Causes of Eczema
April 15th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
It is impossible to nail down causes of eczema to one particular cause. Eczema is generally considered as an allergic disease also known as atopic eczema. Atopic eczema is associated with asthma and hay fever. Chances are that if one member of the family suffers from this disease, that others will suffer from either asthma or hay fever or eczema. So there is a genetic trait to eczema. There can be various causes of eczema as stated below.
* Change in a regular temperature or humidity.
* Different allergies (to dust, mold, animal, etc.)
* Chemical irritants: pesticides, paint strippers, alcohol, astringents, perfumes, harsh soaps, detergents and household cleaners.
* Physical irritants: synthetic clothes, clothes made of wool.
* Emotional stress.
* Any kind of infection.
These can all be causes of eczema or may give rise to eczema. The term for any matter that irritates the skin is irritant contact dermatitis. The irritant can be detergent, soap, alcohol, strong chemicals, cleaners or perfumes. This isn’t an all inclusive list. There are literally hundreds of skin irritants that can lead to eczema. Another big cause of eczema is allergies to substances you come in contact with. These allergens cause the skin to be very sensitive to any atmospheric change. Allergens such as detergent powders and perfumes can cause the skin to react very rapidly. Allergens can also include metals such as nickel. Jewelry frequently contains nickel and if you have an allergen to nickel, you won’t have to wait very long for your skin to respond it.
Poisons ivy, cosmetic and rubber products are also incorporated in this category. Infantile eczema is a kind of eczema that often influences young babies. This kind of eczema is caused by moisture from dribble or inflammation of the scalp. This is known as cradle crap.
The cause of eczema that affects the lower portion of legs is known as stasis dermatitis. It involves varicose veins so it may be also called as varicose or gravitational eczema.
There are two types of the contact dermatitis known as allergic contact dermatitis and direct irritant contact dermatitis. Direct irritant contact dermatitis is caused by direct exposure to acids, alkaline, detergents and various other chemicals that could actually agitate the skin and if it happens recurrently then the condition can be chronic. This kind of dermatitis is often come across at workplace. While on the other hand, allergic contact dermatitis is caused by the exposure of skin to allergens that may be physical or chemical matters.
There is an important difference between the two. For allergic contact dermatitis the exposure is necessary for infection to get started. For direct irritant contact dermatitis it happens in first exposure like when you first come in contact with the chemicals and you feel nauseous.
Additional causes of eczema may be the result of chemical reactions within the human body. These include seborrhoeic dermatitis, Atopic dermatitis, discoid or nummular, dishydrotic or pompholyx eczema and varicose dermatitis.
Eczema can cause a number of symptoms. All types of eczema except seborrhoeic have few typical symptoms such as itching. The typical symptoms are skin redness, weeping of skin, inflammation, pain, tenderness, and scaling, crusting, dryness, fissures and vesicles takes place. Any kind of damage to the epidermis and the upper layer of skin can cause it to get thicken and dry. This is also known as lichenification.
Ken
