Eczema
- Vienne V
- Dec 28, 2022
- 4 min read
What is Eczema?
Eczema, also known by its scientific name atopic dermatitis, is a skin condition that causes skin to become red and itchy, and affects over 9.6 million children and 16.5 million adults in the United States. While eczema is long-lasting, tends to flare up or persist, and as of now has no cure, there are a few treatments and skin routines that can lessen the effects of eczema. For example, many people suffering from eczema are prescribed creams or ointments that can help treat atopic dermatitis.
Symptoms, Treatments, and Effects of Eczema
While symptoms vary from person to person, some common signs of eczema are dry skin, itching, red/brown-gray patches of skin, small raised bumps that may leak fluid and crust over after scratching, thickened, crackly, scaly skin, and raw, sensitive, swollen skin following scratching. Itching is usually the most common symptom, and atopic dermatitis can cause rashes on any part of the body that can ooze or bleed when rubbed or scratched. Frequent scratching can cause lichenification, a process where the skin thickens and hardens. Eczema usually appears in childhood or as an infant, and may persist into adulthood; some children will have less symptoms as they grow older, but other children will continue to have eczema well into adulthood.
Risk factors for eczema are if a family member has had eczema, allergies, hay fever, or asthma, which can increase a person’s chance of developing atopic dermatitis.
Some ways to treat eczema from flaring up are to moisturize skin at least twice a day with lotions, creams, or prescribed ointments, and avoid anything that may trigger eczema. Some common triggers are sweat, stress, soaps, detergent, dust, and pollen. Children and infants can also experience triggers from foods, such as eggs, milk and wheat. Taking shorter baths and showers can also help, along with using warm water as opposed to hot water, and only using mild soaps that have less fragrance and well not cause dry skin. Sleep can also help treat eczema, as well as managing stress levels.
There are many effects of eczema, and many of them are not enjoyable. As Dr. Peter Lio, a dermatologist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, says, “AD [atopic dermatitis] is not just a ‘skin rash.’ It can have a huge impact on quality of life — not just that of the patient, but on family and friends too. The itch can make it difficult to concentrate, poor sleep can make people feel like zombies during the day, and treatments and precautions can take a toll on time, energy and money.”
Not only is eczema irritating, it affects the immune system in a negative way. People with eczema may have immune systems that become disordered or overactive. The immune system disorders trigger inflammation that eventually damages skin, which leaves it dry and prone to scratching and itching. Many individuals with atopic dermatitis have a mutation in the gene that creates flaggrin, or a protein that helps maintain a healthy protective barrier on our skin. Since there is not enough flaggrin to build up the skin barrier, moisture can escape and viruses can enter more easily. This explains why people with eczema have extremely dry and infection-prone skin.
Personal Experiences with Eczema
As someone who suffers from eczema, I can give you a firsthand experience on living with atopic dermatitis. I developed eczema when I was about two months old, so I can’t remember a time when I didn’t constantly have dry skin. While some children or infants develop eczema on certain parts of their bodies, some examples being their arms, hands, or legs, my eczema covered my body and even now, at the age of fourteen, it still flares. As a child, some of my common triggers were eating different foods—some of which were mangoes, pineapples, cheese, and strawberries. Even to this day I try my best to avoid those foods, though I can eat a little bit without my eczema flaring up too much.
Eczema can often be a burden. When I was child, I was constantly itchy and my entire body would either be covered in red, swollen rashes, or brownish-red patches where my eczema used to be but had healed. I’d be told not to scratch, but sometimes when my skin was too irritated and itchy I would be unconsciously rubbing my skin, which would cause my eczema to flare up and often bleed or leak orange-yellow liquid. I would have to apply lotion wherever my eczema was, which was all over my body, and the moisturizer would help, though it would leave me unable to move or do much for the next few minutes or so because I needed to wait for it to dry; if I sat down and accidentally put my lotion-covered arm somewhere, I would have to reapply more moisturizer—and the same went for ointments, which were much more sticky and I needed to be careful not to smear on my desk or chair.
Not only does eczema cause a physical toll, sometimes it can be a bit of a burden emotionally as well. I’m usually very self-conscious about myself, and all the blemishes, rashes, and raw patches on my skin would sometimes be embarrassing as a child. I remember when I was very young I would be unwilling to wear shorts or t-shirts in public, because I didn’t want people to gawk at me or see my eczema. I would want to cover up my rashes with sweaters and longer pants, no matter how hot it was.
I used to be afraid that my friends would find out and they’d judge me about all the marks and blemishes on my skin. However, over the years I’ve built up a little more confidence in myself, and I don’t feel the need to hide my eczema as much; I can wear t-shirts in public without feeling self-conscious about the rashes and blemishes on my arms. I’m no longer afraid to wear my P.E. uniform because I think it’ll expose all of the patches of raw skin on my arms and legs. Sometimes I still feel embarrassed about it, but I think as time passed, I started feeling less and less afraid about people judging me.
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