Many people develop a dry and itchy patch of skin sometime throughout their life. The patch can be red, thicker than unaffected tissue, and may swell and weep clear fluid. This condition is usually diagnosed as eczema and usually looks like a rash that seems to come and go. A flare up of eczema can have rest periods which last months or years but can become dormant for an extended period. The condition usually starts during infancy or childhood, but in rare cases appears in adulthood and can vary in the types of symptoms present.
Symptoms of eczema can be mild to severe and can vary between flare ups. The most common symptoms that occur in eczema are rashes, dryness, flakiness, bumps, fissures and itching somewhere on the body. When mild, symptoms can be tolerable and many people may even go without noticing symptoms, especially if the affected spots are in areas of the body that are out of view. When the symptoms are severe, or become worse from irritation the affected spots may become intolerable and cause those with the condition to scratch uncontrollably, often causing bleeding and longer healing times in these spots.
1. Skin Rashes
The most prevalent symptom that a person with eczema can have is a skin rash. Rashes may form anywhere on the body and can vary in severity. The areasaffected may become red and pronounced when compared to unaffected skin on the body.
When they do occur, it is important to keep them clean and free of bacterial contact. Conversely it is not recommended to wash the area too many times, as increased washing may flare the condition to a worse state due to the many chemicals in modern soaps. Reducing the amount of interaction with the site of the rashes may also alleviate some of the related symptoms that occur with the rash. Blistering may occur on rashes that fill with clear fluids and burst when agitated.
Rashes in sensitive areas such as mucosal tissues will tend to take longer to heal. The possible affected mucosal membrane areas are the mouth, nose, eyelids, around the urethra, genitals and anus. In some cases, rashes in these locations are exacerbated due to the high amount of normal daily movement and use of these areas. When tissue rash in these areas dry up they will tend to become painful and may prove to be hard to cope with.
Seeking medical attention for eczema rashes usually comes at an early age as parents find the afflicted areas on a child or notice their child interacting with the area on their body. If discovered later in life, the rashes may not go diagnosed for some time as many people will simply apply a moisturizer and try to self-treat the area. Rashes will tend to worsen and when they become problematic a doctor will do an examination to determine the necessary actions to treat the case.
2. Dry Skin
When it comes to dry skin, most people will simply put on a dab of moisturizing lotion and that is the end of the problem, if temporarily. For people with eczema, skin dryness can be a major issue that can pose many risks.
A small dab of moisturizing cream or lotion for those who suffer eczema may suffer greatly from the introduction irritants in the form of chemicals in these lotions. Dryness will tend to come back quickly as the tissue soaks up the moisture and interaction with the area by scratching, touching or wearing clothing.
Dryness of the area will usually be accompanied by redness or discomfort, but may become very crusted over when irritation of the area is unmanaged and damage to the skin occurs. People of color, including those of Asian, Latino or African descent will tend to get patches of dry tissue that darken in color compared to the rest of their complexion. The added scratching of the area can create an ashy or paler area compared to the surrounding tissue.
Dryness can come about by many different factors. Simply being outside and exposing the tissue surface to sunlight, wind, dirt, vegetation and water may cause excessive dryness for people with eczema. Additionally, taking long baths or showers can add to the problem. Hot showers or steaming can dry out the skin and being exposed to a heater or surrounding area of a camp fire or fireplace can produce unwanted dryness in these areas.
When seeking medical attention for dryness, most people who are undiagnosed may only treat the problem with topical ointments, oils or lotions. Doctors tend to see patients diagnosed when they come in with an infection or other issue that is partially stemmed from the dryness of the eczema.
3. Flakes
Persons who do tend to have flaky dry skin may be suffering from eczema. The problem with flakiness is the fact that it does flake off and can become irritated when the skin underneath is exposed. Skin underneath flaky tissue may not be fully developed and this can pose a risk of infection. Flakiness can be simple dry scale like areas or large crusty patches.
Some individuals will have large areas affected with flakiness and may drop pieces of their tissue when moving or touching the area. This can be embarrassing, especially when it occurs in public areas. Leaving a trail of flakes may even occur. Controlling the issue is not as simple as moisturizing the skin with lotion and in many cases this can worsen the problem for those who have eczema.
Flakiness can be reduced by not scratching the area and allowing it to heal as much as possible. The areas with lots of movement, such as elbows, the backs of knees, the neck, upper chest and even the face are very prone to flakiness. Hands and feet will tend to have a lot of dry flaky portions and will tend to get the most interaction due to the nature of how people use their hands and feet to interact with their body and surroundings.
Going to the doctor for flakiness is recommended as exposed skin is an increased risk of infection. A proper medical exam and plan to treat the affected tissue will help to improve the amount of flakiness that occurs and can even solve the problem altogether. Working with a dermatologist can also help to provide resources on how to properly moisturize the skin and understand what products are available for people who suffer from eczema and related issues.
4. Skin Bumps
It is common to see skin bumps for a variety of reasons. When it comes to eczema, it can be a mild, moderate or severe bump problem. Generally, a skin bump will tend to be localized to the eczema patch of affected tissue and the bumpiness may be spread out or be clustered together. Depending on the amount of irritation occurring at the location, bumps may be scabbed over from scratching. In severe cases, a large area of skin may be affected where they are spread very densely.
Skin bumps may peel and crust over. Many times, they can blister in and around the bumpy area. If bumps become itchy they can be very problematic if they are in areas that are usually hairy. Irritation from the hair can lead to excessive attempts to relieve via scratching which lead to having hair stick to the affected area or even hair loss from damage to the tissue.
The skin bump can also range in size from as small as one millimeter to as large as one centimeter in most cases. Some of the skin bumps will cluster together to form patches that look leathery in texture. They can worsen over time with scratching and become infected.
When skin bumps are very irritated it may be a good time to seek medical attention. A doctor can help diagnose the problem of eczema and provide insight on how to manage the skin bumps that are related to the condition. Special creams, medicated ointments and a treatment plan can help to reduce the severity and may even clear up bumps. Although the condition may not totally clear up, it is important to reduce the possibility of infection, which can really cause much greater irritation and damage to the skin.
5. Irritable Fissures
When tissues become dry and irritated, stretching and pulling can become stressful on the tissues. Fissures may appear tearing the tissue in the direction of the stress. It can be incredibly painful and can cause bleeding at the site of the fissures. These cracks tend to dry and peel and cause additional fissures when the area is manipulated
If the area of the fissures is in an especially mobile part of the body, they can expand and get larger with movement. It may be necessary to restrict movement of the fissures to let them heal. Control of some areas may be difficult when they are in heavy use throughout the day. Mild fissures may only cause slight pain when touching water or exposed to differences in temperature. Severe cases can be widespread throughout the eczema and may even become too painful for those suffering to move the afflicted area.
The problematic nature of the fissures can be made worse by not taking care of the affected area. Being out in the sun too long and getting sunburn may really irritate the skin and cause the cracking to worsen. Using a large amount of soaps can dry out the skin more and make it easier for it to crack. The environment may also increase the amount of cracking when the weather gets colder, or if there are excessive winds.
Fissures are usually severe enough that medical professionals should be seen to diagnose the cause. The cracking of the skin can be managed with medicated creams and advice from a doctor. Many cases can be diagnosed and treated to have a better quality of life with less damage to the tissues affected by eczema. Controlling the issue and preventing the underlying issues from getting out of hand can reduce or prevent fissure from occurring in the future.
6. Itching
Most people will have itching at some point in their lifetime. One of the things that happen with eczema before it can be diagnosed is the constant itch which occurs before there is even a rash, blisters or other signs on the body. Signs that itching can be related to eczema can be very subtle. The constant itching of a single location makes it obvious that something is wrong. If there are no other reasons why the itching is prevalent in the area, such as spines in the tissue, a scratch or cut, then it may be related to eczema.
Over time the itching may cause the area to blister up and ooze, make the skin rash up and get red or cause the area to bleed from the scratching. The itch fits that get that severe can really become problematic for those suffering with the condition. Persons with excessive itching should also make sure they are not allergic to something in the environment that is causing the irritation.
A large amount of people may resort to use creams for anti-itching or other properties that can temporarily treat the area. Without treating the eczema though, it makes it difficult to really reduce the need to scratch the areas and get relief. An itch can get out of control and make it nearly impossible to sleep in some cases.
Going to a doctor for severe itching will often determine that the area affected is some form of eczema. Taking the time to properly treat and sanitize the affected skin will make it possible to heal and reduce the need to scratch. Many medicated ointments are available that can provide relief. Other options will be medicines that contain steroids to reduce inflammation and keep the area less stressed to allow for healing.
