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2006-07-05 01:35:26 · 11 answers · asked by saffron 1 in Health Diseases & Conditions Skin Conditions

11 answers

Dermatitis

Dermatitis affects about one in every five people at some time in their lives. It results from a variety of different causes and has various patterns.

The terms "dermatitis" and "eczema" are often used interchangeably. Dermatitis can be "acute" or "chronic" or both. Acute eczema refers to a rapidly evolving red rash which may be blistered and swollen. Chronic dermatitis refers to a longstanding irritable area. It is often darker than the surrounding skin, thickened (lichenified) and much scratched.

Psychological stresses can provoke or aggravate dermatitis, presumably by suppressing normal immune mechanisms.

Some types of dermatitis

* Atopic dermatitis is particularly prevalent in children; inherited factors seem important, as there is nearly always a family history of dermatitis or asthma.
* Irritant contact dermatitis is provoked by handling water, detergents, solvents or harsh chemicals, and by friction. Irritants cause more trouble in those who have a tendency to atopic dermatitis.
* Allergic contact dermatitis is due to skin contact with substances that most people don't react to: most commonly nickel, perfume, rubber, hair dye or preservatives. A dermatologist my identify the responsible agent by patch testing.
* Dry skin: especially on the lower legs, may cause asteatotic dermatitis.
* Nummular dermatitis (also called 'discoid eczema') may be set off initially by an injury to the skin: scattered coin-shaped irritable patches persist for a few months.
* Seborrhoeic dermatitis appears to relate to Malassezia furfur yeasts that live on the scalp, face and sometimes elsewhere.
* Infective dermatitis seems to be provoked by impetigo (bacterial infection) or fungal infection.
* Gravitational dermatitis arises on the lower legs of the elderly, due to swelling and poorly functioning leg veins.
* Otitis externa – dermatitis affecting the external ear canal

Treatment of dermatitis

An important aspect of treatment is to identify and tackle any contributing factors (see above).

* Bathing Reduce how often you bath or shower, using lukewarm water. Showers are better. Replace standard soap with a substitute such as a mild detergent soap-free cleanser: your chemist or dermatologist can advise you.
* Clothing Wear soft smooth cool clothes; wool is best avoided.
* Irritants Protect your skin from dust, water, solvents, detergents, injury.
* Emollients Apply an emollient liberally and often, particularly after bathing, and when itchy. Ask your doctor or dermatologist to recommend some to try; avoid perfumed products when possible.
* Topical steroids Apply a topical steroid cream or ointment to the itchy patches for a 5 to 15 day course. A suitable one will be prescribed by your doctor or dermatologist. Make sure you understand when and where to apply it, and how often you may repeat the course. Steroids should usually be applied once or twice daily to the red and itchy areas only. Sometimes two or more topical steroids will be supplied, either for different parts of the body, or for differing grades of dermatitis.
* Pimecrolimus cream Pimecrolimus is a new anti-inflammatory cream shown to be very effective for atopic dermatitis, with fewer side effects than topical steroids.
* Antibiotics Your doctor will recommend antibiotics such as flucloxacillin or erythromycin if infection is complicating or causing the dermatitis. The infection is most often with Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes.
* Antihistamines Antihistamine tablets may help reduce the irritation, and are particularly useful at night.
* Other treatments Systemic steroids, azathioprine, phototherapy, and other complicated treatments may also be used for severe cases.

Long term control

Dermatitis is often a long-term problem. When you notice your skin getting dry, moisturise your skin again and carefully avoid the use of soap. If the itchy rash returns, use both the moisturiser and the steroid cream or ointment. If it fails to improve within two weeks, see your doctor for further advice.

http://dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/dermatitis.html for more information

2006-07-05 01:41:56 · answer #1 · answered by Carla S 5 · 0 0

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2016-12-24 00:57:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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2016-05-17 15:34:59 · answer #3 · answered by ? 2 · 0 0

I have atopic dermatitis;I've had it for over forty years and I have lots of experience in treating the condition.The first thing you need to do is to be properly diagnosed by a dermatologist.If you already have been there are lotions and medicines that help treat the rashes.
1.Get rid of all soaps and scented products.Soaps are drying and take away the protective moisture barrier that atopic skin already has very little of and switch to Cetaphil cleansers.The cleansers come in lotion and bar forms.Aveeno Collidal Oatmeal powder is good for the bath;there is also Aveeno Colloidal Oatmeal bath/shower oil and shave gel.After cleaning you then can apply any medicines,but you will always have to apply a moisturizer,every time you clean.Cetaphil Cream moisturizer and Eucerin Cream are the most popular among dermatitis patients.
2.Atopic Dermatitis means having hypersensitive skin.You cannot use most skin care products available because they are too harsh;even baby oil and baby lotions are too harsh.Stay away from all scented products and highly colored products.Do not use any thing with AHA acids,sugar acids,retinol,peeling agents,lanolin,benzocaine or any"-caine" derivative,greasy ointments, petrolatum( like Vaseline),ointments containing antihistamines,anything containing alpa-olefin sulfonates,secondary alkane sulfonates,alkybenzene sulfonates,fatty alcohol sulfonates.
3.Wear soft fabrics;dermatologists prefer that their patients wear all natural cotton,silk,linen fabrics that allow the perspiration to evaporate away from the skin.Your own perspiration can trigger a rash!If you wear wool,it must be lines are you need to wear a layer of soft fabric between your skin and the wool(I do both at the same time,lined wool,tee shirts,camisoles,long underwear).Detergents and fabric softeners all need to be unscented and gentle.Your sheets and blankets need to be soft and unscratchy.
4.Anti-perspirant deodorants need to be unscented and formulated for sensitive skins.Shampoos that are good are tar-based Neutragena and Denorex,and non-prescription strength Nizoral.Conditioners just have to be moisturizing.Scalpicin is a clear lotion that can help with scalp itch.
5.You will need to wear gloves when doing wet work;these rubber gloves have to be worn over cotton liners that are available in the beauty sections of pharmacies.Fabric gloves need to be worn when you are doing dusty ,dry work.Latex gloves need to be worn when you handle potatoes,garlic,onions,citrus fruits,tomatoes and pineapple.These foods contain highly irritating juices;I forgot to wear my gloves when I was chopping onions,once, and I thought that my hands were on fire!I had to ice them.
6.Over the years,some medications have become available over the counter;these are the hydrocortisone or corticosteroid creams.Cortaid is the best of these;Cortaid makes a special moisturizing formula which my dermatologist made up especially for his patients.Precription cortisone cream,Prednisone,Lidex are doctor precribed medicines.I do not recommend Protopic or Elidel,two prescription medicines that are currently being investigated to increased risk of skin cancer.I have found that the Cortaid with moisturizers and liberal use of Cetaphil moisturizing crream does just as well as any of the prescriptions I've used. The hard part is accepting that some rashes will go away,while others will take years to burn out;my worst flare up was on my hands and lasted for four years.I was on prescription medicines and visiting the dermatologist during the whole awful episode.
You will need to take an antihistamine because dermatitis is an autoimmune disease that usually is accompanied by allergies(hayfever) and asthma.
8.If you ever get an oozy rash,you can dry it up by using Bluborro astringent powder;just follow the directions to make a wet dressing.Drying the ooze helps the medicine work better.
9.Wear a sunblock containing avobenzone or zinc oxide.
10.Read up on atopic dermatitis/eczema;just get writings by qualified doctors(dermatologists only).
11.Keep nails short and clean.Do ot scratch and try not to stress.Being highly emotional makes things worse for the skin.

2006-07-05 07:45:25 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Try washing with forever livings aloe liquid soap and bathing in their bath gelee. I use both these products and it keeps my dermatitis well under control. I buy them from julieforever.myflpbiz.com. Hope this helps.

2014-04-24 07:22:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Trimovate & Nystaform are quite good - a mild steroid cream with a bit of anti-fungal agent. They're also ointments, not creams so they're nice and greasy.

You can't get them in the UK without prescription though.

2006-07-05 01:38:27 · answer #6 · answered by 6 · 0 0

Once you have it under control the best thing to do is make sure your skin is always moisturised. Try to avoid scented creams as they can irritate the skin as well, go for a cream like E45. Also you may need to change your soap, I find that most soaps or shower gels either make me itch or dry and crack my skin, so i stick to dove soap or baby soap.

2006-07-07 23:50:27 · answer #7 · answered by Borealis83 3 · 0 0

Different people react to different treatments so it is worth seeing a dermatologist and getting an expert opinion.

You may also find this site useful:
http://www.skincell.org/yabbse/index.php

2006-07-05 01:40:48 · answer #8 · answered by dashabout 3 · 0 0

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2017-02-17 19:04:16 · answer #9 · answered by Ian 4 · 0 0

In my experience, washing with aqueous cream and then applying a cream such as A-Derma Peux Iritees can help.

2006-07-05 01:38:29 · answer #10 · answered by CJ 4 · 0 0

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