Dermatitis is the name used for some skin condition in which the skin becomes red, swollen and itchy. There are three types of dermatitis:
- Atopic dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, normally refers to dry, itchy and sensitive skin. The irritation may go away for a while and comes back again.
- Contact dermatitis refers to an itchy rash caused by an allergic reaction or something that irritates the skin.
- Stasis dermatitis is a condition caused by venous insufficiency and is common in middle-aged or elderly patients.
According to scientific articles, dermatitis (eczema) is genetically associated with a higher risk of inheritance from mother than father, no wonder why my daughter has atopic dermatitis from a very early age.
How to soothe the itchy and red skin?
Treatment of rash or irritation is important to be done as fast as possible so the skin does not get infected by scratching.
There are many products that help with itching, dryness and irritation. Many of these products are available over the counter, if those don’t help, you may need a stronger corticosteroid that your physician can prescribe it for you.
When to see a dermatologist if you have eczema?
- The rash does not improve after a week of treatment with over the counter medication,
- The redness or itching has increased,
- You see some oozing blister
- You have rash and irritation very often
Non-medication measures to soothe or prevent dermatitis (eczema):
There are some steps we can take to ease the problem apart from medications.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet always helps with many situations and skin is not an exception.
Avoid foods that you know cause problems for you. These foods may be different among people but some foods have bad reputation for skin problems for almost everyone such as candies, fried foods, soda drinks and salty snacks and the list goes on.
Sometimes even fresh fruits and vegetables can be irritating. You are the best person to figure that out.
Try to avoid things that irritate your skin or make you itchy. These can be your clothes or your jewelry, for example, the necklace can be so irritating, although jewelry made of golds are normally tolerated better, I don’t even bear a little bit of itching or irritation.
The best clothes are the ones made of cotton or corduroy. Wool or nylon clothes have to be avoided. When I was working in the lab I avoided gloves with latex or even powder, I always looked for no latex no powder gloves, usually, nitrile gloves with a coat of aloe worked well for me.
In which condition do you think stress is good for you?!!! I can’t name any and the skin is no exception. Be aware that stress may make your symptoms worse. Try to reduce stress through exercise or relaxation. Don’t forget good night sleep.
Always avoid skin dehydration, drink plenty of water and use hypoallergenic moisturizer for your skin, you can find them in all pharmacies. Wash your clothes with a mild detergent or preferably with soap flakes and no detergent, no bleach and no fabric softener.
A daily bath is good to rehydrate the skin followed by emollient to avoid drying. always use warm water instead of hot. Apply the emollient to your skin while it is still damp to keep the moisture. Do not use products that contain lanolin. If you have dry skin, you can use an emollient that contains any of the following ingredients: urea, lactic acid, alphahydroxy acid or phospholipids. These ingredients help to relieve dry skin. To relieve itching: Use hydrocortisone 0.5% in an emollient base.
Let me know your experiences? what do you do for soothing your skin? what is the most irritating product for you?