What is eczema

At Sénica our goal is to help you care for dry skin and celebrate your authentic beauty. Eczema represents a segment of skin conditions that fall under the dry skin category. Eczema can be uncomfortable, create a sense of self awareness, and can be complex and an interesting journey of figuring out how to address and treat or prevent the condition. In this article I’ll be covering a few things including what is eczema, the different types of eczema, symptoms and causes of eczema. Stay tuned for a follow up article on how to care for eczema and hopefully prevent or minimize breakouts in the future.

What is Eczema

Eczema is a form of dry skin that is also called atopic dermatitis, which is the most common type. (See types of eczema below.) It falls under the general umbrella of dermatitis which describes skin irritations. These terms are sometimes used interchangeablly. Healthy skin helps retain moisture and protects you from bacteria, irritants and allergens. Eczema is related to a gene variation that affects the skin’s ability to provide this protection. This allows your skin to be affected by environmental factors, irritants and allergens. (5) It is not contagious although it can be uncomfortable and make you a bit more self conscious.

Types of Eczema

There are several different types of eczema that you should know about: Atopic dermatitis, Contact dermatitis, Dyshidrotic eczema, Nummular eczema, Seborrheic dermatitis, and Stasis dermatitis. It is possible to have more than one type of eczema at a time. For instance you may be navigating atopic dermatitis and seborrheic dermatitis at the same time.

Common symptoms and causes of eczema

The most common form of eczema is atopic dermatitis.¹ A mix of genetics and environmental factors can contribute to or trigger eczema. In some cases eczema is something that is common during childhood and goes away and may continue into adulthood. These two factors, genetics and environment, can’t be controlled completely but there are adjustments that can be made to identify triggers and minimize exposure to them where possible.

Causes of eczema include a skin defect (genetics), an allergic reaction or contact with an irritating substance. For example, studies have shown that a protein that is important for the structure of the skin, when impacted by genetics can contribute to increased levels of water loss from the skin which in turns can cause severe dryness.

Dry and itchy skin that ranges from mild to severe is a common symptom of eczema. These dry patches tend to occur on the face but it can appear anywhere on the body. Symptoms may be different for each person and appear on different parts of the body at different times. My personal experience was that I had a seasonal patch the would erupt on my inner left arm. (I grew up in the Caribbean so ‘dryness’ wasn’t really a consideration for me then as it was when I moved to Upstate New York.)

Other symptoms of eczema include, redness; severe itching; hyperpigmentation (darkening) of skin patches; rough, scaly patches; oozing, crusting and swelling. These symptoms can get severe to the point of itching to the point of bleeding which can make things worse. You may have all of these symptoms of eczema or just a few. Flare ups may be consistent, occur on occasion or your symptoms could go away entirely.

The understanding of eczema has grown over the years and research continues to evolve on this complex skin condition. It will be interesting to learn more as more studies are being done around the skin barrier, internal and external factors that contribute to how eczema is managed and treated.

Hopefully this gives you a general understanding of eczema and dermatitis. Working closely with your wellness team can help you make the best decisions for you as you navigate preventing flare ups and a holistic treatment plan. But the only way to know if you have eczema for sure, is to visit your doctor so he or she can look at your skin and ask you about your symptoms.

We’ll get more into treatment options in the next article on eczema.

Natural. Beautiful. You®,
Benardett, Creator of Sénica® Body Care Products
www.senicanaturals.com

Scientific Studies & Other Readings on Eczema:
1. Nemeth V, Evans J. Eczema. [Updated 2020 Mar 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-.
2. McPherson T. Current Understanding in Pathogenesis of Atopic Dermatitis. Indian J Dermatol. 2016;61(6):649-655. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.193674
3. Thomsen SF. Atopic dermatitis: natural history, diagnosis, and treatment. ISRN Allergy. 2014;2014:354250. Published 2014 Apr 2. doi:10.1155/2014/354250
4. Types of Dermatitis
5. Atopic dermatitis (eczema)

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Sénica our goal is to help you care for dry skin and celebrate your authentic beauty. Learn more about our collection of moisturizers here, Moisturizers for Dry Skin & Eczema.