Atopic Eczema

The medical condition where the skin of a person becomes dry, reddened, cracked and itchy is known as eczema.

Atopic eczema is the most commonly found type of eczema that is normally found in children. Children who are prone to allergies have a higher tendency of developing this condition.

This type of eczema is found in children normally before they reach the age of five.

Symptoms

The person having atopic eczema may need treatment if the symptoms tend to worsen.

The skin of a person suffering from atopic eczema becomes:

• utchy
• dry
• broken
• red
• cracked and
• thickened.

In extreme cases, the skin will be:

• very hot, dry itchy, scaly and red
• swollen wet and weeping
• contain bacterial infection

The symptoms of atopic eczema differ from people to people depending on the severity of the affected condition.

The symptoms will be mild in people who have a very light attack of atopic eczema. But in people having sever attacks, will even have persistent itching as well as the oozing of fluid form the affected area.

Causes

Atopic eczema is inherited. This will be worsened by internal triggers like hormonal levels and stress or by external triggers like pollen and fur.

If a person suffers form atopic eczema, the chances that his child will also develop the same is very high of about eighty percent.

The external or environmental triggers for worsening of atopic eczema include:

• fur of the pets
• pollen grains
• house dust
• mites

Certain food also acts as allergens that aggravate atopic eczema. Some of these are:

• eggs
• nuts
• milk from cow
• wheat and
• soya.

The hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual cycle as well as during pregnancy tend to aggravate the symptoms of atopic eczema.

High levels of stress can also worsen this condition. Atopic eczema worsens during winter and improves during summer.

Vigorous exercising can also worsen eczema.

Treatment

The following self care techniques can be used to manage atopic eczema:

• Do not scratch the itchy area as scratching leads to aggravation of the disease.
• Try avoiding the triggers that cause the condition.
• The food that worsens this condition should be avoided.

Aromatherapy is a treatment by using the therapeutic properties of the essential oils. This can be used in treating eczema.

The use of emollients, that are materials for soothing and softening the skin, is advised when the skin of the person suffering from atopic eczema becomes cracked and dry.

If the skin develops inflammation and redness, then the use of corticosteroid medication is advised.

Complications

Since the skin of the person having eczema becomes cracked and dry, the chances of developing bacterial skin infections are high.
Children having atopic eczema have behavioural problems. They will tend to be dependent on their parents more.
Children having atopic eczema are subjected to bullying in school that can cause psychological problems.
The faring up of the symptoms of atopic eczema can result in a disturbed sleep which in turn causes a bad behaviour and mood.
The children will not have enough self confidence.