Eczema

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Eczema/Itchy Skin

Itching of the skin:

Itchy skin is a warning sign when an unwanted substance enters the body. Physiologically speaking, itchy skin is an allergic reaction. It is the mast cells in our skin that do this. Mast cells are an important immune cell type in the skin and play an active role during wound healing. When the skin is itchy, it feels good to scratch it. If it continues, it turns out to be irritating and resentful.

Medical Causes:

·        The underlying cause is an immune protein that builds up in the blood to an unwanted substance. This is called immunoglobulin E (IgE). Blood cells make this protein. When an unwanted substance first enters the body, this protein is formed, waits in the blood, and causes damage.

·        Skin conditions. Examples include dry skin, dermatitis, psoriasis, scabies, parasites, burns, scars, insect bites and hives.

·        Nerve disorders

·        Irritation and allergic reactions.

·        In older people, the oil glands in the skin diminish, causing dryness and itchiness.

Causes:

·        The first reason is synthetic beauty products. Soap, scent, vermillion, hair dye, lipstick, nail polish, face powder, cream etc. can cause irritation if they are not compatible with the skin.

·        For some people, if they wear clothes made of wool, terlin, nylon, animal skin, the body starts to itch.

·        For babies, if the diaper doesn’t conform, itches in the buttocks.

·        Rubber slippers, watch strap, paint, pesticides, chemicals etc. can also cause irritation.

·        For women of our country, nickel type jewelry causes more itching.

·        Detergent powder or soap used for washing clothes can be allergic to some people and cause irritation.

·        During the hot season, the skin becomes allergic and itchy due to the UV rays of the sun. profuse sweating also causes itching. The cold air in winter makes the skin dry and itchy.

·        In areas that secrete a lot of sweat, the fungus can enter and cause itching. This itching is intense at night. Jock itch is a fungal infection that causes a red and itchy rash in warm and moist areas of the body.

·        Milk, curd, egg, shrimp, meat, sea fish, dry fish, tomato etc. can cause skin irritation.

·        Some medications that we take can also cause itching.

Eczema:

Atopic dermatitis is a condition that makes the skin red and itchy. Atopic dermatitis is chronic and tends to flare periodically. No cure has been found for atopic dermatitis.

Symptoms in children:

Children and teens usually have a rash in the bends of their elbows, behind their knees, on their neck, or on their wrists or ankles. The rash turns scaly and dry.

Symptoms in adults:

The rash usually happens on your face, the backs of your knees, wrists, hands, or feet. In fair-skinned people, these areas may start out reddish and then turn into brown. In darker-skinned people, eczema can affect skin pigments, making the affected area lighter or darker.

Types of eczema:

1.     Atopic dermatitis:

It is the most common form of eczema. Atopic dermatitis is part of what healthcare professionals call the atopic triad. The other two diseases in the triad are asthma and hay fever. Many people with atopic dermatitis have all three conditions.

Symptoms:

v The rash often forms in the creases of elbows or knees.

v Small bumps may appear and leak fluid if scratch them.

v Skin can get infected if scratch it.

v The skin in areas where the rash appears may turn lighter or darker or get thicker.

Causes:

v Atopic dermatitis happens when the skin’s natural barrier against the elements is weakened. This means the skin is less able to protect from irritants and allergens.

v Atopic dermatitis is likely caused by a combination of factors such as:

·        Genes

·        Dry skin

·        An immune system problem

·        Triggers in the environment.

2.     Contact dermatitis:

If you have red, irritated skin, thick scaly region that’s caused by a reaction to substances you touch, you may have contact dermatitis. It comes in two types.

v Allergic contact dermatitis

v Irritant contact dermatitis.

Symptoms:

v Skin itches, turns red, is hyperpigmented or pink, magenta, burns and stings.

v Itchy bumps called hives may appear on the skin.

v Over time, the skin may thicken and feel scaly or leathery.

Causes:

v Detergents

v Jewelry

v Latex

v Poison ivy and other poisonous plants

v Soaps and perfumes

v Tobacco smoke.

3.     Dyshidrotic eczema:

Dyshidrotic eczema causes small blisters to form on your hands and feet.

Symptoms:

v Fluid-filled blisters form on your fingers, toes, and the soles of the feet.

v Skin can scale, crack, and flake.

Causes:

v Allergies

v Exposure to substances, such as nickel, cobalt, or chromium salt

v Smoking tobacco products.

4.     Hand eczema:

Eczema that only affects the hands is called hand eczema.

Symptoms:

v Hands get red, hyperpigmented, itchy, and dry.

Causes:

Hand eczema is triggered by exposure to chemicals. People are more likely to get this form if they work in jobs that expose them to irritants, such as:

v Cleaning

v Health care

v Laundry or dry cleaning.

5.     Neurodermatitis:

Neurodermatitis is similar to atopic dermatitis. It causes thick, scaly patches to appear on the skin.

Symptoms:

v Thick, scaly patches form on the arms, legs, back of the neck, scalp, bottoms of the feet, back of the hands, or genitals.

v The patches can bleed and get infected if scratch them.

Causes:

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes it, but stress can be a trigger.

6.     Nummular eczema:

This type of eczema causes round, coin-shaped spots to form on the skin. The word “nummular” means coin in Latin.

Symptoms:

v Round, coin-shaped spots form on the skin.

v The spots may itch or become scaly.

Causes:

v Nummular eczema can be triggered by a reaction to an insect bite or an allergic reaction to metals or chemicals.

v Dry skin can also cause it.

7.     Stasis dermatitis:

Stasis dermatitis happens when fluid leaks out of weakened veins into the skin. This fluid causes:

·        Swelling

·        Brown, purple, gray or ashen color in darker skin tones

·        Itching

·        Pain.

Symptoms:

v The lower part of the legs may swell, especially during the day when you have been walking.

v You will likely also have varicose veins, which are thick, ropey damaged veins in your legs.

v You may develop open sores on your lower legs and on the tops of your feet.

Causes:

v Stasis dermatitis happens in people who have blood flow problems in their lower legs.

v If the valves that normally push blood up through the legs toward the heart malfunction, blood can pool in the legs. Legs can swell up and varicose veins can form.