The dark side of modern, urban life: this is how stress increases the risk of eczema

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 11. 06. 09:03

With the arrival of cold weather, many people experience that their skin dries out, stretches and itches. For people living with eczema, the winter months can be a special challenge, which is made worse by dry air, heating and air pollution. Fortunately, however, there are solutions that are suitable for moisturizing the skin and relieving the symptoms of eczema even in the cooler months.

Types and symptoms of eczema

Eczema is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that affects 10 percent of the world’s population. It is accompanied by itching, redness and dry, cracked skin, and its symptoms can appear at any age or recur. It most often appears on the face, hands, elbows and knees, but can occur on any part of the body. As a rule, the exact cause of the symptom complex accompanying some underlying disease is often not known, or difficult to identify. It can be associated with other allergic diseases, such as asthma or allergic rhinitis, so early diagnosis and treatment are of utmost importance.

Eczema can appear in several forms, and its symptoms can vary:

Acute eczema: The skin becomes red, itchy, and small blisters appear, which turn into wounds and scabs as a result of scratching.
Chronic eczema: In long-standing cases, the skin becomes thickened, red, scaly, and turns into a street pavement-like, rough surface.

Based on the causes of eczema, we can differentiate between genetic and environmental eczema. Eczema of genetic origin often appears in childhood, while environmental eczema is caused by external factors. These symptoms are solely the patient’s individual skin reactions and are not contagious in any way, however individualized treatment is recommended.