Tratamiento del Eczema
This skin condition is a type of chronic inflammation. It's often described as a skin itch that becomes a rash because of how patients react. But don't worry — this is a condition that can be managed.
¿Qué es el eczema?
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this condition is a type of chronic inflammation of the skin. The most frequent type of the disorder is called an atopic form, also known as atopic dermatitis. Like most inflammatory diseases, the atopic variety may have a potential heredity or genetic factor: it’s likely to appear repeatedly on the patient’s family tree. The disease is sometimes associated with other allergic conditions such as hay fever or asthma.
Eczema FAQs
The atopic form is a chronic and recurring skin condition. It frequently first appears during infancy or in the first few years of life, but some patients first experience the disease as an adult. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition isn’t an “itchy rash” but a skin itch that becomes a rash as the patient scratches — with no scratching, no rash forms! Goodman Dermatology will prescribe treatment options to reduce skin itch in diagnosed patients.
About 20% of children suffer the condition before age 5. Babies and children are usually most uncomfortable with the condition. Development of atopic dermatitis can foreshadow development of other allergies, such as asthma or post-nasal drip. Only 1 to 3% of adults experience the condition for the first time. Patients older than 50 rarely develop the condition.
Los bebés y los niños suelen desarrollar erupciones faciales, en el cuero cabelludo, brazos, piernas, pecho o tronco. En otras palabras, la erupción se desarrolla solo en aquellas áreas donde el niño puede rascarse la piel. (Por ejemplo, no puede rascarse la piel cubierta por el pañal). Los pacientes mayores a menudo presentan la afección en los codos y la parte posterior de las rodillas, los párpados, las plantas de los pies o las palmas de las manos.
Your Goodman Dermatology provider can diagnose atopic dermatitis after collecting a physical exam and noting your history of symptoms. Lab work isn’t required to diagnose the disease. Three criteria are needed in order to confirm the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis:
- Atopy, or a genetic predisposition for allergies, is part of the patient’s medical history. Family members may also suffer from allergic conditions. Very rarely, a patient may have atopic dermatitis without atopy.
- Pruritis is another word to describe itchy skin. The patient’s skin itch results in scratching, and the scratching creates a skin rash. Without skin itch or the urge to scratch the skin area, the patient is unlikely to have atopic dermatitis.
- Appearance of eczema, or red bumps or blisters forming a rash, has a distinct appearance. Over time, skin may thicken or take on a leather-like appearance.
La picazón en la piel puede ser desencadenada por alergias, irritación, estrés o infecciones. La estimulación directa de la piel del paciente puede causar irritación, o el sudor irritante, limpiadores, telas, temperaturas o productos químicos pueden ser la causa. Una vez que se identifican los desencadenantes mediante pruebas de alergia, el paciente puede evitar la causa o el desencadenante de su picazón en la piel.
El rascado constante puede hacer que el paciente sea más propenso a infecciones secundarias por bacterias, hongos o virus. Staphylococcus aureus, una bacteria común, puede crear llagas en la piel. El herpes simple, o virus del herpes tipo 1, también puede atacar la piel irritada y con erupciones.
Some patients with severe forms of atopic dermatitis require treatment with topical corticosteroids or creams containing pimecrolimus/tacrolimus. Other patients may require antihistamine treatments before bed if skin itch is interrupting the patient’s sleep.
Oral corticosteroids may help some patients with a chronic condition. These medicines help to reduce the body’s inflammatory process.
Phototherapy treatments expose the patient to UVA/UVB light. The dermatologist may apply or inject a photosensitizing agent that work only when exposed to light therapy.
Some patients may need immunomodulators if corticosteroids and other treatments don’t work.
Las infecciones secundarias pueden requerir antibióticos, medicamentos antivirales o tratamientos antimicóticos para limpiar la piel.
To get started with eczema treatment at Goodman Dermatology, contact us today. We are proud to serve the north metro Atlanta and North Georgia areas and many surrounding cities.
Las alergias también pueden actuar como desencadenantes de la picazón en la piel. Los alérgenos en contacto con la piel del paciente, como los ácaros del polvo, el polen, la caspa de mascotas o animales, o el moho pueden provocar la necesidad de rascarse. Algunos pacientes son alérgicos a ciertos alimentos, como productos lácteos o huevos. La identificación de la alergia alimentaria y su evitación pueden evitar que el desencadenante cause picazón en la piel.
Allergy testing is important in stopping the cycle of skin itch to scratch to skin rash. Allergy testing and resulting allergy shots should be considered if the patient suffers seasonal allergies.
Eczema Before & After Photos
