ECZEMA SKIN CARE

Initial and ongoing treatment for eczema should include:
Keep your skin hydrated through proper bathing and using moisturizers. This includes bathing in warm water, bathing for only 3 to 5 minutes, avoiding gels and bath oils, and using only non-drying soaps;

Apply a moisturizer immediately after bathing; avoiding irritants that causes a rash or make a rash worse. These include soaps that dry the skin, perfumes, and scratchy clothing or bedding;

Avoiding possible allergens that cause a rash or make a rash worse. These may include dust and dust mites, animal dander, and certain foods, such as eggs, peanuts, milk, wheat, or soy products;

Controlling itching and scratching. Keep your fingernails trimmed and filed smooth to help prevent damaging the skin when scratching. You may want to use protective dressings to keep from rubbing the affected area. Put mittens or cotton socks on a baby's hands to help prevent him or her from scratching the area.

IDENTIFYING ECZEMA

Eczema is a skin condition which affects approximately 26 million Americans. Eczema is characterized by a rash, dryness of skin, itching, and redness of skin. It occurs due to the overproduction of damaging inflammatory skin cells and continues to worsen as a result of certain factors in the environment. Foods, shampoos, soaps, laundry detergents, synthetic fabrics, stress, and temperature changes are capable of irritating already existing eczema. Although eczema is considered a chronic skin condition, there are various treatments and interventions available to help control eczema. Eczema is a hereditary condition and thus is not contagious to others.

Within any disease there can be a wide range of severity. This is the case for people with eczema. Some people may have only a small patch of affected skin while others may have larger patches all over the body. An individual may experience one mild incident while others experience chronic severe incidences. The affected skin is very sensitive and the individual must be aware of the trigger factors and try to avoid them. While eczema can vary in its level of severity, it can also differ according to the type that the individual has.

The Stages of Eczema

Early stages of eczema can cause the skin to turn red, blister, and ooze. Later stages of eczema can cause the skin to turn a brownish color and be scaly. In almost every case, eczema itches. Eczema can be widespread or limited to a few areas. Atopic eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is the most common form of eczema. Eczema runs its course through three distinct phases: acute, sub acute, and chronic.

The usual symptoms associated with the acute stage of eczema include pain, heat, tenderness, and possible itching. The affected areas are characterized by extreme redness and drainage at the lesion site. In acute eczema you would experience vesicles, blisters, and intense redness of the skin. The skin surface will sting, burn, or may itch intensely. The common examples for this stage of eczema would include acute contact eczema, acute nummular eczema, stasis eczema, and pompholyx eczema. The acute disease typically is characterized by inflammation, redness, swelling, and itching, as well as some blistering and oozing. Skin biopsies show inflammatory cells and swelling.

The sub acute phase of eczema includes symptoms associated with skin redness and crusting; however, there is no extreme swelling. You may observe redness, scaling of the skin, fissures, and a parched or scalded appearance to the skin. People in the sub acute phase tend to complain about the symptom of itching more than the pain. The itching in the sub acute phase is generally slight to moderate with possible stinging and burning. The common examples of the sub acute phase include contact allergy, irritation, atopic eczema, stasis eczema, nummular and asteatotic eczema. The sub acute disease typically is characterized by inflammation, redness, swelling, and itching, as well as some blistering and oozing. Skin biopsies show inflammatory cells and swelling.

Individuals with lesions developed over three months are referred to as having chronic eczema. Itching is a predominant symptom in this phase as well and scratching causes the lesion to worsen. In the chronic stages of eczema the skin would show a thickened, lichenified, excoriation and or fissuring appearance. At this time you would experience a moderate to intense itch. Chronic eczema most occurs in atopic eczema and lichen simplex chronic eczema, fingertip eczema, and hyperkeratosis eczema. Chronic dermatitis is identified by thickened, leathery skin with excess ridges, as well as dark and dull skin. Under the microscope, the outermost skin layer is seen to proliferate and become elongated.

The Picture of Eczema Research

The team of Eczema Skin Care Researchers at Eczema-Ltd possess a total of 40 years of collective research led by a Johns Hopkins MD. They have confirmed that the main cause or etiology of eczema is an immune system disorder, but there are many other causes as well. Eczema generally results from an overly acidic body and skin which creates an over active immune system response.

The pH scale (potential of hydrogen), ranges from 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. This acidic/alkaline scale is logarithmic meaning that each number is ten times stronger than the preceding number. For example, a pH of 2 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 3 and one hundred times more acidic than a pH of 4. So you will now be able to more easily understand why an eczema sufferer needs to minimize the acidic foods and drinks as it takes so many more alkaline foods and drinks to compensate. As you rethink your past eczema history, you will see that all the eczema triggers come from 'acidic items' regardless of whether they are foods, drinks, stress, being out of breath due to not enough oxygen or not being able to exhaust enough carbon dioxide. We all know that if we hold our breath for 60 seconds our face turns pink or red. We are aware, but hardly think that the actual cause is a combination of a build up of carbon dioxide, which is an acidic gas, and a shortage of oxygen, which is alkaline. Very similarly, when we exercise for a long period, we have a build up of lactic acid, which is an acidic body waste. Likewise, those with eczema need to be very concerned about the build up of acids in the blood stream due to the foods and beverages that we consume.

Probotics May Reduce Symptoms of Food-Related Eczema

Natural News) Most health conscious people know of the positive effects on digestion from using probiotic supplements. Many take probiotic supplements after using antibiotics to replace the good intestinal flora bacteria indiscriminately killed during antibiotic use.

This practice is so well known that MD's have begun recommending probiotics during and after antibiotics.

But there is new evidence that probiotic benefits go beyond that. One area of investigative research is building the immune system's resistance to allergies that affect the skin. An obvious example of a skin's allergic reaction is eczema, which tends occur often with infants.

A recent Dutch study gathered over 150 pregnant women with allergic disease histories in their families. During the last six weeks of pregnancy, they were given either three strains of probiotics or an inactive placebo pill. Neither they nor the doctors knew which was which.

After those pregnant women gave birth, most of their children were monitored by the Dutch researchers. The children continued to receive probiotics or placebos for 12 months. After three months, the rate of eczema occurring among the probiotic subjects was less than half of those given only placebos.

There were no more probiotics or placebos administered to the children after 12 months. However, many were still observed up until age two. As they approached that age, the gap between eczema occurrences between the two groups, probiotic and placebo, narrowed somewhat.

But there was still a substantial difference. The study results were considered evidence that probiotics can have an effect on offspring from allergy-prone mothers, and the report was written up in the Journal of Allergy.

Another recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition involved probiotics administered to mice. This time the focus was on food allergies. The mice all had whey intolerances, and they were fed probiotics and prebiotics while drinking milk. With the help of probiotics, their intolerance to whey showed considerable improvement with almost no skin reactions.

Up to eight percent of children have various chronic food allergies. Extending this study to children may prove probiotics to be a useful natural remedy for eliminating food allergies.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5985G520091009
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1954094/can_probiotics_help_with_allergies.html?cat=5

Eczema Skin Care Research at Eczema-Ltd

The Eczema Skin Care Research team at Eczema-Ltd possess a total of 40 years of collective research led by a Johns Hopkins MD. They have confirmed that the main cause or etiology of eczema is an immune system disorder, but there are many other causes as well. The main causes of eczema are listed below along with descriptions of the form of eczema they are most commonly associated with:

General allergic over-sensitivity, called atopy also known as atopic eczema. Atopic eczema is linked with asthma and hay fever, which are conditions of the immune system. These conditions are often passed down through the generations of a family.

Contact with substances that irritate the skin chemically, called irritant contact eczema. This is caused by direct contact between the skin and the substance, which might be a detergent, soap, diesel or engine oil, strong chemicals in household cleaners, acids, alkaline mixtures, detergents, etc. and various other chemicals that acutely inflame the skin. The condition can become chronic with repeated exposure. This form of eczema is often encountered in the workplace. Direct irritant contact eczema can occur at the first exposure. For example, most people will develop this form of eczema on first exposure to strong chemicals that are acid or alkaline in nature.

Contact with substances that sensitize the skin, leading to acute inflammation when re-exposure occurs is called allergic contact eczema. This type commonly involves nickel, poison ivy, cosmetics, and rubber products. Prior exposure to the irritant allergen is necessary for allergic contact eczema to occur.

Exposure to sunlight as well as certain medications that cause photosensitivity can result in light sensitive eczema.

Infants exposed to moisture from drool or those that have inflammation of the scalp (cradle cap) can develop infantile eczema.

Varicose veins can lead to a form of eczema affecting the lower legs, called stasis eczema. This is also known as varicose or gravitational eczema.

Other types of eczema which arise as a result of causes within the body include: seborrheic eczema, discoid or nummular eczema, pompholyx or dyshidrotic eczema, juvenile plantar or foot eczema and lichen simplex.

Eczema can cause a wide range of symptoms. All types of eczema cause itch, with the exception of seborrheic. The main symptoms (one or all may be present) include: redness, weeping skin, pain, heat, tenderness, scaling, crusting, dryness, fissures (broken skin), and vesicles (small blisters) occur. Over time, damage to the epidermis (the upper layer of the skin) can cause it to thicken and become scaly (lichenification).

What Is Nummular Eczema?

Nummular eczema is a ringworm-like rash of circular, itchy, scaling patches, widespread on the arms and legs but may also be found on the trunk and buttocks. The word "nummular" comes from the Latin nummus, meaning coin, and is characterized by round plaques of eczema. The cause of nummular eczema is not known, although minor skin injury such as an insect bite or a burn may be reported prior to the onset of the condition.

Nummular eczema also called Discoid eczema, or gravitational eczema is usually found in adults and appears suddenly. It can be complicated by a bacterial infection, which results in these areas becoming itchy with possible weeping fluid and crusting. Nummular eczema may be considered as an adult form of atopic eczema and is treated with emollients.

Eruptions of nummular eczema are often recurrent and chronic and usually appear in people who are in their 60s but can occur at any age. Nummular eczema is most common in older people with very dry skin. The skin’s main function is to provide a barrier against dirt, germs and chemicals from the outside. We don’t notice this barrier unless it gets dry, and then it’s scaly, rough and tight. Dry skin is brittle. Moist skin is soft and flexible. People with nummular eczema have a defect in their skin and it won’t stay moist. It is especially bad in winter when the heat is on in the house and the humidity is lower.

Other factors that can aggravate this condition include:

1) Hot weather- Heat and sweating. Most people with nummular eczema notice that when they get hot, they itch. They have a type of prickly heat that doesn’t occur just in humid summertime but any time they sweat. It can happen from exercise, from too many warm bedclothes or rapid changes in temperature from cold to warm.

2) Stress - Emotional stress comes from many situations. People with Nummular dermatitis often react to stress by having red flushing and itching.

3) Fabric softeners - fabric softener is the most toxic product produced for daily household use. Fabric softeners have been found to be associated with numerous illnesses and chronic conditions. The effects of its toxicity are insidious; a user becomes "chronically maladapted" to it. The exposure is so constant that it can be difficult to connect the product with the signs of reactivity it causes. The toxins used in fabric softeners are known to produce an addictive-type response. Regular users of fabric softeners (and perfumes) also often claim they "can hardly smell it". This is a direct effect of chemical ingredients on neural receptors. Listed here are the toxic ingredients and it’s effect on the skin; Alpha-Terpineol causes edema or redness of the skin. Limonene is a skin and eye irritant, sensitizer, and carcinogenic. Always wash hands thoroughly after contact, especially before eating, drinking, applying cosmetics. Do not inhale. Prevent contact with skin or eyes. Contact with Pentane can cause eye or skin irritation."

4) Allergies - Allergens are materials such as pollen, pet dander, foods, or dust that cause allergic responses. Allergic diseases such as asthma and hay fever, which flare quickly, are easy to tie to allergens. Itching and hives appear soon after exposure to these airborne allergens and last only briefly. Allergens are more subtle trigger factors. An allergen does not irritate, but may trigger a flare-up in those who have become allergic to it from prior exposure. Allergens are usually animal or vegetable proteins from foods, pollens, or pets. When exposed to an irritant or allergen to which they are sensitive, inflammation-producing cells come into the skin. There, they release chemicals that cause itching and redness. Further damage occurs when the person scratches and rubs the affected area. Food allergies can cause flare-ups. Since an allergic reaction to food (either by skin contact during food preparation or by eating the food) can trigger a flare-up, it is important to identify the trigger foods.

5) Soaps and detergents- Many laundry soaps contain chemical additives which are the actual irritants (e.g., sodium silicate, sodium phosphate, sodium carbonate). Hand cleaner soaps contain small harsh particles to assist in grease removal, such as pumice, talc, borax, corn meal or wood flour. These are sometimes irritating. Some yellow laundry soaps contain "rosin" to make the bar more soluble, which is also a sensitizer.

6) Wool clothing – Natural fiber clothing, made from wool or mohair, been shown to be sensitizers. Dermatitis may occur more frequently from the use of dark clothing. Heavy perspiration causes more bleeding of the dye (e.g., widow's dermatitis). Fabric finishes which are used to increase durability, to soften of stiffen a fabric, or to impart waterproofing, crease resistance or other properties to the fabric. Stoddard solvent or other dry-cleaning solutions will occasionally produce a clothing-oriented dermatitis, as will moth crystals. Airing the clothes for a few days before wearing them will usually prevent this.

7) Bathing more than once a day - Take short baths or showers with warm water. Hot water can make you itch more. Ask your doctor about the use of oatmeal soaking products in your bath to help control the itching. After bathing, don't rub your skin dry with a rough towel. That just irritates your skin more. Gently pat it dry to get the water off. Then put on some jojoba oil to help keep your skin from getting too dry. You can spread the jojoba oil on several times a day.