Eczema is a universal skin condition that affects various parts of the body. It generally starts with the skin becoming red, scaly, brownish, oozing, blistering and very itchy. Atopic eczema is one type of eczema. Atopic eczema is also known as atopic dermatitis. Atopic refers to the skin becoming inflamed and can also include the nose and the linings of the lungs. Atopic eczema like other allergies is often hereditary. Other allergies that are often passed down are hay fever, asthma and sensitive skin. It is common that if one person in the family has atopic eczema, then other family members (mothers, fathers, aunts, sisters, brothers and uncles) will also have the same or a similar skin condition.
Atopic eczema is extremely common throughout the worlds population with around three% of the population in the US affected and 10% of infants worldwide affected by this particular skin condition. Atopic eczema can occur at anytime in some ones life, but it is more common in young adults and babies. Approximately 65 percent of people who suffer from atopic eczema develop symptoms before their 1st birthday. The most common areas of breakout are on the ears, arms, forehead, neck and legs. It usually begins in one place on the body and then spreads to other areas.
There is no know instant cure for atopic eczema, however there are several treatment plans than can be used to combat the eczema. If you visit your doctor or dermatologist, one of the first things that they will suggest is a change of lifestyle. Your lifestyle may not be the major cause of the atopic eczema, but it may be contributing to the common flare-ups and may also aggravate the blisters and lesions that you are trying to get rid of. The doctor or dermatologist will often conduct an allergy test to determine if you are coming into contact with any known allergens on a regular basis. These can include detergents of scented creams, soaps and lotions. Sufferers of atopic eczema will often have extremely dry skin. This may be caused by the eczema or may be a result of it. A regular mistake made by some sufferers (often woman) is to increase the amount of and number of creams and lotions they use on their skin. The mistake that they are making is using the popular fragranced and scented creams rather than unscented varieties. These types of lotions and creams can often trigger other allergies.
If you visit your doctor or dermatologist, they will often give you a list of creams or lotions that you can apply to your skin that will soothe any burning sensations and ease the itchiness. You may be able to obtain some of these over the counter, but some may be prescription only based drugs depending on the severity of the eczema. To treat your atopic eczema correctly it is important to see your doctor or dermatologist in the beginning stages of the eczema. The quicker you start a course of treatment the quicker you will start to recover. Importantly, do not stress about your eczema as this is a major contributing factor to many cases of eczema.
