Eczema is not a fancy term for a star in the solar system. It is a skin condition which is common in babies, young children and adults too. More than 25 million people are affected by it every year. Eczema or dermatitis as it is also known is identified by dry, sensitive skin that easily becomes red, itchy, scaly and inflamed, and is rough to touch. The skin becomes flaky, can crack and sometimes fluids ooze from it too. Eczema causes the skin to itch and itching the skin, in turn, makes the blisters worse. Excessive itching can even result in bleeding from the rashes. Eczema is a non-contagious inflammatory skin condition that can be chronic and is caused by allergic reactions to various triggers in the environment and genetic factors.
Eczema can be of many types:
Atopic dermatitis
The typical form of this skin condition, atopic dermatitis, affects infants and children the most but can become severe over the years. Especially appearing along with other allergic conditions like hay fever and asthma as a triad of diseases, eczema appears mostly on the face or scalp of babies, or on the elbows and the back of their knees. Dry climate, a fragile immune system, and chemical irritants are the typical causes of atopic dermatitis.
Contact dermatitis
As the name suggests, when the skin is exposed to potential allergens or irritants, it breaks out into rashes. There are two sub-categories in this type of eczema:
- Irritant contact dermatitis: It happens immediately after the skin comes in contact with certain chemicals or plants for a short duration or repetitively.
- Allergic contact dermatitis: Occurs when the skin is exposed to allergens. The symptoms develop much after the exposure happens and is not restricted to the place of contact.
Dyshidrotic eczema
More common in women than men, this eczema is caused by an allergic reaction of the skin to metals like nickel and cobalt, stress and continuous moisture on the hands and feet. A chronic condition that results in vesicles forming on the fingers, palms, toes, and soles, this can be quite painful. Symptoms are itchy blisters that become scaly patches and end up cracking the skin.
Nummular eczema
Peculiar in its symptoms, this type of eczema is common in conjunction with atopic dermatitis. Round coin-shaped spots that are quite itchy appear prominently because of insect bites or severely dry skin. Commonly occurring in people of all ages, this appears mostly in the lower parts of the legs and is not easy to treat.
Seborrheic dermatitis
Typically affecting people with HIV or Parkinson’s disease more often, this specific type of eczema appears as crusty flaky skin because of the overproduction of sebaceous oil glands in the scalp, upper back or chest and on the face, particularly on the eyebrows or the nose.
Stasis dermatitis
Occurring frequently in the veins in the lower part of the legs when the blood is not properly circulated back to the heart. Classic symptoms invariably include itching, considerable pain, swelling, redness, oozing, and possible infection.
