Eczema is a skin disease, also called eczematous dermatitis, characterized by inflammatory lesions, with redness, papules, itching, formation of vesicles or even blisters that, when broken, moisten the area and form crusts that eventually flake off.
It can occur on any part of the body and is usually very annoying due to the itching it causes. When it is very chronic it can look like “tanned skin”.
Eczema is a common pathology that affects more than 10% of the population at some point in their lives.
Eczema is not contagious but there may be relatives with the same disease because, in some cases, it is hereditary.
What are the causes of eczema?
The causes of eczema are multiple, from an allergy to the sun, to simply an extreme dryness of the skin. The most frequent are:
- Eczema or atopic dermatitis
- Eczema or contact dermatitis
- Irritant dermatitis
- Seborrheic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is common in children and is often associated with rhinitis, asthma and food allergies. In this sense, it is recommended to rule out the existence of a food allergy that may be causing part of the outbreaks. In general, the long-term prognosis is good and it usually disappears in adulthood, before the age of 20. In addition to creams, there are nowadays other treatments that can influence its cure, such as vaccines for mites, pollen or animal epithelia and also biological drugs such as dupilumab.
Contact dermatitis is caused by an external agent to which we are sensitive and which, when touching the skin, produces the reaction. In order to know the causative agents, allergy patch tests must be performed. Among the most frequent causes is allergy to metals, perfumes, kathon G, hair dyes, leather tanning, dyes, rubber materials and acrylates.
Sometimes contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis are associated, being necessary to rule out a contact allergy in atopic dermatitis with bad evolution.
Sometimes an allergic contact dermatitis of known cause can be aggravated by a dermatitis due to added irritation, if we do not take into account avoiding external agents that can worsen it and which are indicated below.
And finally, seborrheic dermatitis, which mainly affects the scalp and face, is a chronic skin disease that is sometimes confused or overlaps with any of the dermatitis mentioned above.
In general, most of the time, eczema presents as an allergic reaction and it is advisable to rule out an allergy to dust mites, humidity, pets, cosmetics, fibers, perfumes and even the corticosteroid drugs applied to improve eczema. Eczema is a chronic disease and is not usually cured, although it can be controlled and the symptoms can even disappear.
How should eczema and its symptoms be treated and how should the patient’s daily life be adapted?
In addition to specifically treating the lesions with the medications prescribed by the specialist in Dermatology and Allergology, it is very important to prevent flare-ups. To do so, it is recommended to use cleansing products, both facial and body, that do not irritate or dry the skin, preferably oily ones. It is also very important to properly moisturize with specific products for each skin type, the so-called “hypoallergenic” ones. It is advisable to avoid irritants, such as contact with household cleaning products. For this purpose, it is advisable to use vinyl gloves and place cotton gloves underneath. Also, avoid aggressive detergents or fabric softeners, as they sometimes leave residues on the clothes and can irritate the skin. Also, avoid excessive washing. It is recommended to wear cotton clothing and avoid sweating and hot environments. In this sense, it is better to keep cool, and the water temperature should be rather lukewarm in showers or baths, drying with “dabs” and avoiding rough towels.
And above all, it is very important not to scratch, even if this is very difficult, as we can overinfect the lesions and maintain the eczema over time. For this reason, we insist on taking the medication and correctly applying the creams recommended by the specialist, as well as taking into account hydration and avoiding the irritants mentioned above.
Finally, we must learn to live with eczema and prevent it from affecting our social and personal relationships. To do this, we advise early identification of exacerbations, as well as what makes us worse, whether it is food or contactants and, above all, to accept outbreaks calmly and remedy them quickly, especially when they affect visible areas such as the face and hands. And of course, act on situations that cause us stress, as this does not help.