Chronic eczema, while not life-threatening in any sense, can still cause a lot of problems for people who suffer from it. This skin condition can seriously affect your daily life and other factors, such as your happiness and self-esteem. There are medical treatments that help treat the skin condition, but for other issues that arise out of the presence of this disease, there are certain coping strategies that you can take to deal with it better. This article provides more information about eczema and helps you understand these coping strategies better.
What is Chronic Eczema?
Eczema, also called chronic eczematous dermatitis, is a common skin disease that results in dry, itchy, and irritated skin. It’s also called atopic dermatitis or allergic eczema. Eczema is a kind of dermatitis, a group of skin disorders characterized by inflammation. Eczema is not contagious; nevertheless, it might render the skin more susceptible to infections. Different types of eczema can be found, all of which have been listed below for your reference:
Most Common Type of Eczema
Atopic dermatitis is the most common type of eczema that usually starts in the early stages of life and goes away slowly as you age. It can be caused by dry skin, genetics, and stress. It is also known as chronic eczematous dermatitis.
Contact dermatitis:
There are two sub-types under this; one is allergic, which refers to your immune system’s reaction to an irritant. The second is irritant contact, which happens due to substances damaging your skin directly.
Venous stasis dermatitis:
This is common in people who have poor blood circulation. It can cause redness, swelling, brown, purple, gray, or ashen color marks, itching, and pain.
Dyshidrotic eczema:
This is another form of chronic hand eczema that causes red blisters. It also targets your feet and can be caused by allergies, dampness, stress, and regular use of tobacco.
Seborrheic dermatitis:
This happens mainly on the scalp area. It produces flakes on the skin that look like dandruff and can also cause scaly and oily patches.
Neurodermatitis, also called chronic lichenified dermatitis, causes 1–2 eczema patches to develop on the skin. It affects your arms, legs, scalp, genitals, soles of your feet, and the back of your hands.
Nummular eczema:
Causes small bumps on the skin that can be red, pink, or dark brown. These grow skin lesions that can be more itchy and bothersome than most chronic eczema.
General Causes of Chronic Eczematous
Immune system:
Your system’s reaction to general irritants, bacteria, and viruses
Genetics:
Family history of eczema, dermatitis, asthma, hay fever, and/or allergies
Environmental factors:
Air pollutants, harsh soaps, dry weather, wool, and some skin care products
Emotional triggers:
Stress, anxiety, and depression can cause chronic eczema flare-ups.
Certain food items:
Soy products, wheat, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and products containing calcium disodium EDTA
Chronic Eczema Treatment Options
Listed below are some medical as well as conventional and lifestyle treatment options for eczema that you can try:
- Moisturizers, allergy medications, and lotions (OTC drugs)
- Topical corticosteroids or calcineurin inhibitors (prescription medications)
- Biologics (injectable medications)
- Phototherapy
- Support groups can initiate discussions with people who are suffering from the same disease and issues.
- Covering the affected area (using safe clothes and makeup items that cover the affected area to help boost confidence)
Consult with your healthcare provider. In cases of feelings of depression and anxiety, your doctor can consult specific medicines. They can also prescribe therapy that can be effective in dealing with these emotions. Chronic dermatitis treatment usually depends on several factors, like the type of eczema, its severity, any other underlying issues, and your overall health.
Conclusion
Chronic eczema can cause dry, itchy, and flaky patches to randomly appear on the topmost layer of our skin. This skin condition is not entirely life-threatening, but it can still be bothersome for people who have it. Some effective chronic eczema treatment options include but are not limited to, topical prescribed creams, phototherapy, and injectable medicines. Other than this, you can also do support groups and therapy to help deal with the emotions that come with eczema.