What is Eczema

Eczema is a disease of that derives as a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the skin. Eczema is estimated to affect slightly more than 10% of the world’s population, making this a very real issue for almost 680 million people. Eczema can be unsightly and painful, and can cause emotional anguish for people that suffer from this disease.

Dangers of Eczema

While Eczema itself is not harmful—more of a nuisance than anything—it can combine with other complications that can make it a danger. If you have eczema, you run the risk of contracting bacterial infections, viral infections, molluscum contagiosum, warts and fungal infections. In some cases, patients prescribed topical treatments for their eczema may experience allergic reactions to certain medications.

Signs of Eczema

There are many symptoms of eczema, but once advantage to skin disease is, it is typically easy to see if you are having a problem, because it is visible on the surface and not just affecting you internally.

Common visible symptoms of eczema include:

• Redness of the skin
• Swelling of the skin
• Itching of the skin
• Dryness of the skin
• Crusting of the skin
• Flaking of the skin
• Blistering of the skin
• Cracking of the skin

As with any suspected disorder or disease, if you have one of these symptoms, you should consult with your doctor or specialist to figure out what sort of treatment would be right for you.

What causes Eczema

Eczema is much like psoriasis, in the fact that it is a skin disease that has unclear origins. Doctors are not sure what exactly causes eczema, but they feel it has strong genetic linkage, and arises from several genetic factors.

It is a three step process, or chain reaction.

1. The filaggrin gene is what contributes to the formation and function of the skin.
2. It is believed that deviations in the genes coding can cause skin barrier defects that help contribute to eczema.
3. These defects in the skin barrier development prohibit the adequate levels of antimicrobial peptides to form in the epidermis. This allows for bacterial and viral infections to form in the affected lesions.

That culmination of genetic factors, coupled with environmental aspects, triggers increased transepidermal water loss—or dissipation of water through your skin. This leads to persistent dryness, itching and inflammation. To make matters worse, when that barrier is weakened, it can lead to hypersensitivity reactions that are caused by irritants and allergens like detergents, synthetic or rough fabrics, fragrances, certain foods, and even dust mites.

How to prevent eczema from occurring

Unfortunately, much like psoriasis, eczema cannot be cured however; you can prevent the frequent flare-ups associated with eczema.

It is extremely important to pay special attention to the skin care products that you use. Making sure that you use products that do not contain skin irritants is important. It is also worth remembering that a common complication of eczema patients is allergic reaction to products used on the skin. Make certain to check with your dermatologist if you experience an adverse reaction to any product that you use.

Other day to day things that you can do to help prevent eczema flare-ups include:

• Avoid hot water when you can, hot water can lead to dried out skin
• Wear clothes that are cotton as opposed to wool, scratchy clothing can worsen your flare-up
• Moisturize—remember, eczema is caused by your body exuding water, leading to dry skin
• If it itches, do not scratch it! Scratching can slow down the healing process
• Keep your temperature consistent, sudden overheating and sweat can cause outbreaks
• Take your medication, if your dermatologist prescribes it, follow their direction
• Being stressed can lead to flare-ups, so try and keep yourself calm and collected

Methods for treating eczema—and their inherent problems

The key to treating eczema, ultimately, is keeping your skin moisturized, but therein lies the problem. Most moisturizers on the market do a great job of keeping skin moist, but at the same time, they contain skin irritants that can make your problem worse.

If at all possible, you want to find an all natural solution for your skin moisturizing needs. Avoiding the skin irritants that can be found in common lotions and creams is an often overlooked, but very important part of keeping the skin healthy and moist.

As mentioned earlier, it is important to team with your dermatologist to find a method of treatment that is right for your case of eczema. Chances are when you talk to your dermatologist; one of three methods for treatment will be suggested or prescribed.

Topical treatments are the most common. Creams and lotions are used to treat moderate and mild cases of psoriasis, and sometimes can be combined with light treatment and oral medication to help find the right combination to treat your case of eczema, however, as stated above not everyone reacts to topical treatments in a positive way. Additives to these creams or lotions can in some cases enhance the eczema breakout, working in the exact opposite direction that you want it to.

Light treatment or phototherapy is gaining in popularity, despite the risks involved. The treatment is just like it sounds, using Ultraviolet Rays—whether they be natural or artificial—to help treat eczema. While it is effective, phototherapy does have side effects that are undesirable. Most of these side effects include other issues with the skin arising, including severe burning, wrinkling, aging and discoloration of the skin, and melanoma, also known as skin cancer.

Over the counter products like hydrocortisone cream can be used to reduce inflammation. In cases where a stronger formulation is needed, your dermatologist may prescribe a stronger corticosteroid, whether they be topical or oral. Also, if the area of your flare up becomes infected, you may be prescribed an anti biotic that will take care of any bacteria that caused the infection.
Other less common treatments include antihistamines, tar treatments and a drug called cyclosporine which is typically only prescribed when no other methods work for controlling your outbreaks.
If you do not want to take the risk of the side effects from the treatments options that are most common for those who suffer from eczema, then look for natural alternatives.