Eczema Treatment, Causes, Types, Symptoms, Medication And Facts

A chronic skin condition called Dyshidrosis has symptoms which include small blisters on the feet and hands. The name originated from the word dyshidrotic which literally means “bad sweating”. At one time this was thought to be the cause.

In your medical symptoms guide it will show this is not contagious to other people but the blisters causes people to stay away and may cause the bearer of Dyshidrosis to have self esteem issues.

The cause of this skin condition is still unknown. Listed below are some thoughts on possible causes.
- There is a thought that an allergy to Nickel may cause this. Those who are put on a diet low in Nickel have less reported flare ups.
- Possibly allergens may be the cause
- a toxic reaction to certain metals
- Ingestion of oral contraceptives, aspirin, cigarette smoking or metals implanted in one’s body.

Since dyshidrosis is a type of eczema, the most common treatment which may be listed in your medical symptoms guide for dyshidrosis is currently topical steroids. These may have long term side effects such as thinning of the skin. Some other suggestions include the use of Hydrogen Peroxide (35% strength) and Potassium Permanganate solution. Both of these may work a little but the side effects may outweigh the benefits.

It may mention in a medical symptoms guide that to treat Dyshidrosis, you will need to go back to the basics. You will need to strengthen your immune system and eliminate toxins from yourself.

There are a number of home remedies that may be helpful in eliminating Dyshidrosis:
- Use lotions. Do not use petroleum jelly as it stays on the base of the skin.
- Take a bath in Epsom salt or try sea salts.
- Use gentle shampoos and bath oils.
- If you find you are allergic to nickel then avoid it.
- Try to avoid as much stress as possible.
- Wear cotton gloves and try not to scratch.
- Wear cotton gloves while reading anything including books, magazines and newspapers. The ink may irritate you. – Avoid hand sanitizing products which contains alcohol. Alcohol is drying and may aggravate the condition.
- Use cool water to wash your hands and feet and keep them moisturized. Wash affected hands and feet with cool water and apply a moisturizer as soon as possible.

Dyshidrosis is not life threatening, this skin condition can cause extreme stress and much pain to anyone suffering from this condition. While there is not currently any definite treatment found in a medical symptoms guide one can work with this disease if one strives for a healthy lifestyle.

Eczema is a broad term which is used to describe a number of dermatological problems. Basically, the word “eczema” refers to skin which is cracked, itchy, flaky, dry, etc. Sometimes, severe cases also involve the oozing of puss or even blood. There are a number of creams, ointments, and other remedies on the market. But most recently, a new skin laser has been FDA approved to treat this condition. It is offered by some plastic surgeons and dermatologists. Let’s take a closer look at this new treatment method.

What is the XTRAC laser?
It is manufactured by PhotoMedex and marketed under the brand name XTRAC excimer laser system. On November 30th, 2000, it became the first laser treatment approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of eczema.

What are its benefits?
There are a number of reasons why both plastic surgeons and patient alike enjoy using this laser. First of all, each treatment only takes a few minutes. Typically, anywhere from four to ten treatments are necessary to achieve the maximum results. Once the treatment cycle has been completed, the results might last up to several months. Because the light is delivered through a targeted fiber optic system, the nearby healthy skin doesn’t have to be exposed to dangerous UV rays. It’s also a great alternative to some of the oral meds which can lead to liver damage and birth defects for pregnant women.

How much does it cost?
Unfortunately, like most modern medical treatments, the XTRAC laser is not cheap. Some people feel that dermatologists and plastic surgery clinics are ripping off patients with the prices they charge for laser treatment, but it’s important to remember that those laser devices cost them tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Therefore, they have to charge the patients a lot in order to recoup their costs. So in this industry, it’s usually the manufacturer’s high prices which contribute to laser treatments being so costly.

Where to get it?
Since it’s a specialty device and because of its hefty price tag, it simply isn’t practical for every skin doctor or plastic surgeon to have one. However, there are many dermatological clinics which specialize in skin care that should have this laser on hand. It’s a good idea to call around your area to see who has it. According to posters at PlasticSurgerySpot.com (a directory of plastic surgery message boards) the prices at doctors offices are always negotiable; talk with each practice that offers it and see if you can knock a couple hundred bucks off a package of treatments.

There are various kinds of eczema (another name for which is dermatitis) that occur and sometimes they occur – many kinds in the same person. Here we shall see a few of the commonly seen eczema types.

The most common of all – atopic dermatitis. Named by the non medical community as “the itch that rashes”, it itches like crazy to the extent that absolutely no activity can happen when it occurs. One of the harshest effects of it is that if it occurs while the person is sleeping, it does not allow the person to sleep till it subsides. You know that you have atopic dermatitis when you have areas of your skin that is itch, when you skin starts to become red and sometimes swells, the leaking of transparent liquid and sometimes even scaled skin. Other common symptoms are patches or bubbles of red skin. If these are not treated right and scratched then the skin naturally gets thicker to protect itself – something called lichenification.

These symptoms are seen most commonly in infants on their scalps and faces. Cheeks are a favorite spot. In adults, hands, feet, elbow bends, chest, wrists and neck are places where it occurs most times. They even sometimes appear on eyelids. Statistics show that up to one fifth of the people in the world suffer from atopic dermatitis in some form or the other.

The reason why atopic dermatitis occurs has been a hot topic of research for a long time but of not much avail. So far the host of reasons why it occurs including genetic reasons, a bad immune system living environment and when the outermost layer of skin breaks down.

There are certain things that can tell you whether you stand to get atopic dermatitis. Check the medical history of your family to see if there were cases of inflammation or linings in the nose and lungs. Even a history of hay fever, asthma or atopic dermatitis can indicate that you stand to get it sometime. Your environment and more specifically your geographic location (external factors) affect whether you will be affected by it or not.

If you were born to your mother quite a number of years after she had her first child, if you are female (males are less prone to it), if you are between one and five years old (because by the time a baby crosses five years, it has already developed) or even if you had a large family (the larger the family, the larger the chances study show).

Not in all cases must atopic dermatitis be treated to be taken care of. In many cases, it starts and completely diminishes by the time a child is 2 years old. It either generally diminishes by the time the child becomes an adult. If it doesn’t, it stays on for the life time of the person but does slowly diminishes with the advent of age. If it is very severe, it is suggested that you go to the doctor and have it looked up.

Eczema is not called “itch that rashes” for nothing. The reason it is so is that if you feel yourself itch and if you scratch it hard enough it will become a rash. In all cases, the first symptom of eczema is an itch. If you persist in scratching, a rash will be sure to develop. The rash that appears looks like a patch of skin that is different from the skin around it. When it develops, it is very dry to the extent that it is scaly and can come off as hard pieces of skin. It will be red and burning. It also itches which makes you want to scratch it even more.

In the case of adults, the patches are not so much red but are brown, scaly and very thick. In some cases, adults develop bumps or bubbles some with fluid in them – if scratched the fluid oozes out making a mess of the wound. If left to be and consistently scratched, it will develop serious scratches. If you scratch even further, it will start to ooze a kind of secretion – something that happens very much in the case of small children. It will then go on to become very crusty.
The rash can come absolutely anywhere on the body but it usually on the hands and legs. Doctors say that it is because it is these parts of the body that actually are in most contact with external factors that cause eczema.

There is not much to worry about. You really need to consult a doctor when the pain, burning and the redness get worse with the patch spreading despite putting the regular medication. Even if it is not that bad but yet it disturbs you in your regular daily routine, you must get yourself checked up. Understand that eczema is not an urgent case of medical treatment but there are exceptions to the rule.

If the rash is so bad that it breaks down and starts to get infected, become increasingly heated and have red streaks coming off them, it is an emergency. The same case if you have a rising fever when you have a rash that hasn’t gone as yet. Most important of all, if you have a weak immune system (which you should already know), are undergoing treatment for diabetes, AIDS, alcohol addiction or if you are 70 years of age and above, then it is an emergency. See to it that you get immediate medical attention so that the matter does not get worse.

Be sure that you get the right consultation every time something could be wrong. Don’t hesitate to make sure that you are in best of conditions health wise at least where your eczema reactions stand. There is medication that you can carry with you that can work against an eczema outburst when it happens suddenly. After you take the medicine, if it still persists then you must visit a hospital to check it up.

There is no real proved reason for the occurrence of eczema. There is research certainly showing that it is lack of an immune system driven and that it is distinctly related to allergies. The same research shows us that it is not the same thing as an allergy. The similarity comes because of the immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies presence. The research done has showed that people who suffer with eczema have the IgE antibodies which are produced as a result of allergies. So far the known reason for Eczema is Allergen.

Commonly named the trigger, eczema is largely caused by the allergen. Regardless of how long the allergen has been in touch with the body, eczema starts reacting to it on first contact and even faster on constant contact with the skin. This allergen largely includes jewelry, gloves, creams, variant weather, dust, stress (mental or emotional), rubbing, scratching, touching certain kinds of food and detergents are from among the common some that make the list. Some of these allergens are very uncontrollable like the weather, dust, pollutants etc.

It could also come from diseases that are known to precede like an allergy, hay fever or asthma. It coiuld also very well come from the genetically inherited diseases. Sometimes, it suddenly flares up because of ill health, excess stress (both physical and mental) and contact with allergens.

Regardless of where this comes from, we must be aware of all these factors so that we can understand why we get these reactions. Staying away from any situation that causes eczema to occur will help bring the occurrences down. That is very difficult especially if the allergen is something that we like. In cases when the allergen is uncontrollable, it is suggested to carry medication for the eczema so that if it and when it flares up, it does not affect you.

An eczema occurrence can make one feel very uncomfortable especially when it happens in the most uncomfortable of situations. And it can also be very awkward too. Sometimes if you know that you have the chance of having to undergo an eczema occurrence because of having to be out all day surrounded by polluted air or even out in the sun which will make you sweat. Sometimes if the eczema seems to persist, then you must consult a physician on the matter and see to it that things don’t get out of hand. There is emergency medication in the form of injections that take care of your eczema outburst that your medicines prescribed can’t take care of. Another suggestion is to consult a doctor for medication that can be taken every day preferably when you start your day regardless of whether you will be exposing yourself to allergen or not. It avoids sudden outbursts and makes life a whole lot easier. It is one of the best ways to avoid an out of the blue eczema attack. Either way, you must have your emergency medication with you.