What is Eczema

Eczema is derived from Greek word meaning “boiling over”. The skin under normal condition acts as barricade to prevent the water loss and hinders the skin irritants from penetrating the skin. In case of eczema the skin is not able to perform this effectively. The skin is dry, cracked, scaled and itchy, due to which bacteria and other allergens can penetrate the skin and can lead to allergic reaction. The condition may not be contagious. In medical term it is known as dermatitis.

There are numerous kinds of dermatitis, but the one which we usually say or talk about is atopic dermatitis. Atopic is the term used to lifelong affinity to allergic reactions. Eczema comes under the heterogeneous group of non-infectious skin diseases. These can later affect the immune mechanisms of the body leading to pathological changes in the epidermis and the dermis layer. The skin becomes irritated too.  Clinical findings suggest that it could be due to numerous conditions like vesicles, crusts, edema, erythema, papules; weeping tissues etc. this is in the acute phase while in the chronic phase lichenification, scaling and thickening of the skin may happen. One of the prominent symptoms is itching.

The condition may happen in both kids and adults. In case of any previous family history of allergies the condition may trigger. Genetic predisposition and environmental factors are also some of the prominent reason. It also has been noted that such people who suffer from the condition suffer from hay fever, asthma too.

The effected area can get easily triggered when comes in contact with anything. In most of the people the condition generally improves with time. While in others it could be a recurrent condition. The condition can be frustrating and can be a matter for embarrassment too. Scratching and rubbing the skin may worsen the condition. The treatment is very slow and usually does not correct the condition totally.