What is Eczema?
Eczema is an inflammation of epidermis and it is characterized by red, dry, scaly and itchy skin. The word eczema refers as "to boil over" and in some countries it is similar to the term "dermatitis". However, some may refer dermatitis as acute condition while eczema as a more chronic situation. Eczema is not an autoimmune disease like psoriasis, nor an infection, but it is believed as allergic reactions triggered by presence of allergens.
Eczema can affect many people at any range of age, but it is more common among infants which it commonly develops before adulthood. Eczema patients usually have hypersensitive skin contributed by certain genes that can be inherited in families. Due to hypersensitive skin, presence of allergens will cause overactive immune response and excessive allergic or inflammation reactions. These then contribute to symptoms of eczema. Apart from the allergic reactions, it is also believed that defects in the skin barrier contribute to eczema. These defects can allow moisture out through the skin and let germs in.
What Causes Eczema?
The main problem with eczema is it causes extreme itchiness which leads to uncontrollable desire to scratch. Frequent scratching may cause a painful open sore. In order to prevent this, you have to stop eczema outbreaks. The first important thing to stop your eczema is to identify the causes or triggers of your eczema flare-ups. Here are some common causes of eczema:
1. Weather
Weather is one of the common causes of eczema outbreaks. For many people, the weather only plays main role in determining their daily activities. For eczema patients, the weather's role is more than that; it also influences how their skin will do. Both cold and hot weathers are not good for them. Some patients may develop extreme urge to itch in cold weather as their body may not have sufficient time to be compatible to the cold weather especially before doing strenuous activities. Likewise, hot weather causes excessive sweating which then lead to eczema outbreaks.
2. Airborne Allergens
Stuffy nose and sneezing are common events associated with allergic reactions. For eczema patients, they will also develop skin reactions which cause itchiness and skin rashes. These usually occur when there are airborne allergens, such as dust, mites, pollen and smoke that make contact with the skin. Thus, eczema patients should be careful when vacuuming or doing home chores as tiny particles may find their way into the air and make contact with the skin, leading to allergic reactions and eczema outbreaks.
3. Stress
Many healthcare professionals claim that stress is not one of the causes of eczema, but some medical studies show a very clear correlation between stress and eczema. Stress is said to lead an increase in eczema outbreaks. When a person is stress and anxious, the body counters it and triggers inflammation chain. This then leads to worsen symptoms of eczema. It is now make sense why patients with a history of skin inflammation are encouraged to practice relaxation techniques.
4. Chemicals
Look at your surrounding, you will find a ton of products containing chemicals. You may think that only harmful chemicals that trigger skin inflammation, but it is not always true. Chemicals found in our daily regular products such as laundry detergent, makeup, and perfume also can cause eczema outbreaks when they get direct contact with the skin. Common chemicals, or called as irritants associated with eczema include zinc, nickel and iron.
5. Food
It would be surprised to know that some foods can have significant impacts on our skin, especially on eczema patients. Studies have shown that taking certain foods can trigger eczema in both adults and children, and avoiding those foods reduce the intensity of eczema symptoms. Eggs, cow milk/dairy products, peanuts, tomatoes, tropical fruits, yeast, seafoods and certain additives are some foods that should be avoided by eczema patients.
Listed here are a few of the most common causes of eczema. Now, you should be able to identify which one is the main trigger of your eczema. Then, you can put efforts to eliminate the trigger factor so that you can permanently eliminate your eczema. Curing eczema can be challenging, but if you know the proper ways, total cure can be achieved. If you want to know effective natural approaches to deal with your eczema, kindly click here.
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