Eczema Rash- What Is It And How Do I treat It

Feb. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- What causes eczema rash?
The rash of eczema comes about because there is an allergic reaction to something a person has come into contact with and this manifest as a skin rash. The substances or conditions that cause the eczema rash are known as triggers. There are a wide range of triggers. The triggers fall into the following categories:
•   Foods – some foods are more likely to trigger eczema rash than others. The main ones identified are dairy, fish and other seafood, eggs and nuts. Some fish and seafood contains histamine, which is a substance which plays a central role in the allergic response.
•   House hold products-some people may be sensitive to the many cleaning agents used around the home. It is a good idea to use one generalised product for cleaning, if you suffer from eczema rash. Detergents used to wash clothing, bed linen and towels can also act as a trigger. Non-biological detergents tend to help in the control of flare ups of eczema rash.
•   Personal Items- Things such as bath soaps, deodorants, perfumes, and skin lotions can act as triggers of eczema rash.
•   Environmental factors- Extremes of temperature and lack of humidity contribute to dry skin conditions which can develop into eczema rash. Even pollen and fir from plants can be triggers.
•   Pets- the hair and dander from animals has been shown over and over again to be eczema triggers.
•   Work related chemicals/products- People in certain occupations are more prone to developing eczema rash on areas of the body coming into direct contact with irritants. Health care workers may develop hand eczema, as a result of wearing gloves and constant hand washing. People who use metals such as nickel at work may develop a nickel allergy.

How do I find out what my eczema rash triggers are?
The best way of finding out what is contributing to the development of eczema is to keep an eczema diary. This diary should be very detailed and should include a daily record of every known thing that you have come into contact with, or have eaten. This should also include places that you do not visit regularly. On such outings, be observant of what is in your environment, including things like the weather and temperature.

You should also keep a record of significant events in your life, since such events are always accompanied by some degree of stress. This is so even when there are pleasant events such as getting married, or getting a better job. It has been shown that stress is a contributor to the development of eczema rash.

You should also record each event of an eczema rash occurrence. You should describe the development of the symptoms in detail. This can give you insight into whether you may be dealing with one or several triggers, as different triggers may vary slightly in how they manifest as an eczema rash.

If you keep an eczema diary for at least six months or over a longer period if your eczema flare-ups do not occur often, you should be able to pick up a pattern linking your eczema rash flare-ups and your exposures. The exposures that are common around the time of a flare up are likely to be the triggers. This entire process requires a considerable amount of patience and discipline.

How to treat eczema rash.
Once you know what your eczema triggers are, the most effective treatment is to avoid exposure to them, as far as possible. This is the single most important step in helping you to control your eczema rash.

The next most important thing is to treat your skin delicately. Avoid baths in hot water with perfumed soaps. Use a non- soap based natural cleanser, and natural moisturisers which do not contain alcohol, perfume or chemicals. Natural oils such as cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil, and almond oil are very good moisturisers. These should be applied directly after baths, on damp skin.

Keep the skin hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Dress appropriate for the weather, and avoid extremes of temperature. During the winter, it helps to have a humidifier in your room to counteract the drying effect of the hot dry air.

If your eczema is severe, or you have broken skin, you will need to attend a dermatologist for treatment to help settle the condition. Overall, it is important to remember that you can control eczema rash. Patient application of the above steps will help you to achieve this.

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