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.