How to Ease that Eczema Itch the Dermatologist Way

For people suffering from eczema, the constant itch that they experience can put a damper on their daily lives. A common skin condition, eczema presents a set of different symptoms from skin redness and dryness to itchiness. However, the intense itch is the most burdensome of them all.

While eczema is a common skin condition and there are many treatments available, it is not an easy skin problem to rectify. Most of the time, those with eczema do not know what causes it or triggers it. This makes finding the right treatment a complicated process even though symptoms may be similar.

Dr. Low Dyoi-E, Consultant Dermatologist at Pantai Hospital Cheras explains that eczema can affect anyone – infants, children, as well adults and seems to be more common in certain families. “Most people with eczema develop their first symptoms as children, before the age of five – intense itching of the skin, patches of redness, and skin flaking are common,” says Dr Low.

He adds that symptoms also vary from one person to another and can appear in multiple areas. “In infants, there may be red, scaly, and crusted areas on the front of the arms and legs, cheeks or scalp; in children and adults, eczema commonly affects the back of the neck, the elbow creases and the back parts of the knees. Other affected areas may include the face, wrists, and the forearms. Skin may thicken and darken or even scarred, from repeated scratching. Other findings in people with eczema include dry scaly skin, plugged hair follicles causing small bumps, increased skin creasing on the palms and darkening of the skin around the eyes.”

Eczema can be somewhat a mystery as scientists and doctors have not been able to pinpoint the exact cause of this skin condition. However, the National Eczema Association remarks that for most types of eczema, researchers believe a combination of genes and triggers are involved. It is also found that people with eczema tend to have an over-reactive immune system that when triggered by a substance outside or inside the body, responds by producing inflammation. It is this inflammation that causes the red, itchy, and painful skin symptoms that appear in most types of eczema.

According to Dr. Tee Shwu Hoon, a Consultant Dermatologist at Columbia Asia Hospital – Puchong, there are different types of eczema such as atopic eczema, seborrheic eczema, contact eczema, nummular/discoid eczema, dyshidrotic eczema, statis eczema and asteatotic eczema. Each of them may be associated or caused by different health or environment conditions and also present different symptoms.

The National Eczema Association further states that it is possible to have more than one type of eczema on your body at the same time. As each form of eczema has its own set of triggers and treatment requirements, a dermatologist should be consulted instead of self-treating it with over-the-counter medication.