What Is It Anyway?
As common as it is, there is a surprising misunderstanding of what eczema really is. Prior to my in-depth research of the subject and personal experience with eczema, if you would have asked me, “so, what’s eczema,” I probably would have responded with a blank stare and an awkward moment of silence. So, in a nutshell, what is eczema? And if you don’t understand words like atopic, vesiculation, dermatitis, pruritic, exogenous, and papulovesicular (yet), that’s ok. This is intended to be basic.
It’s a skin problem.
Like I said, this is basic. First, you should understand that eczema is a skin problem. Although it can have severe side effects, eczema does not affect the internal organs, nor is it caused by internal conditions. Skin only.
It’s a generic term.
It’s important to note that the word “eczema” doesn’t apply to just one specific skin problem. Like “cancer,” it can be applied to many different varieties of skin conditions. That being said, there are several symptoms that most forms of eczema have in common. That’s why we can lump most forms of eczema under one general word.
It only affects certain areas of the body.
Eczema usually does not affect one’s skin from head-to-toe. It tends to be concentrated on certain areas of the body. It can occur anywhere, but usually not all at once, or on the same individual. Eczema most commonly affects the face, hands, arms, feet, and legs.
It causes redness and inflammation.
Most forms of eczema are accompanied by inflammation and redness of the skin. Obviously, these symptoms are not unique to eczema. Those who have acne, psoriasis, and rosacea often complain of the same symptoms. However, eczema suffers usually have this condition in common.
It causes drying.
Often, eczema affects the pores and oil-producing glands underlying the outer layer of the skin. This leads to drying, cracking and itching of the skin.
It causes other uncomfortable symptoms.
The symptoms of eczema are many, but it can also cause crustiness of the skin, flaking, oozing, blisters, other types of skin lesions, and even bleeding in its later stages. In some rare cases, those who suffer from severe forms of eczema eventually develop scars.
So, there you have it: a nutshell definition of eczema: It is a general term for a localized skin problem characterized by redness, inflammation, dryness, and other uncomfortable symptoms.
