Beauty Bites!: All About Eczema
Irritating, unsightly, infuriating and sigh-worthy. Eczema is all these things and then some. So we will be talking about what it is, what it does, how you can be free of this pernicious pest. How to deal with Eczema and how to make your skin look good again!
Eczema, if you are bothering to read an article about this rather unsightly affliction of the skin, you either more than likely suffer from it yourself, or you have some sort of morbid fascination with skin conditions. Either way, if you are here to learn more about it, and perhaps solve it somehow, this is the right place to be. For the uninformed, Eczema is a broad term that is applied to a variety of chronic skin conditions, with the most common characteristics being dry skin and rashes. Said rashes usually contain a myriad of other revolting symptoms and is, a rather unpleasant experience overall indeed. Around 3.5 percent of the global population suffer from Eczema. On paper it doesn’t sound like much, but that’s around 3.5 million people worldwide altogether.
Eczema, also known as Dermatitis is derived from the Greek Word eczema, meaning ‘eruption’. A hilariously fitting name no doubt, given its symptoms. The term ‘atopic dermatitis’, the term for the most common form of eczema was first coined in 1933, but the term eczema itself has no exact origin. The word ‘Atopic’ refers to certain diseases that have a tendency to develop other allergic conditions, which is why many people wo suffer from eczema also tend to have asthma, for example.
Now that we’ve gotten through most of that scientific hullabaloo, we can move on to the important bit, the details of the condition itself. First on the list, we have rashes. Angry little red patches appear on your skin in various places, usually around the arms and legs. The areas with rashes usually swell up a bit and are almost always accompanied with an excruciating itch. Those with poor self-control, much like myself, will often find themselves scratching these areas to relieve said itch. They will also find out shortly after, that this about as effective at solving the issue as pouring gasoline over an open fire is at extinguishing it. Scratching the rashes more often than not just tears open the skin, creating painful bleeding lesions, driving away anyone within a three meter radius of you, and just looking plain disgusting in general. If that was not enough, it also causes scarring and prevents the tissue from properly recovering.
The worst part about eczema I would have have to say however, is how it just feels bad. I don’t mean physically bad, but emotionally so. I’ve had eczema for my whole life, but until recent years, it’s never really been that much of a bother, only sprouting up here and there every so often. However, recently my eczema has flared up worse than ever, forming angry and ugly red patches on my forearm and forelegs. Not only do the rashes look extremely unsightly, but they worsen over time if you let them. It might be hard to understand just how this affects you psychologically, but the longer you spend with it, the more you start to feel like you stand out, and not in a good way.
Sooner or later, you might begin to suspect that people are noticing, heck maybe even flat out judging these blemishes of yours, and it is an awful thing to feel. You start to feel outcast, alone and rejected. Sure your friends may be as jovial as ever, and your suspicions might even be baseless, but in your mind they remain very very real. Every wayward glance, every pause in their speech only serves to further your suspicions and worries, sending your self-esteem into a nosedive and furthering your mistrust of others. Something that should by right, be nothing more than a simple nuisance can quickly spiral out of control and affect you in such a way if you let it.
This isn’t however some terminal illness or anything, there are steps you can take not just to help your eczema physically, but also to help ease your mind, and dispel any worries you must have. The first and most important step in this is to always remember one thing, no one who cares about you will even remotely judge you by your condition. This may seem like just simple lip-service or delusion, but really it is something to always keep in your mind. Everyone has their own little secrets to hide, be it acne an ugly scar or maybe a simple mole, everyone has their own little physical imperfections which in no way will ever compromise who we are. If it still continues to bother you, sit down and have a chat with them explain your insecurities and your condition to them. The response really doesn’t matter, getting it off your chest alone will do wonders for you mood.
Being a chronic condition, Eczema is not something that will just disappear if we plug our ears, shut our eyes and pretend it doesn’t exist. Unless treated somehow, this little misshapen malady will be there to stay. The most common treatment for mild eczema is to simply keep your skin moisturised. As emasculating as it may be to some, regularly applying moisturisers to your skin can significantly help your eczema. Another thing to do is to avoid taking long, hot showers. Standing in the shower and boiling yourself alive for hours on end may be cathartic for some, but it has the side effect of drying out your skin, worsening your eczema. Keep your showers short and warm. Lastly stress can worsen your eczema, so a good night’s rest usually helps with that.
If your case of eczema is more than just a little mild, these treatments might not cut it, you will have start using medications. Before I talk about these, it’s very important to consult a doctor before acquiring these medications, because a number of them are prescription only. We don’t want to be sued because someone ended up with an engorged elbow the size of their own head.
The most common medication used for treating bad eczema are topical corticosteroids, or steroid creams in layman’s terms. These are creams applied that you apply to affected areas usually once or twice a day, and is usually quite effective. Note however, that overuse of these can have side effects, including skin atrophy, thickening or darkening. Prolonged Applications to the eyelid can even cause glaucoma and cataracts. So make sure you don’t dump a whole tube on yourself in one go. As a general rule of thumb, one fingertip worth of cream is enough for a single area. Weaker creams are available at most pharmacies, but the more potent creams for severe cases are almost always prescription only.
Besides topical steroids, antihistamines can help reduce system and cut down the incessant itching of the eczema. If creams fail, doctors might prescribe you oral corticosteroids instead, which are dangerous if overdosed on, so make sure you follow your doctor’s instructions. Other treatments include UV light therapy, immunosuppressants and immunomodulators. These fancy sounding treatments are usually used as alternatives when other options have failed so we will not be discussing them. Make sure to only consider them under your advice from your doctor.
That’s more or less it for eczema treatments. Simple right? Don’t scratch, keep moist and put your stuff properly. Soon, your skin flakes will thank you!
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