Eczema

Like psoriasis and rosacea, eczema is a chronic condition that has no clearly understood cause, though some research indicates that genetics plays a role. The condition also features symptoms that tend to flare up and resolve over time. While there are more than half a dozen forms, they generally share the common trait of being the result of an immune response to a trigger of some sort.

Although there are millions of eczema sufferers, each person’s life with the condition is unique. Even people who have the same type may have different symptoms of varying severity and frequency.

Atopic Dermatitis

Flare-ups marked by itchy, dry patches that can appear darker than the surrounding skin—potentially brown, gray, or even purple—are the most common form. These areas can become sore or painful, and the symptoms can be a daily problem for patients starting as young as six months old. One of the side effects of atopic dermatitis is patients opening wounds in their skin due to scratching their rash, leading to bleeding, oozing, and weeping fluids, as well as potential infections. This form is also closely associated with asthma and hay fever.

Contact Dermatitis

As the name implies, the symptoms of this form develop when the patient comes in contact with specific materials, from soaps and dyes to certain metals like nickel to natural fibers like wool. Reactions may result from skin cell damage (irritant contact dermatitis) or exposure to an allergen (allergic contact dermatitis). Anyone can develop this condition, but it is especially common in people who are frequently exposed to chemicals, metals, and irritants in the environment, including mechanics, janitors, and salon employees.

Dyshidrotic Eczema

Limited to the hands and feet, this form of eczema develops as painful blisters that bubble up in response to stress, exposure to metals, and other causes. Healing blisters can then give way to reddened, dry skin that cracks and peels away.

Neurodermatitis

Typically confined to one or two small areas—as opposed to appearing in patches all over the body—neurodermatitis creates intensely itchy patches that can lead to skin thickening and nerve irritation due to the patient’s constant scratching.

Nummular Eczema

The name of this condition comes from the Latin word for “coin” due to the fact that the lesions that develop are small, round, and numerous. These circles on the limbs, torso, and elsewhere may be itchy, painful, and oozy, with a surrounding border of scaly and inflamed skin.

Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis causes greasy scales to form in areas where the skin tends to be particularly oily. Babies often develop this type of eczema as “cradle cap” on the scalp, but it can be longer lasting and recurring in adults. Older patients may find the scaly and swelling skin on the sides of their nose and around their eyebrows, on the mid-chest and upper back, under the arms, and on their groin.

Stasis Dermatitis

Poor circulation and resulting burst blood vessels can cause stasis dermatitis in the lower legs and feet, which appears as discolorations and shifts in tone, swelling, dry and itchy skin, a scaly texture, and even an overall feeling of “heaviness” after standing or sitting for a considerable amount of time.