Itching All Over

Contact dermatitis is a physical reaction of the skin to certain allergens or substances that potently cause allergies or reactions.

The skin infection is brought about by the effects on the skin of certain irritants.

There are basically four kinds or classifications of contact dermatitis that are usually diagnosed by doctors and dermatologists. These are irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), photocontact dermatitis (PCD) and contact urticaria.

Those types or classification of contact dermatitis can be hardly identified and distinguished by ordinary people, but the nature and cause of the skin infection can be determined through them.

A trivial fact about contact dermatitis is that in the United States, most recorded and diagnosed cases occur more in adults than children and the elderly.

Causes of contact dermatitis

Various allergens or allergy-causing substances can be cited for the onset of contact dermatitis. But reported cases of such skin infection points out to several factors or things that trigger the reaction.

The most common sources of contact dermatitis allergens are soaps and perfumes. It is because the use of such substances is somehow inevitable that make the problem hard to contain.

Contact dermatitis can also be caused by your skins reaction to drool, to detergents, to several allergy-causing foods and to lotions especially those with harsh ingredients.

Some plants are also identified to produce enzymes that may lead to the onset of contact dermatitis. Among these plants are poison ivy.

There are also about 3,000 chemicals that are identified to cause contact dermatitis. Among them are those that are based on common metals like mercury, chrome and nickel.

Some cosmetics can also irritate the skin and trigger the appearance of contact dermatitis manifestation in the skin. Permanent hair dyes, eye shadows, lipstick, clothing dyes, sunscreens and nail polishes are the identified cosmetic lines that cause such skin infection.

Manifestations of contact dermatitis

Several symptoms are pointed to the onset of contact dermatitis. However, it should be noted that for different individuals, the symptoms may vary. To be sure, further advice and check up from a dermatologist should be obtained.

Contact dermatitis occurs when there is swelling or mild redness in the skin. The appearance of the infected spot could clearly not be mistaken for common insect bites.

There is also blistering in the affected skin area, as well as itching. It is surely contact dermatitis when there is a temporary thickening or scaling in the infected skin portion.

Treatment and prevention

To treat contact dermatitis, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology advises people diagnosed that have the skin infection to do the following simple, yet effective remedies.

- Wash thoroughly the infected skin part with soap and ample water. Immediately do this at the initial appearance of symptoms.

- Throw away or carefully wash all clothing and objects that have come into contact or touched plants or chemicals that contain contact dermatitis allergens.

- Relieve and soothe skin inflammation or the infected part with a cold compress especially if the blisters break or crack.

- If the symptoms show severity, do not hesitate to consult a physician or dermatologist.

Baths using lukewarm water are also known to help soothe and rapidly control the skin infection.

As for the prevention, the best way is to avoid all identified allergens.

more posts of interest:

• What To Do When Infected With Contact Dermatitis – Part 1
• Are You A Victim Of Occupational Eczema?
• Eczema – Simplified Guide To Eczema
• What is the Right Treatment for Contact Dermatitis?
• Contact Dermatitis Treatment

Hand dermatitis (also known as hand eczema) often results from a combination of causes, including genetic makeup (constitutional factors), injury (contact with irritants) and allergy. This condition is usually multi-factorial. The skin can react to the inflammation by forming scales. Fissures can then develop and these can be quite painful. The majority of individuals who have irritant dermatitis (75% of all cases of hand dermatitis) will produce this through contact with detergents, cleansers, water, metals, food or rubber. Hand dermatitis is particularly common in industries involving cleaning, catering, metalwork, hairdressing, healthcare and mechanical work. Hand dermatitis varies in severity. It may affect the backs of the hands, the palms or both sites.

Often it starts as a mild intermittent complaint, but it can become increasingly severe and persistent. The affected skin initially becomes red and dry, then progresses to itchy papules (bumps) and fluid-filled blisters (vesicles), scaling, cracking (fissures), weeping (exudation) and swelling (oedema). Hand dermatitis can spread to affect other sites, particularly the forearms and feet. Emotional stresses make hand dermatitis worse, especially the type known as pompholyx in which crops of very itchy vesicles erupt on the palms. Some people are more prone to hand dermatitis than others. They often have a personal or family history of atopic dermatitis, asthma or hay fever. Friction and repetitive injury also damage the skin. Irritants result in much more damage once dermatitis has become established

To treat hand dermatitis, you must avoid contact with the substance that irritates your skin. Protect your hands from direct contact with soaps, detergents, scouring powders, and similar irritating chemicals by wearing waterproof, cotton lined, gloves. Topical steroids to reduce inflammation. These come in various strengths and should only be applied to areas of active dermatitis once or twice daily. Avoid the temptation of using very hot water even if wearing gloves. Wear cotton gloves to do general house work as they can be washed instead of washing your hands too often. Cortisone ointments are used treat severe cases of hand dermatitis.
Mud Gloves are good for working outside if you have hand dermatitis. Use a mild soap (Dove, Basis, Olay, Cetaphil) or a soap substitute.

Hand Dermatitis Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Use a long handled brush for washing the dishes

2. Avoid direct contact with turpentine, paint thinner and paints.

3. Avoid the temptation of using very hot water even if wearing gloves.

4. Keep hand washing to a minimum, keep water temperature luke warm

5. Avoid harsh or scented soaps, soapless cleansers may be the best to use.

6. Apply moisturizers after washing, ointments that are clear and sticky seem to work the best.

7. Avoid heating or cooling the skin, sweating within rubber gloves alone can worsen the dermatitis.

8. Wear cotton gloves to do general house work as they can be washed instead of washing your hands too often.

more posts of interest:

• Hand Dermatitis Treatment Tip
• Atopic Dermatitis, and Other Types of Eczema
• Causes and cures of eczema
• What is Eczema ? – Treatment and Cure
• Hand Dermatitis – About Hand Dermatitis

Dermatitis simply means skin inflammation. It caused by direct contact with an irritating substance. It is more common in men than women and the peak age of onset is at 55-65 years of age. Perioral dermatitis may be a form of the skin disorder rosacea, adult acne or seborrheic dermatitis, involving the skin around the mouth or nose. Common chemical irritants include detergents, soaps, chlorine, some synthetic fibers, nail polish remover, antiperspirants, and formaldehyde (found in permanent-press fabrics, polishes, artificial-fingernail adhesive, particle board, and foam insulation). Wearing rubber gloves, unwashed new clothes, or plated jewelry can also cause contact dermatitis. Many types of dermatitis. Contact dermatitis typically causes the skin to develop a pink or red rash. Pinpointing the exact cause of contact dermatitis can be difficult. Among plants, the leading culprits are poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, although contact with certain flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables irritate some people. Nummular dermatitis consists of distinctive coin-shaped red patches that are most commonly seen on the legs, hands, arms and torso.

The exact cause is unknown, but makeup, moisturizers, topical corticosteroids or some dental products containing fluoride may play a role. Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, causes the skin to itch, scale, swell and sometimes blister. Eczema usually runs in families and is often associated with allergies, asthma, and stress. Seborrheic dermatitis consists of greasy, yellowish, or reddish scaling on the scalp and other hairy areas, as well as on the face or genitals, and in skin creases along the nose, under the breasts. is caused by an overproduction and blockage of oil glands. This condition is called cradle cap in infants and is likely related to hormonal changes affecting the glands. It may be aggravated by stress. Stasis dermatitis is caused by poor circulation and can happen in people with varicose veins, congestive heart failure, or other conditions. Veins in the lower legs fail to return blood efficiently, causing pooling of blood and fluid buildup and edema. This leads to unhealthy skin growth and irritation, especially around the ankles.

Treatment of Dermatitis

1.Bathing Reduce how often you bath or shower, using lukewarm water.

2.Replace standard soap with a substitute such as a mild detergent soap-free cleanser.

3.Clothing Wear soft smooth cool clothes; wool is best avoided.

4.Apply an emollient liberally and often, particularly after bathing, and when itchy.

5.Apply a topical steroid cream or ointment to the itchy patches for a 5 to 15 day course. Steroids should usually be applied once or twice daily to the red and itchy areas

6.Pimecrolimus cream is a new anti-inflammatory cream shown to be very effective for atopic dermatitis.

7.Antihistamine tablets may help reduce the irritation, and are particularly useful at night.

8.Sometimes, creams containing hydrocortisone or wet dressings that provide moisture to your skin may help relieve redness and itching.

Home Remedies of Dermatitis

1.Apply a mixture of 1 teaspoon camphor and 1 teaspoon sandalwood paste on the rashes. Apply nutmeg paste to the affected areas. Put natural vitamin E on the affected skin, it will relieve you of itching. Zinc taken orally and applied directly on the affected skin is effective.

2.Oatmeal baths made from powders such as Aveeno provide effective but temporary relief from the itching of eczema and dermatitis

3.,Apply cod liver oil, vitamin E oil, or aloe vera gel to affected areas.

4.Take chickweed, dandelion, red clover, Redmond clay, and yellow dock in capsule form.

5.Shark cartilage reduces inflammation.

6.Use a lotion made out of blueberry leaves this is proven to be fantastic relieving inflammation of dermatitis.

more posts of interest:

• Causes of Eczema are Many and Diverse
• Dermatitis Treatment Tips
• What is Dermatitis and What are Their Symptoms?
• A Short Classification of Eczema
• Causes of Eczema

Eczema is a common disease, high on prevalence across the world as such one out of every twelve people suffer from it. And this skin disorder is even more common among infants. However, it is seen that for many people, it develops into a chronic disorder. Eczema treatment is better-done with herbal medicines as they help you avoid side-effects.

Cleansers help you to clean your skin and to render it clean against bacteria and also in effective disinfection. They are particularly useful in treating mild eczema. Steroid-based medications have been known to have bad side-effects such as thinning of skin and depigmentation. And the scarring left behind can make anyone dread eczema and this way of treatment. These days, research has been made into a variety of herbs that are effective in eczema treatment. The herbs used in natural ointments are ones such as chamomile, blueberry leaves, etc. among many others.

Moisturisers are also important products since they help to keep the skin moist. And then, moisturised skin is less susceptible to the irritation typically caused by dryness. They also help in reduction of scarring caused by scratching. Coconut oil has also been found effective in eczema treatment. One of the important measures is to upkeep a clean environment apart from taking care of personal hygiene. This is necessary for the removal of allergens.

Nowadays it is even easier to research and to gain knowledge of the herbal medicines which are effective in eczema treatment. You can log on to the Internet and browse through a list of high-quality products available in online stores. Many of the products may not be available in your local stores. However, using the Internet, you can shop for them online by simply placing an order by adding it on to the shopping cart and have it delivered to your house in a few days after payment. What better, some of the sites also give discounts on many new products launched in the market.

more posts of interest:

• Eczema Treatment : Natural Skin Moisturisers Help
• Eczema Treatment : Remove the Allergens, Please!
• Eczema Treatment : a Few Methods and Precautions
• Eczema Treatment: Proven Methods to Take Care
• Eczema Treatment Is Basically Removal of Allergic Triggers

Going through radiation therapy can be a very traumatic and uncomfortable experience, but it also comes hand in hand with various adverse effects causing important loss in quality of life.
The appearance of rashes is common when going through radiation treatment. This skin condition, normally called radio dermatitis, is a common side effect that manifests itself on the skin and represents an important skin toxicity factor in patients going through radiotherapy. You may wonder how you can identify radio dermatitis. Well, you should look for signs of red, fevered skin that may appear at the location where the radiation beam was focused. Does this sound like your symptoms? Also, another factor which may help in identifying this skin condition, is that it is likely to affect fair skinned people who are going through high dose radiation treatments.

One must consider that radiation treatments are essential for improving our health especially when treating different types of cancer, however there doesn’t seem to be any therapeutic alternatives or skin creams available that completely prevent the adverse effects on the body. Moreover, emollients and topic corticosteroids which are usually prescribed to calm these symptoms come with their own side effects, so their prolonged use is not recommended. It would seem that we are encountering a never ending problem, as we try one product to aid a condition we end-up causing another, and so on.
How can we protect our body from the adverse effects present in standard treatments?
Honestly speaking, if one is going through such a strong emotional and physical treatment as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, undergoing further health problems due to unwanted side effects doesn’t help. What we need are skin care products that gently treat rashes. So, can we really find a skin treatment that helps?
Well, of course not!!! And this is where Nature comes in and where we must value our habitat and the Earth’s numerous qualities. Snails are the key to solving this problem. Yes, you’ve said it, snails. I bet you’re asking yourself, what is it about those slimy looking creatures that can help my condition? Well, the solution lies in the slime itself. Research has confirmed its efficacy in blocking deterioration, and preventing and treating acute radio dermatitis in the same way or even better than most skin creams normally prescribed by doctors not causing any adverse effects as in the other skin treatments.
Hence, the results of research and studies done on snail secretion in relation to radiotherapy have revealed that snail secretions:
*does not interfere with radiotherapy
*does not cause side effects, in short and long term use
*is as efficient as a standard treatment prescribed by doctors, such as corticosteroids, or even better
*is an wonderful preventative treatment of radio dermatitis or skin rash
*has been acknowledged by both Patients and Investigators in the treatment of radio dermatitis
It is worth considering this natural solution as part of your radio dermatitis treatment, as it doesn’t produce any adverse side effects, which are definitely not needed. Say Yes to Nature and, and No, to adverse effects.

more posts of interest:

• Contact Dermatitis Treatment
• Eczema Treatment: Exercise Proper Care and Caution
• Causes and cures of eczema
• Spongiotic Dermatitis – How Do You Identify It?
• Dermatitis of the Ear – Effective Management