Our skin is one of our largest and at the same time one of our most important organs. Our skin, which undertakes the task of protecting our body from all kinds of external factors, may lose its defense power from time to time. The skin disease called atopic dermatitis, popularly known as eczema, occurs as a result of our skin losing its power due to many different reasons.
Living people know, atopic dermatitis can be extremely annoying. Although it may start as a simple skin dryness, it can then progress to itching, redness and even flaking. While many different conditions can cause eczema, eczema can also be a harbinger of different diseases. What is atopic dermatitis known as eczema, how to understand it, what are the symptoms and most importantly, how does it pass, let’s examine it in all details.
Let’s start by defining the disease; What is eczema, atopic dermatitis?
Atopic dermatitis, popularly known as eczema, is a type of skin disease that occurs as a result of genetic or environmental factors. It can be caused by an allergy or it can be a sign of an allergy. Atopic dermatitis, defined as the deterioration of the skin’s defense barrier, occurs when the skin loses its water-holding property and dries out. Then, symptoms such as redness, itching, flaking can also be seen.
What are the symptoms of atopic dermatitis eczema, how to understand?
- skin dryness
- Itching
- Red or dark bumps
- Fluid vesicles with crusts and discharge on the skin
- thickening of the skin
- skin cracks
Atopic dermatitis eczema disease is generally seen in infancy in 60 percent of patients. It occurs before the age of 5 in 85% of patients. In cases of eczema that occur before the age of 2, red bumps will be seen on the cheeks and head of the baby. Not at the points where the diaper touches, so do not confuse it with diaper rash.
In cases of atopic dermatitis eczema occurring in children between the ages of 2 and 16, the aforementioned bumps are seen on the back of the knee, on the inside of the wrist and on the inside of the elbow. In adults, it appears as thickening and cracking of the skin. Although rare, it can be seen on the face, neck and hands.
Everyone carries some degree of risk: What causes atopic dermatitis eczema?
- weakening of the skin layer
- hereditary factors
- Disruption of the immune system
- Change in skin bacteria
- allergies
Weakening of the skin layer:
At the top of our skin, there is a layer called the epidermal barrier. This layer is the first to come into contact with external factors. The epidermal layer may weaken or completely lose its function as a result of conditions such as decrease in filaggrin protein production, deterioration in molecular activities, deterioration in enzyme activities, and microbial colonization. As a result, atopic dermatitis occurs.
Hereditary factors:
As in many diseases, genetic factors have a great effect on atopic dermatitis and eczema. In a study on the subject, both identical twins had an 80 percent risk of eczema. In fraternal twins, this rate was seen as 20 percent. In other words, we transfer some factors that affect our skin barrier system genetically.
Disruption of the immune system:
Bacteria, germs and viruses are on the alert to make us sick; Our immune system does not allow them. Once the immune system is broken, many diseases can come back to back. Atopic dermatitis skin disease may be caused by immune responses that have been found to produce type 2 inflammation.
Change in skin bacteria:
Even if we do not have any skin disease, there are countless bacteria on our skin. Don’t worry, they are there by our nature. However, if for some reason this bacterial diversity decreases, disappears or if bacteria such as staphylococcus increase excessively, the balance is disturbed and diseases such as atopic dermatitis and eczema are paved.
Allergies:
It is possible to encounter atopic dermatitis eczema in people with an allergic body or in cases where the person’s allergy has just been learned. A person may be allergic to milk, eggs, wheat, nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, house dust, pets, pollen and similar foods and conditions. Eczema can also be seen as a symptom of allergy.
So how does atopic dermatitis eczema pass, how is it treated?
Unfortunately, there is no miraculous cure for eczema. But interestingly, most mild and moderate cases go away on their own without the need for any treatment. In cases where it does not go away on its own, methods such as drug therapy, skin moisturizing, and protective measures are applied.
If you are showing signs of atopic dermatitis and eczema, moisturize your skin at least twice a day with natural moisturizers. Use soap and cleaning products that contain minimal chemicals. It is extremely important to moisturize your entire skin, especially after bathing. Because the first symptom of eczema appears as dry skin.
In addition to all these, you should also pay attention to your allergic symptoms. If your eczema symptoms appear after eating, drinking, or exposure to something special, you can use a little trial and error to discover what you’re allergic to and try to stay away from it.
When should you go to the doctor?
Don’t worry, atopic dermatitis eczema is not a vital disease. Yes, it reduces your quality of life, it constantly itches and has a bad appearance, but when you see such a symptom on your body, you do not need to worry and run to the nearest health institution.
After seeing the first symptoms, gauge your allergic responses and try moisturizing your skin. Of course, you will have to do some trial and error in this process, as your moisturizer itself can cause eczema. Check whether the methods you apply work, and whether the symptoms decrease.
If weeks have passed since the first symptoms and no matter what you do, if the symptoms of atopic dermatitis and eczema do not subside, what you need to do is to go to the nearest health institution and be examined by a specialist doctor. According to the examination and test results, the cause of eczema is revealed and a suitable treatment method is followed.
We answered questions such as eczema, atopic dermatitis, which causes rashes and itching in our body, what are the symptoms, how does it go. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should get the most accurate and specific information about atopic dermatitis and eczema from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.
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