What is Eczema?
Eczema, also known as Dermatitis, is the name for a group of non-contagious, inflammatory skin conditions, which typically cause the skin to become red, itchy, inflamed and cracked.
Eczema is an extremely common condition, with 1 in 5 children and 1 in 12 adults in the UK experiencing the condition. While some may experience mild symptoms, for others the condition can be severely debilitating, affecting not only their physical health but also their mental health.
“The itch can be overwhelming. Family don’t understand that telling me to ‘stop scratching’ just doesn’t help”
— HOLLY —
There are several different types of eczema, read on to find out more about them.
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Atopic Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis) is the most common form of eczema. While it can begin at any age, it commonly begins in childhood. ‘Atopic’ refers to a genetic predisposition to developing allergic reactions such as hay fever, asthma and eczema. While you may or may not experience hay fever and asthma alongside, they are all linked by the same genetic factor. The most common areas that Atopic Eczema affects includes the face, the back of the knees, wrists, hands or feet, although it can occur anywhere on the body.
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Contact Dermatitis (Contact Eczema) describes an inflammatory skin condition caused by the direct skin contact with an irritant or allergen in your environment. The irritation is usually delayed, appearing within hours or days of initial contact, leaving the trigger sometimes difficult to identify.
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Seborrhoeic Dermatitis (Seborrhoeic Eczema) refers to an inflamed skin condition which occurs in sebaceous, or greasy areas of the skin such as the sides of the nose, scalp, folds in the skin under the arms and groin, and centre of the chest. Red, itchy, flaky skin in areas such as the face, scalp and centre of the chest are thought to be a result of an overgrowth of usually harmless yeasts in the skin.
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Discoid Eczema (also known as nummular or discoid dermatitis) is identifiable due to its distinct circular patches on the skin. The skin becomes itchy, swollen and cracked in circular patches all over the body, although not usually on the face. The condition often begins as a small collection of red bumps, which then join to create a swollen, circular patch. On light skin tones, the patches appear red, whereas on darker skin tones, they can be dark brown or paler than the skin surrounding them.
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Pompholyx (Dyshidrotic eczema) causes the development of extremely itchy, painful blisters usually on the hands, and sometimes of the soles of the feet. The onset of pompholyx eczema usually appears as an intense itching and stinging of the skin on the hands. This then develops into itchy, fluid filled blisters.
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Varicose eczema describes itchy, swollen, dry and crusty skin to the lower legs. It can flare up after long periods of standing, resulting from pressure in the leg veins.
Symptoms of Eczema
Symptoms of eczema can vary slightly depending on the subtype experienced.
The most common symptoms of Atopic Eczema are; dry, inflamed, extremely itchy skin. In white skin, when inflamed the skin can appear red, while in black and brown skin it can appear darker brown, purple or grey.
In some cases the skin becomes cracked, blistered and weeping.
Additionally, intense itching can impact on sleep, causing sleep deprivation.
DRY
INFLAMED
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Causes of Eczema
Causes of eczema vary depending on the subtype of eczema experienced.
Atopic eczema is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
The genetic factors lead to a weakened skin barrier. The skin barrier is what protects the body from external irritants, when the skin barrier is weakened, we become vulnerable to external triggers penetrating the skin.
Flare ups can be triggered by environment factors such as heat, dust, itchy material in clothing, pet dander and irritants such as soaps, detergents and other chemicals.
Being unwell or having an infection can also trigger a flare up.
Other types of eczema, such as Contact Dermatitis are caused by exposure to strong irritants, such as detergents. This exposure strips the skin barrier of its natural oils.
Treatment of Eczema
While Atopic Eczema cannot be cured, it can be managed.
Regular use of emollients (medical moisturisers) such as Emollin® can help to restore the skin’s barrier, and ease itching, allowing the skin to repair. It is advised that emollients should be used not only during a flare up, but during periods of recession to maintain the skin’s barrier.
Depending on the severity, topical steroids may also be prescribed to manage eczema.
In the case of contact dermatitis, it is important to identify the trigger of the reaction, so that it can be avoided in future to prevent repeated episodes.
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