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Eczema: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Eczema is a skin condition marked by particularly thick skin that is itchy, scaly and inflamed. While eczema can affect any area of the body, this skin disease typically plagues the face, arms and legs, with the latter two being specifically affected at the elbows and knees.

Also referred to as atopic dermatitis, eczema can exist in conjunction with asthma or allergies, such as hay fever. Although younger children are usually affected by eczema, people of any age can develop this skin condition.

Causes of Eczema

Although the medical community is still investigating the precise cause of eczema, dermatologists and other medical experts suspect that eczema results from an immune system disorder coupled with the presence of dry skin. Like psoriasis, eczema may be an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the immune system accidentally identifies healthy skin cells as a threat and, therefore, tries to destroy them.

While the exact cause of eczema remains unknown, doctors have identified some factors that worsen this skin disease. Namely, stress and the presence of psychological disorders make eczema worse. Other factors that tend to intensify eczema include:

dramatic, sudden changes in temperature
dried out skin
dry climates
dusty environments
harsh cleansers and detergents
prolonged contact with hot water
smoke
sweating
synthetic fabrics
wool.

Because atopic dermatitis is a form of eczema caused by allergies, doctors think that it is caused, at least in part, by some genetic factors. In fact, atopic dermatitis in children can be a strong predictor of future allergies. About 75 percent of kids who suffer from atopic dermatitis will have asthma or hay fever later in life.

Eczema Symptoms

Eczema patients will experience any combination of the following symptoms:

cracked skin
crusty raised bumps that may ooze fluid
itchiness
patches of red or dark brown skin
scaly skin
sensitive skin
thickened skin.

These symptoms tend to affect the:

ankles
arms
eyes
face
feet
hands
neck
wrists.

Like psoriasis, eczema has its own cycle of activity, during which it is inflamed and causes the most severe symptoms, and latency, when the skin disease subsides and symptoms mellow. In some cases, eczema will be inactive for years, only to flare up again later in life.

Infantile Eczema

If atopic dermatitis affects infants, the condition is referred to as infantile eczema. Those suffering from infantile eczema experience unique symptoms, specifically a crusty, oozing facial rash. Occasionally, the rash spreads to the scalp. The dryer the baby’s skin becomes and the longer the condition is left untreated, the more red or dark brown the rash will appear.

Treatments for infantile eczema revolve around moisturizing the baby’s skin with gentle creams and ointments. If moisturizer isn’t effective in treating infantile eczema, talk to your infant’s pediatrician about other treatment options.

Eczema Treatments

Because there is no cure for eczema, treatments aim to reduce the current symptoms and promote latent period of this skin condition. Ironically, even though allergies can cause atopic dermatitis, taking steps to reduce allergens (i.e. using dust traps or getting allergy shots), can actually worsen rather than improve this condition.

Typical treatment for eczema revolves around using topical creams, taking medication and undergoing phototherapy, a treatment method that exposed affected skin to artificial or natural light. In many cases, a combination of all three treatments is necessary to treat eczema.

Talk to your doctor about your condition and treatment options. Be sure that you understand the associated side effects before starting any course of treatment for eczema.

Resources

MayoClinic (updated October 4, 2006). Atopic dermatitis (eczema). Retrieved November 1, 2007 from the MayoClinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eczema/DS00986/DSECTION

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