Neem oil
Cod liver oil

There are too many therapies to count. Each of these has tremendous soothing effect. Current studies have favoured the use of Efamol, which is a combination of Pure Evening Primrose produces gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in the body and Fish Oil (DHA) for atopic Eczema treatment. Efamol Efalex comes in a liquid formula for children from age 3 years. Originally this formula was design to help maintain proper eye/brain function, poor night vision, may help calmness, attention span & learning ability.

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