How to Deal with Eczema
Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a long-lasting disease that afflicts the skin. It is not contagious; an affected person won’t pass it to another. The word dermatitis means inflammation of the skin. The term atopic refers to a group of conditions where there is often a genetic tendency to develop other allergic conditions, such as hay fever and asthma. In eczema, the skin turns extremely itchy. Scratching leads to swelling, cracking, redness, weeping clear fluid, and finally, crusting and scaling. When some children suffering eczema grow older, their skin disease improves or disappears completely, although their skin often remains dry and easily irritated. In others, eczema will still be a significant problem in adulthood.
There are no recognized causes for eczema, but the disease seems to appear from a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
Children are more likely to develop this disorder if allergic conditions like asthma or hay fever affect, or have affected, one or both parents. While some individuals outgrow skin symptoms, approximately three out of four children suffering eczema go on to develop hay fever or asthma. Environmental factors can bring on symptoms of eczema at any time in people who have genetically acquired the atopic disease trait.
Eczema is also linked with a failure of the organism’s immune system: the system that identifies and helps fight bacteria and viruses that attack the body. Scientists have discovered that patients suffering eczema have a low level of a cytokine protein that is essential to the adequate function of the body’s immune mechanism and an elevated level of other cytokines that lead to allergic reactions. The immune mechanism can become confused and create dermatitis even in the absence of a major infection.
In the past, specialists believed that eczema was caused by an emotional disorder. We now know that emotional factors, such as stress, can make the condition worse, but they do not cause the disease.
Also, a wide range of skin care products include preservatives. Patients who are sensible to one of these preservatives can have either widespread or localized dermatitis. Antigen-avoidance lists that facilitate patient instruction about what chemicals to avoid can be acquired from the manufacturers of patch test allergens. With these written guidelines alone, people must read skin care product labels carefully, searching for the names of the allergens as identified by patch tests as well as for any synonyms and cross-reactors of these substances. After an allergen has been identified, a nurse can play a key role in helping people understand their dermatitis and its treatment. Nurses are in a unique position to spend time educating people about how to discover the sources of certain allergens and, subsequently, how to avoid them.
A new skin care product is our latest answer to eliminate blemishes and cure all kind of skin ailments. Elaborated with natural ingredients, it ensures no allergic reactions and no adverse side effects.
- Angelique Jodein
:: Aug.14.2008 :: Uncategorized ::
