Cause of Eczema

Types and Symptoms

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While the exact cause of eczema isn't completely explained, there are some general ideas that people seem to agree on. Chances are, if you have eczema you also know someone close to you who has it, because the condition is thought to be genetic. The overall belief is that eczema is inherited from a family member, like asthma and hay fever. Eczema, a skin condition, is generally caused by an oversensitivity to allergies, mostly in the skin, and the way your immune system reacts to different things.

So, a common cause for eczema seems to be a skin allergy. For example, a girl wearing bangles made of a metal she's allergic to could develop mild to extensive eczema on her wrists, while a man wearing a belt made of nickel will look almost like a bruise on his waistline where the pants hit. Sometimes an allergy to a perfume or lotion could make your skin become inflamed, and other times it could be washing your hands frequently every day what causes the dermatitis.

Although it is rare, sometimes sensitivity to wheat, nuts, eggs, seafood, or soy can cause the condition in both adults and children. Studies have shown that casein can be the cause of eczema. It can be casein from milk, gluten, wheat, rye, oats, and barley. Finally, the overgrowth of yeast may be the culprit of eczema as well.

Types of Eczema

An average of three percent of all Americans have eczema. Atopic dermatitis is the most common type of eczema, but there are several other types of this skin condition.

Allergic contact eczema happens when chemicals irritate the skin and cause a reaction, which may spread to other areas.

Similarly, irritant contact is caused by frequently using cleaning chemicals or detergent substances.

Varicose eczema, a rash on the legs connected with poor circulation and varicose veins, commonly occurs in the elderly, while babies most commonly end up with seborrhoeic eczema, a greasy rash that starts on the scalp and then spreads to other areas. However, adults can also have seborrhoeic eczema, but it can stick around for longer than it takes for the babies' rashes to clear up.

Finally, discoid eczema most commonly occurs in round lepidote patches in middle-aged men and is extremely itchy.

Symptoms of Eczema

If your skin begins to feel hot and start to itch and it becomes red and inflamed when you scratch it, chances are you have eczema. Worse in teenagers and young adults, the itchy patches usually start on the elbows, on the back of knees and the neck, upper chest, and face. Though the symptoms vary from person to person, many who suffer from eczema find their skin becoming itchy and dry. And if the person scratches the affected often the skin starts to feel like leather. Along with the itchiness and redness, eczema may also cause weeping, crusting, scaling, blisters, small raised bumps called papules, and hives, among other symptoms.

Other Symptoms according to the Type

It’s important to keep in mind that different types of eczema have different symptoms. For example, seborrhieic eczema will appear in the form of a red rash on your face, dandruff, or a rash on your back and chest, while irritant contact eczema, commonly called hand dermatitis, looks red and irritated all the time.

Varicose eczema makes the lower leg and ankle look dry and red, while discoid eczema will appear as discs of red, itchy, dry skin that looks crusty. It is mostly found on the arms and trunk and can become infected very easily.

Infantile eczema happens when a newborn starts to scratch dry patches of skin on their body, and atopic eczema resembles a rash or red, dry patches that may itch.

Flareups can be triggered by allergies, stress, chemicals, or temperature changes, causing an itchy or red skin rash.

What Can You Do?

To start with, your doctor may suggest avoiding those things that trigger eczema in your body. Creams and ointments that contain corticosteroids are commonly prescribed to soothe the skin. Some people are advised to take corticoids internally as well.

Other ways to treat eczema include ultraviolet light therapy and natural creams.

A cream that we have found very helpful is called Eczema Cream. It contains herbal and homeopathic ingredients including:

Curcuma Tr, which contains curcuminois that are potent antioxidants that reduce inflammation.

Vinca Minor, an homeopathic remedy that has soothing properties and relieves itchiness and redness in sensitive skin.

Vitamin E Oil, a nutrient that has hydrating and healing properties. As an antioxidant Vitamin E also acts as a barrier protecting the skin.

These natural remedies plus some others contained in Eczema Cream have been carefully combined to help relieve itchy, inflamed, red, dry and flaky skin. This is a safe cream manufactured under the highest pharmaceutical standards and has been shown to be very effective. Click here to get all the details about it and see how this can help you.

more than cause of eczema on our health conditions page

Legal Disclaimer: The nutritional and health information contained in this web site is for educational purposes only and its not meant to replace medical advice, diagnose or treat any disease. Healthcare professionals can provide disagreeing opinions on the cause of eczema and other health issues consequently, each person is responsible for directing his own health care.