What is eczema?

Eczema is a troubling disorder where your skin is dry and itchy, causing significant distress and discomfort. The skin may also be red and inflamed.

Eczema typically begins as a red rash that develops:

• Round or indistinct dry patches
• Raised crusty areas or bumps
• Oozing blisters
• Skin discoloration
• Scaliness

Eczema can develop anywhere on your body, but it’s most common on the face, insides of the arms, behind the knees, and the hands and feet. Infants often have eczema on their scalps.

Why do I have eczema?

Atopic dermatitis, the most widespread form of eczema, often develops in infants and young children. It’s a chronic, severe eczema that tends to affect people with other allergic conditions, like asthma and hay fever, or those with a family history of these disorders.

Other reasons you might develop eczema or dermatitis include chemical irritation, dry skin, and reactions to some medications. In some cases, there’s no clear cause.

You can’t catch eczema from another person, even with direct skin-to-skin contact.

How is eczema diagnosed?

The Soine Dermatology & Aesthetics team performs a physical exam and reviews your medical history. There isn’t a specific test for eczema, but your dermatologist can identify the condition using their expertise and experience.

Your provider might also conduct allergy testing to identify possible triggers that set off or worsen your eczema. Common triggers include:

• Soaps
• Cleaning products
• Detergents
• Food allergies
• Animal dander
• Very hot water
• Stress

Identifying your eczema triggers helps you avoid them, reducing flare-ups.

What treatments help with eczema?

Fortunately, the medical dermatology team at Soine Dermatology & Aesthetics offers many treatments that can significantly reduce eczema symptom severity and frequency.

Adjusting your daily diet, adding an appropriate nutritional supplement, and using the right skin care products can transform your life if you have eczema. Your personalized treatment plan might include the following:

• Moisturization
• Skin hydration
• Antihistamine medication
• Topical corticosteroids
• Bathing and laundry product changes
• Antibiotics for infection

Phototherapy offers hope to people with stubborn cases that don’t respond well to topical eczema treatments. Medications can also target the immune system malfunction responsible for atopic dermatitis. You might benefit from these drugs if you have severe or treatment-resistant eczema.

Call Soine Dermatology & Aesthetics today or schedule an appointment online to receive expert eczema care.