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.

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

What Is Nummular Eczema?

Nummular eczema is a ringworm-like rash of circular, itchy, scaling patches. 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.

What's New in Eczema Treatment?

Eczema is a common skin disease. Eczema is dry, rough, red, itchy, skin dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. The most common symptom that people complain about is the itch that is a side effect of eczema. It's sometimes called the 'itch that rashes', meaning that once you start scratching, you develop a rash.

Eczema-Ltd is dedicated to helping you to find new and novel ways to treat and control your eczema!

Eczema-Ltd, our patented topical skin conditioner, was invented by a team of Eczema Researchers with 40 years of collective research led by a Johns Hopkins MD with continuing training at Harvard Medical Center - Beth Israel Deaconess & Massachusetts General, and the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. Now for the first time, there have been discovered new confirmed eczema research facts about Eczema's Cause / Etiology or "Cure".

Eczema Skin Care Tips

Eczema is characterized by patches of red, irritated and itchy skin.
An outbreak can be triggered by weather, stress or use of certain products, including detergents.
Here are suggested ways to prevent an outbreak, courtesy of the Princeton University Health Services:
Apply lotion immediately after getting out of the shower to keep your skin well-moisturized.
Don't take very long baths or showers, and avoid using very hot water that can dry skin.
Don't use harsh soaps or detergents that can irritate the skin.
Try to avoid becoming overheated or very sweaty.
Try to avoid becoming stressed.
Keep skin well covered during winter.
Try not to wear itchy fabrics made of wool or some synthetic fibers.

The Use Of Cosmeceuticals In The Treatment Of Eczema

It's hard to make a general statement about the effect of cosmeceuticals on skin barrier function because it's hard to define the word "cosmeceuticals."
Dr. Wu Jessica Wu, M.D., a Los Angeles dermatologist explains that there is no accepted definition, either among dermatologists or from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), because cosmeceuticals are not regulated by the FDA.
"I think of the definition in very literal terms — a cosmeceutical is an over-the-counter product that has the characteristics of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals just as the name implies. It has the properties of a cosmetic because it is applied topically and is designed to improve the appearance of the skin, but like a pharmaceutical, it presumably has the ability to affect the structure and/or the function of the skin."
Dr. Wu says that is, of course, all based on the manufacturer's claims, which do not have to be proven.
Dr. Wu says, although cosmeceuticals can have other uses, the general perception is as anti-aging products. However, the category can also include products like hydroquinone 2 percent, which is used for the gradual lightening of hyperpigmented skin.
Not standardized
Because the category is so broad, Dr. Wu says it's impossible to generalize about the effect the products have on the skin barrier function.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that manufacturers are not required to test for the safety or efficacy of their products. Although she says good companies and physician-developed lines are usually quality-controlled, many products made by smaller companies are not necessarily standardized.
"A lot of these are from plant-based ingredients that have hundreds of suppliers around the world and may have no verifiable or consistent strengths. There are a lot of unknowns — it's like the Wild West of skincare," Dr. Wu says.
General characteristics
There are some general characteristics of cosmeceuticals, however, that have disparate effects on the skin.
Retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids are the active ingredients in many anti-aging cosmeceuticals and may be able to effect skin cell structure and function according to Dr. Wu.
"We do know that retinol can increase the turnover of the skin cells, which can make the skin more susceptible to sun damage — and more vulnerable in general.
"When the barrier is altered you get little cracks. Just as over-washing can cause microscopic cracks in the skin, which can expose the nerve-endings making the skin more sensitive to ingredients that ordinarily wouldn't be irritating," she explains.
In the case of cosmeceuticals, it is that action by the active ingredients that increases cell turnover or epidermal shedding — making the skin look and feel smoother and less dull — improving the appearance of the skin.
But these ingredients can also irritate the skin. To combat this, often the cosmeceutical vehicle is designed to protect the skin barrier.
"If you incorporate the active ingredient in a vehicle, which will hold the water in and help restore the skin barrier, then presumably the effect is neutral. That's what a lot of over-the-counter cosmeceuticals try to do."
Some vehicle ingredients that can help restore the skin barrier include hyaluronic acid and dimethicone/cyclomethicone.
She gives the example that 20 percent glycolic acid in a moisturizing lotion will be less irritating than putting straight 20 percent glycolic acid solution on the skin.
"The active ingredient can affect the skin barrier function negatively by compromising the skin's natural protective layer. The vehicle can offset this potential damage enough so that the active ingredient can serve its intended purpose of reducing the appearance of wrinkles without irritating the skin. However, the choice of vehicle can sometimes reduce the potency of the active ingredient."
Dr. Wu recommends prescription strength retinoids to her patients if they can tolerate it, because of abundant scientific data confirming the beneficial effects in photodamaged skin. However, not everyone can tolerate prescription retinoids, even a couple of times a week.