Symptoms of Eczema
Eczema symptoms are commonly red, dry, itchy flaky skin with a few patients having blisters (www.medinfo.co.uk). Usually the first symptom of eczema is intense itching; this itching can be very uncomfortable and individuals may tend to scratch the skin. Scratching only makes the skin worse as well as the itching symptom. It is a good idea, therefore, to keep fingernails cut short and to keep the hands occupied during the day in order to control the urge to scratch. The urge to scratch symptom becomes a repetitive cycle: the more you scratch, the more it itches.
Types of Eczema
Atopic Dermatitis is the most common type of dermatitis atopic eczema. Atopic eczema has symptoms of a dry red rash on skin. Dishwashing of hands causes most of the atopic dermatitis affecting millions of patients with dry red itchy skin. Neurodermatitis results as a type of neurological disorder as the patient mentally forgets and continues to scratch the skin making it a long term condition that could have healed much quicker.
Severe atopic dermatitis can also cause eye complications, which may lead to permanent eye damage. When these complications occur, itching in and around the eyelids becomes severe. Symptoms of irritation to the eye are similar to ocular rosacea. These ocular symptoms can be very similar to ocular rosacea. Because eczema and rosacea can occur together it's important to be able to distinguish whether your facial skin condition is atopic eczema or rosacea.
Seborrheic eczema (also called seborrheic dermatitis, infantile seborrheic eczema, child/infantile eczema) most often is a rash of dry skin that has stayed irritated for many months. The occurrence is most often on the face where there are numerous sebaceous glands for oil secretion. The oil dries on the overly active skin which most often dries and is scratched on the face, eyebrows or ear areas and behind the ear and the lower scalp at the back of the patients neck.
Infantile seborrheic eczema, cradle cap or baby eczema is most often affected by foods as well as items that your baby comes in contact with such as clothes, bed sheets, pillows, etc. washed in various washing detergents. Usually the symptoms pass with time, but not always.
Perioral dermatitis are elevated red lesions around the mouth that are similar in appearance to acne, but lacking the bacterial component and without pus. Some peeling or scaling can appear on some patients; women tend to have perioral dermatitis more than men. Changing to a toothpaste of bicarbonate of soda (Arm & Hammer) or any toothpaste without tartar control or fluoride will help also. Symptoms can appear much like that of rosacea and by others as distinct and separate skin condition.
Contact dermatitis is a red rash response to something that the patient has come in contact with in the recent past. There are many items that causes the red rash of contact dermatitis. Some substances that can cause irritation are gasoline, toilet bowl cleaners, dish washing detergent, oven cleaners. Yet those that cause an allergic contact would be poison oak or ivy, nickel, etc.
Dyshidrotic eczema symptoms include burning and itching of the hands and feet and sometimes blisters occur. Most often women have symptoms of dyshidrotic eczema due to house work and cleaning. Sometimes dyshidrotic eczema only affects the feet and seemingly it is mostly men that are affected. Blisters may be symptoms also and are very painful as walking is mandatory for most dyshidrotic eczema patients. Sometimes both women and men have symptoms of both the hands and the feet. It can also show up on any other part of the body.
Pustular psoriasis or pustular dermatitis can cause blisters with cracks in the skin on the hands or feet or both. While 'hyperlinearity atopic dermatitis' is a rash that always involves both the feet and hands.
Foot eczema or foot dermatitis is red irritated skin that is more common in children during the winter time when humidity is low that involves both the children's feet only. Sometimes the foot rash turns into an area with scales in the worst cases with some involving cracking of the feet. Sometimes, the dyes to color the shoes in the factory causes the problems later for extended period of shoe wear. Also known as dyshidrosia or dyshidrotic eczema which the sweating of the foot washes off or dissolves the foot oils off of the foot causing more dryness of the foot. Usually it begins with several days after wearing new shoes for a long period of time. Change shoes as often as possible as painful cracks may occur along with a bacterial infection. Also 'pompholyx or pedopompholyx eczema' is a short term severe •Pompholyx ("blister" or "bubble" in Greek) may be further subdivided into vesicular and bulbous forms, in which patients present with acute severe eruptions of blisters over their palms and, less commonly, the soles.
Xerotic eczema most often occurs during the winter itch. It is also called asteatotic eczema also. Most often the elderly are affected with eczema on their hands, legs and arms. The Xerotic eczema symptoms most often are the usual red skin that is very dry resulting in cracks in the skin.
Stasis dermatitis is normally a red rash of the lower legs in the elderly due to poor blood circulation. The legs are normally very dry and involvement in the inner legs is more common. Advanced stages can be viewed by the dry damaged skin evolving into a 'stasis ulcer' as the skin has been slow in healing. Varicose veins is another symptom that may be present in some patients.
Nummular eczema or nummular dermatitis is a round red rash that itches and scales on the legs and arms most often, but can be found elsewhere on the body. Some people think that nummular eczema appears like ringworms.
Discoid eczema is a solid round patch that reminds the patient and physician of a 'coin'. Likewise it is often found on the lower legs and trunk of the body. The patient can have leg ulcers and are more prone to have ulcers if they are dietetics.