Common symptoms of eczema – INSIDER

• In some cases, your dry and irritated skin may be a case of eczema.
• Eczema is a treatable condition that is usually caused by a damaged skin barrier.
• If you experience symptoms such as itching, redness and flaking of the skin, you could be suffering from eczema.

With lower temperatures, reduced humidity and icy winds, winter conditions can seriously dry your skin. But if your skin barrier is damaged, your dry skin may look (and look) a little different from normal. If this is the case, you may have eczema, a treatable skin condition, also called atopic dermatitis.

It's essentially a skin barrier problem, said Matthew Elias, a dermatologist in Florida. "Think of your skin as a brick wall protecting your body from foreign invaders such as bacteria, allergens and irritants," he told INSIDER. "With eczema, the grout between your bricks collapses, usually because of a defective gene. Through these holes in the wall (your skin barrier), all foreign invaders and environmental contaminants can now easily pbad through your first defense wall. affect you and your skin. "

The best way to determine if you have eczema is to consult a health professional. However, here are some common symptoms of eczema that should be noted.

There are dry patches on itchy skin

Eczema can cause severe itching, said Marisa Garshick, a dermatologist in New York. "If you have a dry spot that seems particularly irritating, it can be a sign of eczema," she told INSIDER.

Even though it's itching a lot, Garshick said that scratching would only make things worse. "When the skin barrier is compromised as in eczema, it increases the risk of infection," she added.

Your skin is red and inflamed

If your skin blushes, it could also mean that you are suffering from eczema, Garshick said. The color change means that your skin is not happy, she says. "If the skin is pink or red, it means that there is inflammation, which can be a sign of eczema."

You have trouble sleeping because of the irritation of your skin

Dry skin can be annoying, that's for sure. But if your skin is so irritated or so painfully dry that you can not sleep, you are probably struggling with eczema.

You should also treat your skin immediately, said George Skandamis, an Ohio dermatologist. "Without treatment, the skin can remain irritated, which affects the person's ability to focus on his work and can prevent a person from sleeping a full night of restful sleep," he told INSIDER.

Virginia-based dermatologist Brenda Dintiman added that this side effect could also worsen the condition of your mental health or even contribute to depression. Her advice for getting out is to take hot (but not hot) showers and apply an intense moisturizer immediately after the shower. You may also want to seek treatment if this disease makes your daily tasks difficult.

Plaques in your skin are scaly and scaly

Do you notice that your skin is flaking? This is probably a sign that you are dealing with more than just dry skin, said Jennifer Kitchin, dermatologist in New York. "There is a lot of overlap between dry skin and eczema," she said. "But one of the major differences, clinically, lies in the fact that dry skin is dry and that eczema is a red rash, flaking off and removing makeup." If you find that your skin is scaly and peeling, you may be experiencing atopic dermatitis.

Areas of dry skin appear at specific places in your body

Another way to find out if your dry skin is actually an eczema is to watch where it is growing on your body, said Caren Campbell, a California dermatologist. She said that eczema occurs most often in the areas in front of the elbows and behind the knees in adults. For babies, eczema is usually found on the cheeks, she said. So, if your skin is red and irritated at these places, it is possible that it is eczema. That said, it can appear in different places for each individual.

You notice parts of your skin that burn when in contact with certain irritants, such as fabrics or perfumes.

Eczema makes your skin particularly sensitive to irritants. If you notice that your skin feels worse after coming in contact with certain things, it may be causing eczema, said Ellen Dabela, dermatologist in New Jersey. "If you find that you have itching at random or that your skin is extremely sensitive to tissues, scents or other irritants, it is likely that eczema is the cause," she said. entrusted to INSIDER.

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