Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a form of inflammation that causes the skin to become itchy and produce rashes. There are many different types of eczema. Not only is this a common disease in the US, but it can happen at any age and affect people of all ethnicities.
Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes dry, flaking, and itchy skin. It’s a fairly common skin condition in children and can last into one’s adulthood. Eczema is not contagious, but eczema symptoms can be uncomfortable and often embarrassing.
What are the most common types of eczema?
Eczema is a common skin condition that can affect any part of one’s body. It causes the skin to become inflamed, itchy, and red. There are several different types of eczema, and the symptoms vary depending on where on the body they appear.
The most common forms of eczema are contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, dyshidrotic eczema, and hand eczema, but there are others too.
Atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic disease that usually starts in early childhood and lasts through adulthood. It affects about one in five children under three years old and one in twenty adults. It is a genetic condition that causes inflammation in the skin, particularly on the face and hands. The skin becomes itchy, red, swollen, and cracked. In severe cases, blisters can form.
Contact dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is caused by an allergic reaction to something touching your skin (such as poison ivy). It usually affects the area where you come into contact with the irritant, such as your hands, if you touch poison ivy. The rash may look like a sunburn or have blisters similar to blisters caused by heat exposure or an infection (bullae).
Dyshidrotic eczema
This causes blisters on the palms or soles of your feet. It’s not caused by an infection but by a physical reaction to something in contact with your skin (often soap).
Hand eczema
This eczema leads to dryness, cracking, and fissures in the skin on your hands, particularly between your fingers and your nails. It’s caused by water loss from the affected skin areas, making them more susceptible to bacterial infections.
Neurodermatitis
Neurodermatitis is one of the most common types of eczema. It usually affects the hands and feet but can also appear on other body parts. Neurodermatitis is characterized by redness, burning, and itching. Sometimes blisters form as well.
Nummular eczema
Nummular eczema presents as round, coin-sized skin patches resembling coins or rings from afar (hence the name). These patches are dry and scaly, with small red dots in the center that may be filled with fluid or pus. Nummular eczema affects middle-aged adults on their arms and legs or behind their knees or elbows.
Stasis dermatitis
Stasis dermatitis occurs when blood pools in your lower extremities because of standing still for long periods of time (for example, while walking). This blood pooling leads to skin inflammation in these areas — most commonly between your toes.
Eczema on eyelids
Eczema on eyelids tends to be more common in babies but can occur at any age. It usually affects both eyes at once and causes them to become red, swollen, and itchy. The skin around the eyes is often very dry and cracked, so it can bleed easily when scratched or rubbed by clothing or makeup (which makes matters worse).
Eczema on the face
Eczema on the face occurs when the skin becomes inflamed due to scratching or rubbing. It usually appears as patches of redness that feel hot or warm to the touch, especially after sweating or bathing. In some cases, a rash may develop around your mouth or nose when these areas get too hot from exposure to heat sources such as dishwashers.
What can be mistaken for eczema?
Eczema can look like other skin conditions, so you must get a diagnosis from your general practitioner or dermatologist (skin specialist) if you have any concerns. The main difference between eczema and other conditions is that eczema tends to flare up with dry weather and stress, while other skin conditions tend to improve in these situations.
What causes eczema to start?
There are many potential triggers for eczema, including allergies, stress, certain foods, environmental factors (such as soaps or detergents), hot water, and cold weather. Eczema can also run in families and may be worsened by stress. Eczema is thought to be an inherited condition. It’s more common in people who have hay fever and asthma.
What does stress eczema look like?
Stress-related eczema tends to appear on the hands and fingers (palms) rather than elsewhere on the body. It often appears after a stressful event such as a bereavement, divorce, or redundancy. The rash usually fades within three months but may return if you’re stressed again. It looks like red patches or blisters that may ooze fluid when picked at or scratched.
What are the three stages of eczema?
Eczema can affect people at any age. It usually starts in the first few weeks of life and continues for the rest of your life.
Eczema commonly has three stages:
Stage 1: This is when the skin is red and itchy with small blisters. Mild redness and itching. Symptoms appear for less than six weeks per year and last for a few days or weeks.
Stage 2: This is when there are clear marks on the skin that don’t itch as much. The skin may become thickened and wrinkled. Persistent redness and itching for more than six weeks per year with periods of remission. You may have symptoms all year round or only during certain seasons.
Stage 3: This is when there is a thickening of the skin that can be hard to treat. The patches may appear dry or scaly, depending on your type of eczema. Chronic redness and itching that persists all year round. The condition usually gets worse as you get older.
Does anything cure eczema fast?
While there is no cure for eczema, many treatments are available to help ease symptoms and prevent flare-ups.
An Eczema treatment usually involves:
- Moisturizing the skin with emollients or ointments that protect against moisture loss
- Applying steroid creams or ointments to reduce inflammation
- Avoiding irritants like soap, chlorine, and wool clothing
When is eczema serious?
Eczema can become a very serious condition that requires medical attention. It’s important to seek help if your eczema affects your sleep, daily activities, or emotional well-being. Eczema can be very mild or severe. It can also be chronic and lasts for months or years. In some cases, eczema can be life-threatening if it affects your breathing or causes a serious infection of the skin. If your eczema doesn’t respond to treatment and worsens over time, you may need to see a doctor for further advice.
What if eczema is left untreated?
If you don’t treat your eczema properly, it can cause more serious problems in the future. This includes skin scarring or infection from bacteria or viruses that live on the surface of our skin (called staphylococci). In rare cases, severe eczema can lead to pneumonia when bacteria enter the lungs through broken skin around the mouth or nose.
What is the last stage of eczema?
The last stage of eczema is called chronic dermatitis. This can be very hard to treat because it’s a long-term condition that lasts for several years. The symptoms may come and go throughout your life. Chronic conditions often require immunosuppressants to get them under control.
Is eczema fungal or bacterial?
Either bacteria or fungi can cause eczema. Bacterial skin infections such as Staphylococcus aureus or fungi such as Candida albicans are common causes of eczema in adults and children over two years old. Young infants may develop eczema due to allergies to food proteins, particularly cow’s milk (casein).
Does eczema spread if you scratch it?
The answer is yes — eczema can spread if you scratch it. But that doesn’t mean you need to stop scratching altogether.
Scratching relieves itching and inflammation but also damages the skin and causes more inflammation. And inflammation makes eczema worse. So it’s important to find ways to relieve itching without scratching.
The best way to treat eczema is to avoid scratching and keep your skin clean and dry. You should also apply a moisturizer or cream to help keep your skin soft and supple.
You can protect your hands from further irritation by wearing cotton gloves at night and when doing activities that might irritate your hands, such as washing dishes or using harsh soaps or detergents. Your doctor may also prescribe a steroid cream (topical steroid) such as hydrocortisone to help reduce inflammation and itching.
Considering Vitastem Ultra for Treating Eczema
Vitastem Ultra can help provide significant relief from skin irritations caused by eczema.
Vitastem Ultra provides a highly specialized transdermal delivery method, and has helped numerous patients experience exceptional results in treating eczema. In many cases, it has worked far better without using any other eczema treatment.
By utilizing one the world’s strongest topical drug delivery systems along with a specialized blend of ingredients, Vitastem has created a delivery formula that allows the medicine to be delivered at 10x the strength and depth of other products currently available on the market today. The proprietary formula stimulates damaged cells’ walls so that medicine is 10x more permeable than usual. This allows for more medicine to be delivered to the cell, which works quickly to overwhelm and kill the harmful bacteria in a way that leaves no time to adapt or develop any resistance to the medicine being delivered.
Vitastem Ultra, which delivers medicine quickly to the area of need, is why many patients often see results within 24 hours, yet less than 5 to 7 days, if ever, when compared to other competing products used as an eczema treatment. Vitastem Ultra not only treats the condition, yet it injects the skin cells with vitamin D3 or vitamin C (ascorbic acids), which leaves one’s skin fully treated and rejuvenated like never before.
Although Vitastem Ultra is not FDA-approved to treat eczema, it has been used many times as a treatment and regarded to be far more effective at treating eczema than all other competing products. If you or a loved one is suffering from eczema, ask your doctor about if Vitastem Ultra can be a good fit for treating your eczema condition, so you can get your life back today.
