Eczema or Atopic dermatitis is a skin condition which can occurs in childrens and as well as in adults in which itchiness, skin rash or scaly and inflamed skin is seen which is the main problem in this skin condition.
Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis or eczema is a skin rash that is particularly common in children but can last into adulthood or affects in adulthood.
Atopic means allergy and derma means the skin and skin inflammation so it is a skin inflammation that results from allergy which is highly itchy and inflammatory.
But this is cannot contagious you will not get eczema by touching eczematous skin unless or until you are genetically prone to develop it.
Causes
Actually the exact cause is unknown that causes it, but some combination of factors which can be responsible for it:
•■ Genetic
Generally most of the individuals with atopic dermatitis have positive family history.
If you have one parent with the history of this disease , than you may have a certain percentage of risk of having atopic dermatitis.
•■Environment
Environmental exposure like harsh soaps, dry weather, Hot water, aging all these factor can lead to dry skin and eczema.
Harsh soap makes skin dry or using hot water of bathing also makes skin dry where as with the aging the skin oil glands starts to reducing its functions and makes skin dry.
No matter how much the person drinks water with reduced function of oil glands the skin remains dry and leads to itching and further damages to skin.
•■Contact with allergens
Allergy is also a major factor in occurrence of this problem, some people have food allergies, pollen allergy or allergy from feathers or pets hair which lead to eczema.
• Dry weather
Dry weather tends to make the skin dry which may cause itching and leads to this condition.
•■Stress
Stress can also be a trigger for this condition or can even make it worse.
How it develops in your skin ?
- ●When the immune system inappropriately starts to attacking itself then it is called Hypersensitivity reaction and these are of four types.
- ●Atopic dermatitis is a type four hypersensitivity reaction and it starts off when something in the environment called pollens.
- ●The pollen are able to travel through the pores of skin where it can comes in contact with immune cells and picked up by an immune cell in the tissue.
- ●The immune cells is called an antigen presenting cell because it present a bit allergen of the allergen to a T helper cell that activating it to TH2 cell.
- ●This TH2 cell than stimulates its nearby B cells to starts producing IgE or immunoglobin IgE antibodies specific to that pollen.
- Now those IgE antibody binds to the surface of other immune cells which is mast cell and basophils that is found in the tissue layer just below the skin.
- ●This whole process is called sensitization. NOW, if there is a second contact or exposure to pollen that makes its way into the skin tissue.
- And now the allergen can cross the link IgE on these sensitized cells that results in degranulation or release of a number of pro-inflammatory molecules like histamine, leukotriene and proteases.
- ●The combined effect of these molecules is to cause nearby blood vessels to dilate and become leaky as well as attract even more immune cells to the area that creates inflammation to the skin tissues.
- ●Ultimately this inflammation makes the skin barrier to more leaky that potentially allows in more of the allogenic substance while at the same time allows water to escape, that makes the skin dry and scaly.
- ●Dry skin causes itching and stretching further damages to the skin barrier and worsening the skin condition.
Symptoms
The symptoms can very depending upon the age of the person, the common symptoms are:
- □Intense itching
- □Erythema
- □Vesicles or papules
- □Weeping skin
- □Crusting
- □In children rashes may occurs in creases or skinfolds, cheeks, back of Knee.
- □Rashes on the bump.
- □In adults the rashes more scaly or crusting and with excessive dry skin.
Treatments
Depending upon the severity your doctor may prescribed some medicines.
- ☆Topical Corticosteroid therapy for reducing the inflammation or itching.
- ☆Antibiotic for the bacterial infection, constant itching can break the skin barrier and allows the entry for bacteria or bacterial infection.
- ☆Antihistamine for reducing the itchiness in night as it creates drowsiness.
- ☆Skin moisturizer for the dry and scaly skin and for reducing further damage to the skin.
Home care
There are certain things you can do in your home to reduce the symptoms of eczema and to maintain your skin integrity.
- ◇Prevent your skin from dryness or from der winter or less humid environment.
- ◇If you have starch on tour skin, don’t touch it unnecessarily as it may lead to bacterial infection.
- ◇Apply lotion on your skin to prevent dryness.
- ◇Avoid hot water and harsh soap as these can lead to dry skin.
- ◇Try to apply lotion on your skin within three minutes after bathing when the skin is still moist.
- ◇Try to manage if you have stress or depression as stress or depression can trigger these condition.
- ◇If you have food allergy or pollen allergy make sure to avoid it as much as possible.
Conclusion
Eczema is a skin condition that affects both childrens and adults in skin rashes, scaly skin, redness, itching, blister on skin is seen, because this condition have many factors for its occurrence the exact cause is unknown.
But in some extent you can reduce your symptoms if you know which factor triggers this condition in you by avoiding that factor.
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