Our natural reaction to an itch of the skin is to scratch for relief. While this innocent scratch may provide the needed relief for many, it can aggravate the skin of others, triggering further distress. Accompanied by blisters, a burning sensation, and extremely dry patches on the skin, this condition is a form of dermatitis commonly known as eczema.
Types of Eczema
Atopic dermatitis: This is a chronic type of eczema characterized by itchy and inflamed skin. It is common among individuals with a history of asthma and hay fever.
Exfoliative dermatitis: This type of eczema is characterized by thick, red, and scaly skin all over the body.
Seborrheic dermatitis: This is commonly known as dandruff. It appears as yellowish, oily, scaly patches of the skin on the scalp, face, ears, and other parts of the body.
Allergic contact dermatitis: With this type of eczema certain areas of the skin become red, itchy and weepy. This happens when the skin comes in contact with a 'foreign' substance.
Nummular dermatitis: This type is characterized by round, isolated patches of irritated skin. Generally these are formed on the back, arms, and the lower legs.
Stasis dermatitis: This type is often seen in legs with varicose veins. The pigmentation is usually darker, light-brown, or purplish-red in color as a result of blood congestion in the leg veins.
Dyshidrotic dermatitis: This form of eczema involves irritation of the skin on the palms of hands and the soles of the feet. It is characterized by blisters that burn and itch.
Atopic dermatitis is the most widespread and most severe type of eczema. The disease is common among any age group and is very prevalent among infants and children. The way in which the disease affects ...
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• Avoiding the use of harsh chemicals
• Using a non-soap cleanser when taking baths and showers
• Gently patting the skin with a dry, soft towel
• Applying moisturizer while skin is damp, to lock in moisture
• Reducing the level of daily stress
• Avoiding scratchy materials and tight-fitting clothing
• Avoiding excess heat
• Keeping the house well ventilated
• Regularly changing bed linen
• Resisting the urge to scratch the skin
For many individuals, antihistamine drugs or creams containing corticosteroids, may be useful in helping to soothe the irritation. For the more severe cases the doctor may prescribe other medications to be taken internally, and in the event of infection may prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria. Ultraviolet light therapy (phototherapy) may also prove useful in helping to clear up the condition in persons with severe cases.
Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(1):124–125. Puchenkova, S. G. (1996). "
The article, The Itch, by Atul Gawande follows a woman who has a constant itching feeling in her scalp. Her life started out normal but after a few unfortunate events she now has “the itch”. This itch has caused her to become partially paralyzed in the left side of her body. She has even scratched through her skull overnight because the sensation is too overpowering. The explanation of her itch follows
Barone, Eugene J., Judson C. Jones, and Joann E. Schaefer. "Hidradenitis Suppurativa." Skin Disorders. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000. 21-25. Print.
In some cases, prescription or over the counter medications applied directly to the lesions may be helpful. Examples include:
If having dry skin isn’t bad enough, witnessing it in front of you get into clumps and morphing into a patch of dry skin most be the worst. Ichtyosis Vulgaris (or also called fish scale disease) is a skin disorder that is passed down the family line that leads to dry, scaly skin. Ichtyosis Vulgaris is one type of skin disorder that is very common. You are born with this skin disease which it is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. This type of skin disease is not life threating at all but there really isn’t a way to cure it at you just have to go on living with it. They symptoms of Ichtyosis Vulgaris are: dry skin, scaly skin, mild itching of the skin, and maybe some skin thickening. With time the dry skin can actually begin to bunch up together and start to create patches on your skin covering large areas of your body such as the back, arms, and legs. Unless spotted at a young age most cases of Ichtyosis Vulgaris go undiagnosed due people thinking that it is only “dry skin”
Deep venous thrombosis(DVT) is the formation of a blood clot or thrombus in the large vein of the legs(Narani, 2010). The signs and symptoms of a lower limb DVT varies from asymptomatic to extensive ilio femoral thrombosis(Narani, 2010). The most common clinical manifestation can be sudden swelling of one limb accompanied with pain or tenderness,
Urticaria is now commonly known as hives, it is a common allergic reaction that makes the skin form raised red itchy welts. They can also burn or sting. Anyone can be susceptible to hives since it is a very common condition. Hives form when histamine, a chemical, is released by mast cells. Histamine is usually released with an allergic reaction and it acts by causing the blood vessels to leak fluid into the nearby tissues causing skin to puff up like a mosquito bite. Releasing histamine does not need to be from an allergic reaction though; there are other circumstances where it can be released. They are usually harmless and can last up to ha...
Diverticulitis The disease occurs when pouches in the large intestine become infected and inflamed, symptoms may include but not limited to severe abdominal pain often in the lower left side of the abdomen, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and fever. Circulatory:.. Deep Vein Thrombosis Deep vein thrombosis occurs when blood clots form in one of the deep veins in the thigh or calf. Many people with the condition do not have symptoms, but they may have leg pain, swelling, or skin discoloration. It can be life threatening because it can cause pulmonary embolism.
What are these red patches of skin on my body that I can’t ever help from scratching? It is eczema, which is defined as a medical condition in which patches of skin become inflamed, with blisters that cause itching and bleeding. Genetics take a role in the possibility of having eczema, after comes the diagnosis, then being prescribed the treatment needed, and lastly their prognosis.
Other lesions, such as eczema, body lice, insect bites, fungal infections, poison ivy, and various forms of dermatitis can make a person susceptible to this infection.... ... middle of paper ... ... The New York Times.
Psoriasis can appear on any part of the body. It is more likely to develop on the scalp, elbows, hands, groin, knees, legs and feet. It can also cause thick, discolored finger and toe nails. Psoriasis is known to be hereditary, meaning that the gene that causes the disease ca...
There are 5 main types of psoriasis and they are: plaque, guttate, inverse, pustular, and erythrodermic. The type of psoriasis is diagnosed based on the appearance and can be confirmed with either skin biopsy or the patient’s medical history. Skin biopsy involves the removal of the patient’s skin sample to be analyzed under a microscope and base on the appearance to determine the type of skin disease the patient has. Psoriasis tends to occur within families that have it. Plaque psoriasis or psoriasis vulgaris is the most common type of psoriasis and is responsible for 80% of all patients with psoriasis. Young and middle aged adults are most affected by this type of psoriasis. People with plaque psoriasis experience raised red scaly lesions on their body that tend to itch and crack to bleed. These patches are generally known to appear on the knees, elbows, scalp, and the back but they may appear anywhere on the skin. Around 10 to 20 percent of patients with plaque psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis in their life time. Guttate psoriasis usually target people younger than 30 years...
Lastly, topical treatments are medicine that are applied to the skin. These creams, gels, oils, foams and lotions are used as an anti-inflammatory agent. These have ranges of potency from super potent to least potent or 1-7. For example, corticosteroid, the most common prescribed topical, is a steroid that affects the growth and inflammation of the epidermis. However, this is often used for mild to moderate cases only since side effects of using topical treatments can result in changing of the skin, dilated blood vessels,and irritation of the skin.
The symptoms of psoriasis differ from type to type, although inflamed, scaly lesions are present in all five types. The most common form of the disease, plaque psoriasis, is identified by small bumps that begin to grow and become scaly. These lesions flake easily, but removing these patches can cause the tender skin below to bleed. In the Guttate type, small, individual, red drops form. This type does not have as much scaling as plaque psoriasis. The drops usually clear up on their own, but may also reappear as a different form of psoriasis, usually plaque. Inverse psoriasis usually occurs in places where the skin folds, such as the genitals, breasts, armpits or the backs of knees. This type will appear red, yet it will be smooth and dry. Also, no scaling will occur. Pustular psoriasis is a type that's significantly more rare. It is also more painful. In this type, blisters filled with non-infectious pus appear within a few hours and then dry up and peel within another two days. Severe medical risks exist for those who have this particular form of psoriasis, due to its side effects; exhaustion, anemia, weight loss, fever, chills, rapid pulse rate, severe itching and muscle weakness. Even less common than pustular psoriasis is erythrodermic psoriasis. This type is...
Eczema is one example of a dry skin condition. An eczema sufferer will have cracked skin, redness and inflammation.