Here are some useful Articles


Dealing with Atopic Dermatitis

by Angelique Jodein

Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a long-lasting condition that affects the skin. It is not contagious; an affected person won't pass it to another. The term dermatitis implies skin's inflammation. The term atopic refers to a group of conditions where there is often a genetic tendency to acquire other allergic conditions, like hay fever and asthma. In eczema, the skin becomes extremely itchy. Scratching leads to redness, swelling, weeping clear fluid, cracking, and finally, crusting and scaling. When some children with eczema grow older, their skin disease improves or disappears completely, although their skin often remains dry and easily irritated. In others, eczema continues to be a significant problem in adulthood.

The cause of eczema is not known, but the condition seems to appear from a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Children are more prone to acquire this condition if one or both parents have had it or have had allergic conditions like asthma or hay fever. While some individuals outgrow skin symptoms, approximately three-fourths of children with eczema go on to acquire hay fever or asthma. Environmental factors can bring on symptoms of eczema at any time in individuals who have genetically acquired the atopic condition trait.

Eczema is also linked with a failure of the body's immune system: the system that identifies and helps fight viruses and bacteria that attack your organism. Scientists have found that patients with eczema have a deficient level of a cytokine protein that is vital to the healthy function of the organism's immune system and an elevated level of other cytokines that lead to allergic reactions. The immune system can become misguided and create dermatitis even when there's no major infection.

In the past, specialists thought that the cause of eczema was an emotional condition. We now know that emotional issues, like stress, can make the condition worse, but they do not cause the condition.

Also, a wide variety of skin care products contain preservatives. People who are allergic to one of such preservatives can have either localized or widespread dermatitis. Antigen-avoidance lists that optimize patient education about what chemicals to avoid are available from the producers of patch test allergens. With these written guidelines alone, people must read skin care product labels carefully, searching for the names of the allergens as recognized by patch tests as well as for any synonyms and cross-reactors of these substances. After an allergen has been identified, a nurse can play a key role in helping people understand their dermatitis and its treatment. Nurses are in a unique position to spend time educating people about how to discover the sources of certain allergens and, subsequently, how to avoid them.

A new skin care product is our latest answer to eliminate blemishes and alleviate all kind of skin ailments. Made with biological ingredients, it ensures no allergic responses and no adverse side effects.

Published July 16th, 2008

Filed in Health