Eczema

 

Introduction

Eczema is an allergic skin disease. It may occur as a red, itchy, scaly rash with tiny blisters. The blisters break, ooze a clear fluid, and then crust over.

 

People Who Are Most Likely To Affect

People with asthma, hay fever, and other allergies are likely to have eczema or atopic dermatitis.

 

Affected Area Of The Body

The affected person may get eczema on the face, scalp, buttocks, thighs, and upper body. Severe cases are common during infancy with many children improving by age of two years-old.

Adults usually have it on the face, neck, inside the elbows, or behind the knees. In adults, there is more scaling and less blister formation than that seen in children. Flare-ups can be sparked by dry skin, allergies, hot baths or showers, soap, scratchy and tight clothing, rapid temperature changes, and emotional upsets. Scratching the lesions may cause infection.

 

Managing Eczema

Here are some tips on how you can manage if you have an eczema:

• Keep the skin moist and cool to avoid scratching.
• Try a one-percent hydrocortisone cream for small itchy areas.
• Take brief, daily baths or showers with lukewarm water.
• Bathe without soap or use a gentle soap or non-soap cleanser.
• Apply a lubricating cream or lotion after bathing and reapply often.
• Take an oral antihistamine to relieve itching.
• Avoid antihistamine or antiseptic creams and sprays.
• Sleep with a humidifier on in your bedroom.
• Avoid contact with allergens and irritants that increase symptoms.
• Wash clothes and bedding in mild soap and rinse them twice.
• Do not use fabric softeners.
  

Seek medical care if you experience the following:

• A rash on the face that is red, patchy, and combined with joint pain and fever.
• Itching interferes with normal sleep patterns.
• Self care does not work.