background infomation

Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder. Its main features are blisters that dry to become scaly, itchy rashes. The skin becomes dry and itchy because too much moisture is lost from its upper layer. This leaves the skin without protection, making it easy for bacteria and viruses to penetrate. The disease occurs episodically; in other words, there may be periods when symptoms are severe (flares) and times when there are no symptoms at all (remission). Eczema is not contagious, but nevertheless it is very common—estimates are that more than 15 million people in the United States have eczema. People with eczema often have a personal or family history of allergic conditions like asthma or hay fever. There is no cure, but treatments can reduce symptoms and help prevent outbreaks.

Symptoms of eczema occur repeatedly. The most common signs of eczema
are:

• Dry, extremely itchy skin
• Blisters with oozing and crusting
• Redness of the skin around the blisters
• Raw areas of the skin from scratching which may even lead to bleeding
• Dry, leathery areas with more or less pigment than their normal skin tone (called lichenification)

Eczema in children under 2 years old generally begins on the cheeks, elbows, or knees. In adults, it tends to be located on the inside surfaces of the knees and elbows.

The cause of eczema is thought to be a combination of hereditary (genetic) and environmental factors. This means that factors such as allergies can cause eczema in susceptible people. Exposure to certain irritants and allergens in the environment can worsen symptoms as can dryness of the skin, exposure to water, temperature changes, and stress.

Risk Factors
• Young age—infants and young children are most
affected by eczema (about 65% of cases occur before age one, and approximately
90% occur before age 5)
• Skin exposure to harsh conditions
• Living in a climate with low humidity
• Personal and/or family history of allergies to plants, chemicals, or
food
• Deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals (for example, zinc)
• Stress can make eczema worse

Irritants that may worsen eczema include:

• Wool or synthetic fibers
• Certain soaps and detergents as well as perfumes and some cosmetics
• Dust or sand
• Cigarette smoke

Eczema and me
as far as i'm concerned, i've had eczema even before i can remember. Mom always had me in mittens so couldn't scratch and aggravate my condition. Thus i didnt have choice but to do this :

yes. scratch using the carpet ^^;; heheh. Apparently, one morning, i didnt hv my mitten one. the string tt tightens the mitten disappeared. there's a thoery tt i ate it O_O!! haha. yup.

once bro n sis went to stay at grandma's in malaysia, leaving mom, dad and me in our "shan ren shi jie". we took turns to do the dishes. but i was allegic to the mama lemon n my fingers swelled up! couldnt even roll my hand into a fist. yup. so i was excused heh.

that's the only time having eczema was a good thing. in primary sch, it was bad. skin behind me knees, wrist, elbow, hand and neck was raw. hurt like hell. scratch till i bleed sometimes.

it's really itchy. if i dont scratch, i'll get a sharp pain at tt area suddenly. like an ant bite. then i scratch. so no use trying not to scratch ^_^. lol. now, it's not tt bad. only on my hands. neck get itchy sometimes.

i think eczema's trigger off my stress in my case. my hand healed really well. but the day before school reopened, it flared up. for no reason- i didnt scratch. yeah.. tt's abt all. =) nvm, no boyfriend, doesnt matter heh.

i bet i'm gonna hv this for life (grandma still has it)(mom's brother has it)(dad's brother got it)(it's no wonder i got it)(-_- my siblings dont hv it thou lol. gd for them) so just hope it gets better over time

now u hv a greater understanding of this itchy part of me lol.

background infomation

Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder. Its main features are blisters that dry to become scaly, itchy rashes. The skin becomes dry and itchy because too much moisture is lost from its upper layer. This leaves the skin without protection, making it easy for bacteria and viruses to penetrate. The disease occurs episodically; in other words, there may be periods when symptoms are severe (flares) and times when there are no symptoms at all (remission). Eczema is not contagious, but nevertheless it is very common—estimates are that more than 15 million people in the United States have eczema. People with eczema often have a personal or family history of allergic conditions like asthma or hay fever. There is no cure, but treatments can reduce symptoms and help prevent outbreaks.

Symptoms of eczema occur repeatedly. The most common signs of eczema
are:

• Dry, extremely itchy skin
• Blisters with oozing and crusting
• Redness of the skin around the blisters
• Raw areas of the skin from scratching which may even lead to bleeding
• Dry, leathery areas with more or less pigment than their normal skin tone (called lichenification)

Eczema in children under 2 years old generally begins on the cheeks, elbows, or knees. In adults, it tends to be located on the inside surfaces of the knees and elbows.

The cause of eczema is thought to be a combination of hereditary (genetic) and environmental factors. This means that factors such as allergies can cause eczema in susceptible people. Exposure to certain irritants and allergens in the environment can worsen symptoms as can dryness of the skin, exposure to water, temperature changes, and stress.

Risk Factors
• Young age—infants and young children are most
affected by eczema (about 65% of cases occur before age one, and approximately
90% occur before age 5)
• Skin exposure to harsh conditions
• Living in a climate with low humidity
• Personal and/or family history of allergies to plants, chemicals, or
food
• Deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals (for example, zinc)
• Stress can make eczema worse

Irritants that may worsen eczema include:

• Wool or synthetic fibers
• Certain soaps and detergents as well as perfumes and some cosmetics
• Dust or sand
• Cigarette smoke

Eczema and me
as far as i'm concerned, i've had eczema even before i can remember. Mom always had me in mittens so couldn't scratch and aggravate my condition. Thus i didnt have choice but to do this :

yes. scratch using the carpet ^^;; heheh. Apparently, one morning, i didnt hv my mitten one. the string tt tightens the mitten disappeared. there's a thoery tt i ate it O_O!! haha. yup.

once bro n sis went to stay at grandma's in malaysia, leaving mom, dad and me in our "shan ren shi jie". we took turns to do the dishes. but i was allegic to the mama lemon n my fingers swelled up! couldnt even roll my hand into a fist. yup. so i was excused heh.

that's the only time having eczema was a good thing. in primary sch, it was bad. skin behind me knees, wrist, elbow, hand and neck was raw. hurt like hell. scratch till i bleed sometimes.

it's really itchy. if i dont scratch, i'll get a sharp pain at tt area suddenly. like an ant bite. then i scratch. so no use trying not to scratch ^_^. lol. now, it's not tt bad. only on my hands. neck get itchy sometimes.

i think eczema's trigger off my stress in my case. my hand healed really well. but the day before school reopened, it flared up. for no reason- i didnt scratch. yeah.. tt's abt all. =) nvm, no boyfriend, doesnt matter heh.

i bet i'm gonna hv this for life (grandma still has it)(mom's brother has it)(dad's brother got it)(it's no wonder i got it)(-_- my siblings dont hv it thou lol. gd for them) so just hope it gets better over time

now u hv a greater understanding of this itchy part of me lol.