Have you or your child ever been diagnosed with eczema?
After the initial diagnosis by your doctor, was your first question "what is eczema?"
If so, you're not alone, this is a fairly typical and understandable common response when some patients are told they or a family member has eczema. Although eczema has been around for many years, it's not untypical to discover that many people still wonder exactly what is eczema.
Put simply, Eczema is a skin condition whose symptoms include skin rashes and dryness along with redness, itching, flaking, crusting, cracking, oozing and bleeding. Although not all these symptoms may occur when you have a episode of eczema, some or many of them may.
Eczema is also a term that is used to describe a variety of skin conditions that have these symptoms as well as being recurrent. If you ask you doctor or dermatologist, "what is eczema?" your he/she will either be able to tell you all you need to know or you may be shown pictures of eczema. Photographs of eczema often make the patient feel more confident, knowing they have a skin condition that affects many and will eventually go away.
Eczema can affect infants; in fact, the majority of the patients affected by eczema are babies. Sometimes new parents that aren't aware of what's going on with their new baby often become frightened, thinking something is dreadfully wrong with their baby. Before an actual diagnosis of eczema is made, many parents typically mistake this condition for diaper rash or heat rash. Because of this, the eczema often gets worse, causing the baby a lot of unnecessary discomfort. Eczema can become very itchy and it's hard to get young children and babies to not scratch and itch. If parents were aware of the answer to the often-asked question, "what is eczema?" they could support their child more quickly and with greater confidence.
Babies aren't the only ones to become affected with eczema; it is common in children and teenagers. Teenagers can be quite discouraged and depressed when eczema occurs. Because pimples and acne are so common during the teen years, many teenagers as well as their parents mistake their eczema for teen acne. Only when they visit their physician (usually because the eczema has worsened) do they discover that their condition is eczema. Whilst parents may through greater experience be aware eczema as a skin condition, but teenagers with their lack of life experience may not and their first responses may be, "what is eczema?"
Getting appropriate treatment for eczema cannot occur until a correct diagnosis has been made. A doctor or dermatologist may prescribe a range of ointments, creams and possible antihistamines. Although not caused by allergies, eczema is understood to be triggered by allergens. Once your doctor begins the appropriate treatment, your or your child's eczema will be well on the way to becoming cured.
But remember, that whilst a dermatologist or doctor may recommend a course of treatment, patients often discover that their medication may change over time as a range of treatments may be necessary as they age.
Remembering that every individual is different, it may be possible that alternative natural treatments may be available that were not previouly considered may actually work!
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