What is Eczema?
Eczema is a painful condition that affects more than 30 million people in the world. Symptoms such as dry skin and itching characterize the condition. Eczema is a red, dry, itchy skin condition. It can affect any part of the body, but commonly affects the creases of the arms and legs. Some severe symptoms may develop if the person does not treat it, or if the person continues to scratch the site.
Why do people get eczema?
Generally, when we talk about eczema, we are talking about atopic eczema. Atopic eczema occurs in people who have a genetic tendency towards dry, sensitive skin. Think of your skin as a brick wall; this brick wall is what acts as a barrier to the environment. If the bricks are slightly misshapen or the cement isn’t strong enough, the brick wall is not as tough as it should be. This means that more water can get out, leading to dry skin and that environmental irritants in the environment can get in. We know that people who have eczema have a weaker barrier function. Women can experience worsening of eczema symptoms at times when their hormone levels are changing, for example during pregnancy and at certain points in their menstrual cycle.
Combine that, with an overactive, hypersensitive immune system in the skin and it results in eczema. There are other types of eczema, for example, contact allergic eczema, which is a result of allergies to substances such as metals or fragrances, but atopic eczema is the most common one we see. The following are five serious eczema symptoms that a person should never ignore.
Fever Is An Indication
A fever is a strong indication that something is severely wrong with a person’s body. A fever is the body’s way of trying to expel foreign bacteria and other intruders from it. An infection during an attack of eczema could be an indication of a condition such as cellulitis.
Cellulitis is a dangerous bacterial infection, and it increases in growth each day. Other signs of cellulitis include an expanding sore that grows in redness, size and discomfort. Untreated cellulitis can lead to death because the infection can reach the affected person’s blood stream. Doctors usually prescribe antibiotics for cellulitis, but sometimes they have to cut away the dead tissue.
Food Intolerance
Food intolerance may include dairy products, eggs, nuts and seeds, soy products, wheat etc. When the body doesn’t tolerate a food well, ingesting that food creates a chronic, low-level irritation or inflammation in the gut. Over time, with regular exposure, the irritation worsens and creates fissures in the spaces between the cells. These holes allow bacteria and their toxins, as well as incompletely digested proteins and fats, to “leak” out of the gut and into the bloodstream.
Called leaky gut syndrome (or increased intestinal permeability), this condition sets the stage for myriad health problems, including rashes and skin problems, like eczema. The skin is the body’s largest elimination organ, so it’s not surprising that it comes under assault when toxins careen through the bloodstream. “A skin rash or eczema is a sign that the body is trying to slough out these toxins.
Glossy and Swollen Skin Texture
A glossy and swollen skin texture usually indicates an infection that may either be bacterial or fungal. You should not ignore skin that carries such a texture. To prevent further complications and life-threatening ailments, the affected person should contact a medical professional so that he or she can examine the site.
Prompt attention to the aforementioned symptoms is extremely important. A matter of hours can be the difference between an advanced-stage infection and a cure. The best course of action is to try to prevent eczema outbreaks as much as possible. An allergic person can simply avoid items and situations that will cause them discomfort. You should switch laundry detergents if he or she finds that a certain brand causes eczema more than another brand does. Other persons will want to watch what they eat and prevent getting into stressful situations as much as possible.
Sores or Lesions/ Relentless Pain
Sores and lesions can become infected and that infection can become life threatening. A person should always treat sores and lesions with antibacterial creams so they do not progress into something severe.
Pain is an indication of an infection. it is not a cause of eczema but can make symptoms worse. A skin infection can be bacterial or viral. An affected person should get doctor’s appointment to get rid of pain as quickly as possible if the pain lasts on the site for more than a few hours. The specialist may have to prescribe an antibiotic ointment for an eczema site that is extremely painful.
Bleeding
Bleeding is one symptom that an eczema sufferer will not want to overlook. The presence of blood indicates that the affected person has been scratching the site way too much. Any bleeding wound leaves the person vulnerable to infection and a multitude of additional blood borne illnesses. An eczema sufferer will want to sanitize and cover a bleeding site as quickly as possible to avoid contamination.