What is Eczema?

Eczema is an itchy, scaly skin condition that comes and goes in “flare-ups”. The word eczema comes from the Greek meaning “to boil over”.

The most common form of eczema is atopic dermatitis, although there are many types of eczema, each with different causes and conditions. Atopic eczema usually appears before the age of 5 years (in 90% of cases) and whilst it occurs more often in children (who grow out of it in 60-70% of cases) it can affect people of all ages.

Eczema is not contagious and is often linked to a family history of asthma & hay fever.

Signs and Symptoms

Whilst everyone experiences eczema differently there are some common symptoms including;

• Moderate to severe itchiness in one or more areas
• Dry, patchy or scaly red areas that look like a rash
• Rough, thickened skin
• Inflammation, pain, tenderness of the skin
• Sores that form by scratching and may ooze watery fluids

Causes of Eczema

It is a common belief that eczema is caused by food allergens however this may not be true in every case.

The most common food allergens include; dairy and wheat products, citrus fruits, eggs, nuts, chemical food additives, preservatives and colourings.

Other trigger factors may include; dust mite, pet fur, pollens, cleaning agents, environment in which you live, tobacco smoke, stress, moulds, perfumes, certain metals (used in jewellery), cosmetics, harsh soaps, change in temperature or humidity, physical irritants such as synthetic or woollen clothes.

Treatment

There is no known cure for eczema, thus treatments aim to control the symptoms by reducing inflammation and relieving the itching.

Daily cleansing and moisturising plays an important role in treating and preventing eczema and we have been getting very positive results with people using our soothing Nellies Intensive Moisturising Cream and Ointment which are available at selected retail outlets and on-line.

The choice of product/s used is very important as some may actually aggravate the eczema.

Your Doctor may prescribe a topical steroid cream which will reduce the inflammation and soothe and stabilise the skin. Prolonged use of steroid creams is not recommended as it can lead to a thinning of the skin.

If a severe outbreak of eczema occurs your Doctor may also prescribe oral steroids to take, which usually bring a rapid improvement, but long term use is not recommended.

Anti-Histamines have been found to be useful for a lot of people as they stop the itch, which in turn stops the scratching, thus reducing the damage and irritation to the skin.

Diet and nutrition play and important role in eczema.

Taking a supplement of Fish Oil and/or Evening Primrose Oil has been shown to provide relief for a lot of eczema sufferers.

Probiotics, which are live organisms taken by mouth have also been shown to improve eczema in some people.

Oatmeal is a common ingredient used to relieve itching and is available as a cleanser and moisturiser.

Please check-out our website at thenelliecreamcompany.com.au to see how we can help you with your treatment options.