Category Archives: Eczema

Carefully following a customized treatment plan often helps relieve severe AD. If you're living with severe atopic dermatitis (AD), relief is possible. With help from a board-certified dermatologist, you can get a treatment plan that will help you: AD is the most common type of eczema. When this eczema becomes severe, a person has patches of skin that are red, swollen, and unbearably itchy. The patches of AD can weep fluids. Skin infections are common. Severe AD tends to impact a persons quality of life. The intense itch can waken a child or adult from a sound sleep and keep the person awake for hours. This can make it hard for a child to focus at school. An adult may have trouble keeping up at work. Living with severe AD often means you cannot do many things. One woman equates having severe AD with being in prison. She desperately wants to pick up her grandchildren and swing them in the air, but her hands hurt too much to do that. She would enjoy having people over for dinner, but she cannot imagine anyone wanting to take a plate of food from someone who has bloody, flaky hands. Living with severe … Continue reading →

My son is almost 10 at this writing. When he was an infant, he had patches of eczema that really worried me. The pediatrician downplayed my concern about these red, raised, scaly patches that were oozy by saying that in Colorado all babies have eczema. Its from the dry cold, he said. Two and a halfyears later, following a (delayed, Ill have you know) MMR, I watched my son regress into autism.That eczema was a red (literally) flag for me that I missed. Turns out eczema is an overactive response by the bodys immune system to an irritant . . . that causes the symptoms of eczema. In addition, eczema is commonly found in families with a history of other allergies or asthma. Eczema is raised, patchy red spots that feel like thickened skin and, as they evolve, can turn white (from flaking off) or darken as they heal depending upon the complexion of the patient. Without exception it itches. Some of the autistic behaviors we see in children are a result of physical discomfort. Itching is very uncomfortable. For us, eczema spots appeared on my sons torso (in his adorable fat rolls), on the backs of his knees and … Continue reading →

If your child suffers from eczema, you are probably desperate to find a way to provide him or her with relief. 90% of all cases of eczema, sometimes called excema, start before age 5, most occurring while the child is an infant and is more difficult to comfort. It can be very frustrating. However, this does not mean that you cannot treat the condition and give your child the relief they deserve. One of the most important steps to treating your childs condition is to dispel the many myths out there about the condition. Everyone in your life is probably offering their opinion, based on hear-say knowledge, of how to treat the condition. Unfortunately, many of these myths can make the condition worse. One of the biggest myths that you may have heard is that you should only bathe your child once a week. This could not be further from the truth because good hygiene is an important factor to controlling and limiting flare ups. However, you should cut back on harsh soaps and use other emulsifying agents that will clean and soothe the skin. Ph-neutral and low-Ph soaps are recommended. Medicated bath oils are also recommended. If your child … Continue reading →

Overview Dermatitis is a general term that describes an inflammation of the skin. Dermatitis can have many causes and occurs in many forms. It usually involves an itchy rash on swollen, reddened skin. Skin affected by dermatitis may blister, ooze, develop a crust or flake off. Examples of dermatitis include atopic dermatitis (eczema), dandruff and rashes caused by contact with any of a number of substances, such as poison ivy, soaps and jewelry with nickel in it. Dermatitis is a common condition that's not contagious, but it can make you feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. A combination of self-care steps and medications can help you treat dermatitis. Dermatitis care at Mayo Clinic Each type of dermatitis may look a little different and tends to occur on different parts of your body. The most common types of dermatitis include: See your doctor if: A number of health conditions, allergies, genetic factors and irritants can cause different types of dermatitis: A number of factors can increase your risk of developing certain types of dermatitis. Examples include: Scratching the itchy rash associated with dermatitis can cause open sores, which may become infected. These skin infections can spread and may very rarely become life-threatening. Avoiding … Continue reading →

If you or a loved one is one of the millions of people suffering from eczema on your face, you probably feel very frustrated at each recurrence of the redness, pimple-like bumps, discoloration, inflammation, and sometimes oozing lesions. When eczema occurs in the face and neck it can have a profound impact on every aspect of your life and you may become desperate for relief. This is easy to understand, you greet the world with your face and you may feel the world looks on you differently when you have a recurrence. Photo credit: kthrn Facial eczema, sometimes called excema, is very common in infants and young children. In fact, it is normally the first area affected in this type of atopic eczema. These cases typically clear up by adolescence, but they can recur later in life. However, it is the adult onset of eczema in the facial area that can be more severe, cause greater discomfort, and very negatively impact your quality of life. Fortunately, this type of facial eczema can be the most responsive to safe and natural treatments. Some of the traditional medical treatments, like topical steroid creams, are not as effective on facial eczema as more … Continue reading →

Everyday things in your environment can cause those swollen, red patches on your skin to flare up and itch cigarette smoke, pollen, even the clothes you wear. Some of these triggers may originate from your home and others may not. Either way, you can find many solutions to these triggers in your home. Here are 10 of the best home remedies for eczema that experts recommend using to stop the itch, reduce the swelling, and erase the redness. The soap you clean your clothes with could be amplifying the burn in your skin. Avoid laundry detergents that use harsh ingredients, and instead choose those that are fragrance-free and neutral pH. You may even want to put your clothes on the double rinse cycle to ensure that all the soap gets washed out of them. Rule #1 of eczema prevention is no scratching. When youre awake, this is something you have complete control over, but what happens when youre asleep? Wearing gloves to bed can help you avoid unconsciously scratching in your sleep. Long hot showers dry out your skin quickly, which causes your eczema to flare up. To minimize the itching, take warm showers for no longer than 15 minutes. … Continue reading →

Jump to: Types | Symptoms | Causes | Pictures | Diagnosis | Treatment | Medications | When to see a doctor | Eczema in babies | Is it contagious? | Because eczema is often used as an umbrella term for a group of chronic, itchy skin rashes, a simple definition of the skin condition is hard to come by. Many people with eczema develop dry, itchy, red patches of skin. In some forms of eczema, blisters develop. Scratching can inflame the rash and cause weeping of clear fluid. Over time, the affected patches of skin can thicken. Eczema can look different depending on the type of rash and where it appears on the body. Symptoms typically flare up for a period of time and then calm down before surfacing again. More than 30 million Americans have some form of eczema. While the exact cause is unclear, a combination of factors, such as genes, environment, and immune system are thought to play a role. Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of the skin condition, and its usually what people are referring to when they talk about eczema. About one in five children develop atopic dermatitis, often in infancy and usually … Continue reading →

Healing Atopic Dermatitis Without Medication March 20, 1997 - My testimonial of Healing My Lifelong Eczema With Natural Meansby Shirley Lipschutz Summary: I suffered from severe eczema, a type of atopic dermatitis with painful swelling and oozing of the skin, bleeding cracks, severe scaling, itching and burning. When I sweated, it felt as if acid was poured all over me. I suffered miserably for 49 years from this horrible disease which totally debilitated me. No creams, potions, salves, cortisone or anything else cured my condition. It wasn't until I turned 50 that I finally discovered how to heal my skin by igniting my own internal healing force. Ironically in the process of curing my eczema my overall health and vitality improved dramatically. If your looking for a cure here, you'll be disappointed. In a nutshell, I credit my healing to a combination of approach: homeopathy, natural raw food diet and juice, special oils and tea, uropathy, and herbal remedies. This is my story.... I have been suffering from eczema for 49 years, since I was one year old. My parents had taken me to dozens of dermatologists who were unsuccessful in helping me. I had never been breastfed thus I … Continue reading →

Diagnosis No lab test is needed to identify atopic dermatitis (eczema). Your doctor will likely make a diagnosis by examining your skin and reviewing your medical history. He or she may also use patch testing or other tests to rule out other skin diseases or identify conditions that accompany your eczema. If you suspect a certain food caused your child's rash, tell the doctor and ask about identifying potential food allergies. Atopic dermatitis can be persistent. You may need to try various treatments over months or years to control it. And even if treatment is successful, signs and symptoms may return (flare). It's important to recognize the condition early so that you can start treatment. If regular moisturizing and other self-care steps don't help, your doctor may suggest one or more of the following treatments: Creams that control itching and help repair the skin. Your doctor may prescribe a corticosteroid cream or ointment. Apply it as directed, after you moisturize. Overuse of this drug may cause side effects, including thinning skin. Other creams containing drugs called calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus (Elidel) affect your immune system. They are used by people older than age 2 to help … Continue reading →

This is a bit of a different post from me today, and is quite a personal one and something I'm really self-conscious and sensitive about. It's going to be very long, and have some really gross photos towards the end. But I hope you'll continue reading, because I hope that someone out there will be able to help me somehow, or will know someone who can help me. I've had eczema for as long as I can remember. There isn't a time where I can't remember having it. When I was younger I would always get it under my knees and in the inside of my elbows, and I had to bathe in E45emollient. It would usually strike during Autumn and Winter when the heating came on and cold weather arrived, and for some reason when I was a child seawater also flared it up (thankfully I seemed to grow out of this!). Anyway, nothing has ever really worked for it, I've always had to just bear with it and let it run its course until it went down by itself. Although the bath emollient worked, the E45 cream has never worked, and I feel as though I've tried every … Continue reading →