Knowing Atopic Dermatitis
Also Known as Infantile Dermatitis

The lifestyle of someone who has atopic dermatitis will be quite different from that of who is not afflicted with hypersensitive skin.

Also known as atopic eczema or infantile dermatitis, the onset usually begins on the first 3 years of life then wanes or completely disappears during adolescence.

Some will still have to battle with its red to grayish-colored patches where itching is more intense after sun down throughout adulthood.

Atopic dermatitis pictures show that the inflammation is more prevalent on arms, legs and neck. These symptoms may aggravate to raised bumps and can develop into crusting when scratching.

The severity of the symptoms intensifies with age as it becomes natural to observe thick dull looking leather-like lesions. Patterns of attacks will be sporadic and the occurrence ranges from a week time to up to 3 years.

Causes are still unknown but many believe it is hereditary as it is more prevalent in families who have history of asthma or hay fever. One thing is for sure, exposure and contact with irritants, ingestion or inhalation of allergens, fatigue and stress trigger this dermatitis.

You should consult an allergist on extreme cases to pinpoint the types of food that cause the allergic reaction.

The process of figuring out what causes the problem starts by performing a skin patch test. This is a procedure where a drop of a known food allergen is swabbed over to create a tiny prick on the skin to isolate foods that are causing the allergy. The procedure takes some time but it will be highly beneficial in preventing future attacks.

Even today, there is still no known cure for atopic dermatitis and finding out which causes the allergic reaction and striving not to ingest or come in contact with allergens is the most effective prevention.

Smoke and dust commonly trigger this type of eczema, therefore it is good practice to always keep the car windows up and consistently request to be placed in a non-smoking area.

Excessive physical activity can also contribute to trigger the eczema so it is important to regulate exercises to moderate level.

Getting enough sleep, learning to control stress and anger will greatly deter the recurrence of allergic attacks. A friend of ours experiences this type of eczema first hand. Any time he has to work night shifts his dermatitis reappears and becomes very itchy and bumpy. It appears only on his hands from his fingertips to the wrists.

Only after experiencing several times the symptoms, he was able to see a correlation between the change in his sleep pattern and the appearance of this type of dermatitis. A change from day shift to night shift can cause a stress on the body that manifests with eczema.

Looking at atopic dermatitis pictures will sometime give you the impression that the person is afflicted with psoriasis because of the remarkable resemblance of the symptoms. But unlike psoriasis, atopic dermatitis eczema is not contagious and can be managed with home care remedies.

My advice is to minimize the chances by identifying and avoiding allergens. You can do that by observing and keeping a log. Remember our bodies talk and we should listen to them.