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Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a long-lasting condition that afflicts the skin. It is not contagious; it cannot be passed from one person to another. The term dermatitis implies skin's inflammation. The term atopic involves a group of diseases where there is usually an inherited tendency to develop other allergic problems, like asthma and hay fever. In eczema, the skin turns unusually itchy. Scratching produces swelling, cracking, redness, weeping clear fluid, and finally, crusting and scaling. As some children with eczema grow older, their skin condition is alleviated or disappears completely, although their skin usually remains easily irritated and dry. In others, eczema will still be a significant problem in adulthood.

There are no recognized causes for eczema, but the condition seems to appear from a combination of environmental and genetic factors.

Children are more likely to develop this condition if allergic conditions like asthma or hay fever affect, or have affected, one or both parents. While some individuals outgrow skin symptoms, approximately three-fourths of children with eczema go on to develop hay fever or asthma. Environmental factors can bring on symptoms of eczema at any time in people who have genetically acquired the atopic condition trait.

Eczema is also linked with malfunction of the organism's immune system: the system that identifies and helps fight viruses and bacteria that attack the body. Scientists have found that people with eczema have a low level of a cytokine protein that is essential to the adequate function of the body's immune mechanism and an elevated level of other cytokines that produce allergic reactions. The immune mechanism can become confused and produce dermatitis even in the absence of a major infection.

In the past, doctors believed that the cause of eczema was an emotional condition. We now know that emotional issues, like stress, can worsen the condition, but they do not cause the condition.

Also, a wide range of skin care products contain preservatives. Patients who are sensible to one of such preservatives may have either widespread or localized dermatitis. Antigen-avoidance lists that optimize patient instruction about what chemicals to avoid are available from the producers of patch test allergens. With these printed guidelines alone, people must read skin care product labels carefully, looking for the names of the allergens as identified by patch tests as well as for any synonyms and cross-reactors of these allergens. After an allergen has been identified, a nurse can play a vital role in helping people understand their dermatitis and its treatment. Nurses are in a unique position to spend time educating people about how to discover the origin of specific allergens and, subsequently, how to avoid them.

A new skin care product is our latest answer to erase blemishes and cure all kind of skin conditions. Made with biological ingredients, it guarantees no allergic reactions and no negative side effects.