Tag: dermatitis

Eczema atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis and eczema are quite inevitably linked together, as the two are symptomatic of skin disorders that involve rashes as well as scaly dry skin, and are part of the most common collection of skin problems that are treated today.  Atopic dermatitis is considered by most to be virtually interchangeable with the term eczema, and create a large amount of discomfort for those afflicted with this condition, making those typically shy even more so with a certain level of unfair guilt and social stigma attached to having eczema at all.

With atopic dermatitis, the telltale signs of the condition usually begin at an early age, and can flare-up all throughout adulthood even with treatment.  In most cases, the atopic eczema is hereditary and a chronic disorder that can lead to young babies to scream and cry in the helplessness that it feels like to have this affliction, but these flare-ups can be overcome simply with a doctor’s help, or dermatologist’s expertise to help diagnose a case more accurately.  With youngsters, a parent will want to consult the child’s pediatrician first, and then the parents will have a better way of dealing with the condition both personally and in treating their child well.

Many different irritants will this ailment worsen into the aforementioned flare-ups; like laundry detergents, some kinds of hand washing soaps, and materials that go into the making of some clothing.  There are also many other factors that can precipitate a flare-up such as stress and environmental irritants and allergies, and other conditions which lead to the flare-up can also be when the temperature gets too low or too hot, even when the person with eczema atopic dermatitis would happen to have a bacterial infection.  Many more than fifteen million Americans have this atopic eczema, it is estimated that twenty percent of infants and children experience symptoms of atopic dermatitis.

A complete medical history and physical examination is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis, children from a mother with severe allergic reactions can be prone to a sensitivity to eczema or atopic dermatitis, and a family history, blood tests and any history of asthma or allergy will help with further more accurate analysis.  It is advisable to take certain precautions to manage atopic eczema well; avoiding contact with the irritants determined by a physician’s guidance, taking baths and showers with lukewarm water, using emollients or lotions to rehydrate the areas of the skin so afflicted, and the reduction of stress.  It is important to note that where stress is a factor, this includes emotional duress, and might even be the source for lesser cases of eczema atopic dermatitis.

The prescription of many different medications will also help reduce the timing of flare-ups in the condition, as well as the amount of time that flare-up would last, but some of the stronger solutions listed are likely to only be recommended by a doctor or licensed dermatologist.  Such things as antihistamines, steroid creams, and oral antibiotics can be helpful to treating eczema in its’ severity.  Even such things as light therapy, under medical supervision, can be worthwhile but is not offered at all dermatology clinics.

Atopic dermatitis eczema

Eczema can be quite a problematic disorder for anyone with any kind of sensitivity to allergies related to atopic eczema, which culminates mostly from inherited genes that display a particular lack of histamines and other elements that would normally help to prevent the occurrence of an atopic dermatitis, and there many influencing factors in the flare-ups that follow with this kind of condition.  Some of these include environmental changes like weather and humidity, whether the temperature is too hot or too cold, and can even be influenced by the types of clothing a person wears.

There are many particular strains of eczema that would fall under atopic dermatitis, as dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin, and an atopic case of eczema can cause the inflamed skin to crack and ‘weep’.  At first, the skin may only seem red and itchy, but the affected areas can become scaly and infected with prolonged scratching once open sores would begin to form.  Being atopic means that it is also a chronic illness that can flare-up sometimes without warning, but other factors can also contribute to an affected area flaring up, like cigarette smoke and solvents.

Commonly, atopic dermatitis can affect children and adolescents, but it can also flare-up when the child reaches adulthood.  Another term for the condition flaring up is exacerbating, or those periods when the disease gets worse, which can be prevented by avoiding situations and circumstances that have been known to facilitate periods of flare-up.  It is fully possible for a child suffering through the condition to notice the symptoms clearing up, or going into remission, as they get older.  However, their skin can stay dry and easily irritated, with some factors still creating symptoms of atopic dermatitis in those with the hereditary background for the eczema trait.

The many types of dermatitis can be excruciating but treatable, and each has its’ own defined areas of their most common affliction, like atopic dermatitis is characterized by itchy and inflamed skin.  In the case of contact eczema, it is a localized reaction to contact with an allergen, or an irritant like a cleaning agent or other chemical substance.  Allergic eczema is most common when coming in contact with things like poison ivy, or certain preservatives in creams and lotions, it is an allergic reaction when the skin comes to contact with substances that the immune system knows is foreign.

With some of the more specific cases of dermatitis, seborrheic eczema is a skin inflammation from an unknown cause that results in oily and yellowish patches on the skin of the scalp and face, and occasionally other parts of the body as well.  Nummular eczema is characterized by coin-shaped irritated patches, commonly found on the backside and arms, and may be crusted or scaly and extremely itchy.  Neurodermatitis is a variety of atopic eczema that afflicts the scalp, lower legs, or forearms and wrists, an insect bite could be the catalyst which causes localized scaly patches, and become intensely irritated when scratched.  Stasis dermatitis is a skin irritation on the lower legs that is generally related to circulatory problems, and dyshidrotic eczema is an irritation on the palms of hands and soles of the feet characterized by deep blisters that itch and burn.