Eczema can develop for many reasons; It is a common skin disease that shows symptoms such as redness, swelling and itching on the skin.
What is Eczema?
Eczema itch can be so severe that it reduces the quality of life of the person in daily life, and itching increases as you scratch. Skin diseases such as eczema negatively affect people's lives because they cause aesthetic problems as well as the discomfort they cause. Although there are multiple types of eczema, one of the most common is allergic eczema, or atopic dermatitis.
Atopy literally means genetic predisposition to allergic diseases. The density of people with a history of allergies in the families of atopic individuals draws attention. Allergic Eczema is one of the most common diseases in children. Studies have shown that the changing world order, industrialization and climate changes after the second world war changed the incidence of eczema.
Allergic Eczema in children and adults manifests itself with different symptoms, but mostly the symptoms are parallel. However, recovery times may vary with age and youth of the skin. For this reason, allergic Eczema seen in children is likely to heal more quickly.
What Causes Eczema?
Eczema occurs as a result of the effect of any stimulus in the environment with a genetic predisposition.
- Due to Chemicals (Hand Eczema): Eczema begins to develop when, for example, heavy use of chemicals with bare hands (such as cleaning workers or hairdressers) disrupts the protective feature of the top layer of the skin.
- Numular Eczema: Again, some people may experience eczema that starts with skin redness and itching against animal hair or plants. The type that manifests with a coin-shaped skin lesion caused by animal bites is called "numular eczema." This condition is called stasis dermatitis. Redness and intense itching are experienced on the legs as in other parts of the body.
- Neurodermatitis: People with psoriasis or other types of Eczema may have on the legs, arms, neck, scalp, back of the hands or genitals. “Neurodermatitis”, which is observed as very itchy, thick and scaly areas in the ital areas, is another type of Eczema. The cause is unknown.
- Allergic Contact Dermatitis: Contact dermatitis, which develops due to frequent skin contact, is generally seen in women with redness and itching where watches, bracelets and necklaces come into contact. It is classified as “irritant” with frequent contact with chemicals (for example, due to powder in surgical gloves) or “allergic contact dermatitis” due to latex, metal contact.
- Atopic Dermatitis is among all types of Eczema. It is the most common type.
What Happens in the Onset of Eczema?
- The initial symptom is usually itching. As a result of scratching, inflammation (inflammation) develops in the skin area where the lesion is located.
- Inflammation and itching trigger each other, leading to the development of a vicious circle.
- A color change is seen in the affected area over time. The skin color becomes darker brown and the skin thickens.
- Areas that are dried on the skin and accompanied by flaking over time begin to form.
- During itching, microorganisms under the nail transfer to this region and these areas becomes open to infection
- Dry eczema areas become noticeable at first glance.
What is Atopic Dermatitis (Allergic Eczema)?
Atopic dermatitis is a common, often persistent skin disease that affects a sizable percentage of the world's population. Atopy is a specific type of allergic sensitization associated with asthma, hay fever, and chronic dermatitis. The disease has a known hereditary component and is more common in families affected by these diseases.
In atopic dermatitis, the skin is extremely itchy and often inflamed. It causes redness, swelling, vesicle formation (bubble), cracking and crusting. Dry skin is also common in most patients with atopic dermatitis. Although this disease can occur in individuals of any age, it most often affects infants and children. In infants, it often manifests itself before their first birthday. Sometimes it may continue into adulthood or the disease may appear for the first time in this process. It is usually a chronic disease, but some children As a patient gets older, improvement can be seen and he can recover completely.
Research conducted in our country reported that allergic eczema was 4.3% in children aged 6 to 13 years; It has been shown that it is seen in 8.1% of children between the ages of 10 and 11 years. It is also more common in girls than boys. It has been determined that children who grow up in less hygienic environments and are intertwined with various allergens and infectious diseases have less Eczema than children living in more developed countries and living in more sterile environments.
This situation is defined as the development of immunity against diseases encountered in childhood by children. Asthma and hay fever (allergic rhinitis) may accompany atopic dermatitis.
What are the Symptoms of Atopic Dermatitis (Allergic Eczema)?
The exact cause of atopic dermatitis is unknown, but it is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. When a substance from inside or outside the body triggers the immune system, it overreacts and creates inflammation. It is this inflammation that causes the skin to become red, dry, and itchy.
In order for the top layer of the skin to function as a protective barrier, a sufficient amount of the protein called filaggrin must be present. People with a predisposition to allergies (atopic) have a dry and prone to infections skin structure. It is known that if atopic dermatitis is seen in parents, the risk of development in children is also high. However, the exact reason for this is still not proven. If these parents have asthma and hay fever, the probability of developing such diseases in children is 50%. If both parents have any of these diseases, this rate increases even more.
10% of people in the world are affected by atopic dermatitis at some point in their lives. The situation is higher in urban areas and developed areas.
The most common symptoms in Allergic Eczema are:
- Redness and itching on the skin,
- Dry skin,
- Bubble formation on the skin,
- Skin flaking or crusting or shedding,
- Inflammation of the itchy areas as a result of constant scratching,
- Cracking in the skin (in some cases bleeding from cracks),
- dandruff on the scalp (hair loss) dandruff and itching may accompany)
Is Atopic Dermatitis Contagious?
Atopic eczema is not contagious. It is not possible to infect another individual by touch or any other situation. In addition, cosmetic products, perfumes, deodorants, detergents, cleaners, chemicals and some plants increase the risk of allergic eczema because they dry the skin.
How Is Atopic Dermatitis (Allergic Eczema) Diagnosed?
Diagnosis is made by physical and visual examination of the skin. Personal history and family history of allergies often support the diagnosis. Although itching is not seen in all atopic dermatitis, it should be considered.
Advanced diagnostic methods include skin biopsy. Diagnosis can be made by examining a small piece of the skin in a laboratory environment. Many patients with severe atopic disease have a certain number of white blood cells, these values support the diagnosis. However, apart from this, there is no special method for diagnosis. Often, doctors test for allergic reactions other than atopic dermatitis. These tests are based on some blood tests and skin tests. In order to facilitate the diagnosis, it is very important to notify the doctor if there are foods or other substances that cause allergic reactions in the individual. Because the most effective marker in the diagnosis of the disease is family history.
What are the Treatment Methods for Atopic Dermatitis (Allergic Eczema)?
Atopic dermatitis is likely to be chronic. In such cases, various treatments lasting months or years need to be tried. Even if treatments are successful, the disease can recur. As in any disease, early diagnosis and treatment are important in this disease. Regular skin hydration and avoiding substances that cause dryness of the skin can be helpful for treatment.
In addition, creams that control itching and help repair the skin are recommended by the doctor. These creams contain corticosteroids and it is important to use them in doses. In cases of overdose, it causes extreme thinning of the skin and causes other reactions.
Some creams containing calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus and pimecrolimus are also recommended to strengthen the immune system. square in the skin It is suitable for use in all individuals older than 2 years in order to prevent and control the reactions. After using such creams, it is necessary to protect from the sun. In addition, if any infection has occurred on the skin, antibiotic treatment is also required. Short-term use of antibiotics may be necessary to treat this infection.
The most effective method that can be applied individually is to moisturize the skin sufficiently and avoid substances that dry the skin. Moisture of the skin will prevent allergic eczema, and it will provide relief for individuals who are already sick.
What is Hair Eczema (Seborrheic Dermatitis)? What are the Causes of Hair Eczema?
Seborrheic dermatitis, which is called "hair or scalp Eczema", "oily hair Eczema", is a chronic disease whose cause is not known exactly. It is especially common in areas where the skin is oily, such as the scalp (heads), usually on the face, eyebrows, cheeks, nose edges, beards, middle of the chest and ears.
The reasons thought to cause scalp eczema include;
- Stress (the majority of these patients have underlying depression and/or anxiety disorder),
- Increased lubrication on the scalp (environmental fungal development) It becomes suitable and fungal spores and bacterial growth increase),
- Drying of the scalp (leads to a decrease in the defense mechanism of the skin and deterioration of its integrity),
- Allergic causes (shampoo, styling agents or hair dyes) Conditions that develop due to the quality and frequent use of hair products such as hair products,
- Diseases related to the immune system (such as psoriasis, Parkinson's, AIDS).
What are the Symptoms of Hair Eczema?
The most common symptoms:
- Redness,
- Itching,
- Scaling and crusting,
- Hair loss (Since skin health deteriorates in areas where eczema is intense, hair follicles cannot be fed and hair loss develops),
- Thickening of the scalp,
- Wound formation on the scalp.
How Does Hair Eczema Pass?
Hair Eczema is not contagious. The negative effects of the patient, especially in terms of social life, are in the foreground. Labeled due to constant dandruff
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