Today marks the beginning of a week long eczema awareness campaign introduced by the Irish Skin Foundation and supported by skincare brand La Roche-Posay. Eczema Awareness Week will host a detailed programme of events to raise awareness for the chronic skin condition that affects 1 in 5 children and 1 in 12 Irish adults.
While the intensity of the condition is different for everyone, there is almost always an itching symptom associated with eczema, followed by an irritation, such as a rash. The rash most commonly appears on the face, back of the knees, wrists, hands, or feet. Infants commonly experience skin irritation in the facial area, then as childhood progresses, the condition affects the classical sites of the body creases such as the wrists, back of knees and antecubital fossae (the opposite side to the elbow).
The rash may be mild, moderate, or severe and affected areas usually appear very dry, thickened, or scaly. In infants, the itchy rash can produce an oozing, crusting condition that happens mainly on the face and scalp, but patches may appear anywhere.
One highlight of the week long campaign is ‘Eczema Expert: Advice for Life’, a free public event which will take place in the Red Cow Moran Hotel on Saturday the 16th of September. The aim of this event is to advise parents and adults on how to comfortably manage this potentially chronic skin condition. The Irish Skin Foundation will also unveil a new website and booklet, providing information on how to manage life with eczema.
Dr. Nicola Ralph, a dermatologist for expert skincare brand La Roche-Posay, said: “Many patients present at my clinic distraught from coping with the physical effects of eczema but also the often hidden psychological impacts. This ranges from teenagers uncomfortable under the glare of strangers staring at their flaky hands or cracked skin, to families who have young children who are in such pain or itchy discomfort that their sleep is interrupted. Cases like this are difficult as it can result in a tired or worn out child the next day whose concentration in school is impacted, or a tired and anxious household dealing with the effects of sleepless nights. Regular emollient therapy, essentially the use of specially formulated moisturisers, is the cornerstone of treatment for eczema.”
Most children with atopic eczema improve as they get older (75 per cent ar clear by their teens). However, many of those who have had eczema continue to have dry skin and need to avoid irritants such as soaps or bubble baths. Eczema may persist in adults, but it should be controllable with the right treatment. Atopic eczema may be troublesome for people in certain jobs that bring them into contact with irritant materials, such as catering, hairdressing or nursing.
The exact causes of eczema are unknown but the current thinking is that eczema is caused by a combination of factors that including genetics, abnormal function of the immune system, environmental causes (detergents, carpet fibres, soaps, clothing fabrics, dust, perfumes, certain foods, low humidity, sweating ), activities that may cause skin to be more sensitive and defects in the skin barrier that result in moisture loss and allow irritants or allergens in.
Atopic eczema is the most common form or eczema, it can run in families and often occurs alongside other atopic conditions including asthma and hay fever.
For more information see www.irishskinfoundation.ie and www.laroche-posay.ie.