Eczema is one of the most common skin diseases. Like
many dermatoses, eczema looks extremely unattractive, and a healthy person will
instinctively recoil from an eczema sufferer. However, it is completely in vain
– even when in contact with the affected areas of the skin, this disease cannot
be infected.
In the acute stage in the initial period of the disease, the skin affected by
eczema radically changes its appearance. Initially, rashes in the form of small
bubbles form on it, the skin turns red. Then these bubbles begin to break open,
and the skin surface is covered with tiny wells, from which a clear liquid
oozes. The reddening of the skin further intensifies. After opening the bubbles
and their gradual drying, scales and pieces of the upper layer, crusts remain
on the skin. The whole process is accompanied by severe irritating itching.
Gradually, the acute stage of eczema is replaced by a chronic one, which is
expressed in coarsening and thickening of the skin. Peeling appears, the skin
may crack. Itching often causes a desire to scratch the affected area. This is
strictly contraindicated, since scratching can lead to infection of the skin.
In the latter case, redness of the skin is less noticeable.
Most often, eczema occurs on the hands, wrists, fingers, under the knees and on
the neck. However, absolutely any part of the body is subject to it. The
symptoms of eczema can also vary from person to person.
Children’s eczema stands apart – as a rule, in children, the disease
affects the face. Bubbles appear on the cheeks and forehead, which burst and
dry out, forming crusts. As the erosion heals, the crust hardens, resembling a
shell. Eczema in children is more severe than in adults. Infection of the
affected areas can cause suppuration, the spread of the disease through the
trunk and extremities .