Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is often a long-term condition that causes the skin to become inflamed (swollen) and irritated. The symptoms of eczema can range from mild to severe. They often come and go depending on external factors such as weather conditions or stress levels. It’s often referred to as atopic dermatitis and it is one of the most common skin diseases affecting people with allergies.
What Is Eczema?
It is a long-lasting skin condition that causes redness, blistering, and irritation in the affected areas of your skin. These patches of inflammation are often accompanied by dryness, flaky skin, itching, and swelling. If you have eczema on your hands or feet, these patches may peel away from the underlying tissue if they aren’t treated properly.
The condition may start as tiny bumps on your face or body that resemble insect bites (urticaria). These bumps usually don’t itch at first, but they can turn into sores if scratched too much or rubbed against clothing or bedding materials — causing them to bleed or ooze fluid-filled pus (pus cells). The sores might crust over with dead skin cells or pus.
Eczema can be confused with psoriasis. A dermatologist or other qualified healthcare professional can diagnose the condition properly. Eczema is not contagious, but it is hereditary.
The most common symptom of eczema is itching, which causes people with eczema to scratch their skin until it bleeds. If you have eczema, you probably know how this feels. It can be very frustrating to deal with!
Eczema can also cause bacterial skin infections like impetigo and fungal infections like ringworm. These infections can spread if you don’t take care of your skin properly. There is no cure for eczema, but there are treatments that can help control inflammation and relieve symptoms such as itching or redness.
The appearance of eczema varies from person to person, but there are some common features:
Dryness – the first sign that you may have eczema is dryness on your skin which is red and itchy (itching is caused by a build-up of fluid beneath your skin cells). This dryness can be seen as small cracks appearing on your skin surface or scaling (where scales form on top of each other). The dryness may be worse in winter when the air is drier indoors.
Rashes – The rash can vary in size from a few millimeters to several centimeters across, or it may cover large areas of your body. In some cases, it can even affect your scalp or nails. The rash usually appears on areas of the body that are frequently exposed to heat or friction – such as behind the knees and elbows – but it can also appear on other skin parts, such as the neck or face.
Inflammation – The affected area may feel sore and stiff when touched because the skin is inflamed (swollen) beneath the surface layer of skin cells known as keratinocytes (the epidermis).
Some studies suggest that certain foods may trigger flare-ups of eczema in some people with this condition. These include:
- Milk products (cow’s milk, yogurt and cheese)
- Wheat products (breads, pasta and cakes)
- Soy products
The Three Stages of Eczema
Stage 1: Mild inflammation with dry, scaly patches that may have a silvery-scaly appearance.
Stage 2: Moderate inflammation with redness and swelling at the tips of fingers and toes, behind knees and on shins (often referred to as “creases”). There may also be some crusting.
Stage 3: Severe inflammation with thickened skin (lichenification) at the tips of fingers and toes, behind knees and on shins (often referred to as “creases”). This stage may also include severe itching that leads to bleeding from scratching, infections from bacteria picked up from wet surfaces such as bathtubs or showers, or even infections from bacteria picked up from pets such as cats or dogs who lick the affected area.
What Causes Eczema?
The exact cause of eczema isn’t known, but it’s thought that there may be a genetic link because it often runs in families. People with allergies are more likely to develop eczema than people without allergies. Allergies include hay fever, asthma, food allergies, and latex allergies.
What Are the Symptoms of Eczema?
The symptoms of eczema are caused by an overactive immune system causing inflammation in the upper layer of the skin (epidermis). The inflammation makes tiny blood vessels leak fluid into the surrounding tissue causing swelling, redness, and itchiness. This leads to dry patches on the skin, which can then crack open, leaving raw areas that are itchy and painful.
How Does Eczema Affect People?
Some people experience flare-ups that last a few weeks or months, while others have symptoms. The condition may improve or worsen due to stress, allergies, or other factors.
People with eczema may be embarrassed by their appearance and worry about how others perceive them. They also may be sensitive to certain clothing fabrics and textures.
Where Does Eczema Affect People?
The most common areas affected by eczema are around the hands, wrists, and ankles; behind the knees; around the neck; in the creases of elbows and knees; and on the scalp (especially behind ears).
Using Vitastem to Treat Eczema
Vitastem Ultra, a specialized transdermal delivery method, has positive results treating eczema cuts and scrapes. In many cases, it has even worked without any other eczema treatment and is a more effective eczema treatment than any other.
Vitastem Ultra, a specialized blend of ingredients, has created a delivery formula that allows the medicine to be delivered at 10x the strength and depth of other products on the market today. The formula stimulates damaged cells’ walls so that medicine is 10x more permeable than usual. This allows more medicine to be delivered to the cells, overpowering and killing bacteria in a way that does not allow them to adapt or develop resistance. Vitastem Ultra, which delivers medicine quickly to the area of need, is why many patients see results in less than 5 to 7 days.
Vitastem Ultra treats the condition and injects skin cells with vitamin D3 or vitamin C (ascorbic acids). The skin is left fully treated and rejuvenated.
Vitastem is one of the world’s strongest topical antibiotics that has proven to be quite beneficial to people who suffer from eczema. Vitastem was developed and tested for over 10 years using the latest scientific research into the causes of eczema and other infectious skin diseases too. It can help reduce inflammation and redness while also improving skin texture.
If you or a loved one is suffering from eczema flare-ups, ask your doctor if Vitastem Ultra can be a good fit for you as an eczema treatment so you can get your life back fast.
