Our theme for this year is all about #morethanjustskin aiming to raise awareness of eczema and the impact this disease has on sufferers wellbeing, both physically and mentally.
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Eczema & Babies
Watch our latest webinar to learn a learn a few tips on managing your baby’s eczema
Click to watch
What’s the difference between allergic contact dermatitis and irritant contact dermatitis?
Do you refer to a dermatologist or allergist for contact dermatitis patch testing?
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The Eczema Association of Australasia Inc (EAA) has been collecting responses for its Eczema Sufferer Survey for over 25 years. The survey is conducted in pen and paper format and responses have been sourced through a variety of methods. In total 4,039 responses were collected between 1994 and 2019.
Eczema is most commonly diagnosed at or soon after birth; 53% of surveys indicated that the condition was diagnosed between the ages of 0 - 6 months. A further 11% were diagnosed before their first birthday, meaning just under two-thirds of all eczema suffers are diagnosed between birth and 1 year of age.
A little over half current sufferers said that eczema moderately affect their daily life. With only 19% claiming to have no affect.
Just over half of eczema sufferers (52%) must also be conscious of environmental and physical triggers that worsen their condition. Of those whose condition is triggered, the weather is the biggest issue for them (72% of those whose condition is triggered). After weather, the biggest triggers for many are stress (57% of respondents mentioned), food (51%), soap (48%) and grass (36%). It is clear by the fact that many respondents chose multiple triggers, that for each individual there are a number of things to be conscious of and avoid.
A little over half of current sufferers describe their Eczema condition as Chronic. With just 6% claiming their condition is Controllable.
Why do it? Many people carry bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus on their skin. This is particularly common in children and adults who suffer from eczema.
Eczema is an itchy skin condition, often worsened by a bacterial infection. Staphylococcus aureus can contribute to the flaring of the eczema and to ongoing skin inflammation. Complete eradication of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with eczema is very difficult, however some therapies can reduce the number of organisms which live on the skin. The use of regular diluted bleach baths in people with Staphylococcus aureus infected eczema has been shown to effective and safe in reducing the number of skin infections and improving eczema control.
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Dry skin and atopic eczema: the filaggrin story… what does it mean to you?
This publication from Professor Irwin McLean’s group, shows that lack of the protein filaggrin in the skin caused an inherited dry skin condition known as ichthyosis vulgaris that is strongly linked to the development of atopic eczema. More studies have confirmed this finding and at least 20 loss-of-function mutations (changes in a gene that prevent it working properly) causing filaggrin deficiency have been discovered in many different racial groups. Filaggrin deficiency has also been linked to more severe atopic eczema and to its persistence into adult life. This article attempts to explain the importance of filaggrin deficiency and impaired skin – barrier function in the development of atopic eczema.
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Eczema is a chronic condition. That means it is not curable and has to be controlled. It is a condition where the skin is constantly inflamed. For over 50 years, topical steroids have been known to be highly effective in controlling this inflammation. There is no other medication that works as well or as efficiently. One of the main functions of skin is to maintain a barrier to the outside world. In eczema the barrier is damaged. Steroids rapidly repair the damaged skin barrier without irritating the skin.
You need to use your cream for as long as it takes to get your condition better and whenever it flares up again. There are no rigid time limits. The sooner you use it, the quicker it works and the less you need. It is always better to use a bit longer than not long enough.
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Although many people think an emollient and a moisturiser are the same thing, they aren’t. An emollient is one of the ingredients in a moisturiser. The other ingredients in a moisturiser bring water into your skin. Emollients are the part of a moisturiser that keep your skin soft and smooth.
Emollients have been used for over 5,000 years and they form an essential part of the therapy for all dry skin conditions, including atopic and contact eczema.
Emollients are safe and effective and, in the majority of cases, mild to moderate eczema can be successfully treated by using emollient therapy alone.
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Ear eczema can be an extremely irritating and, at times, painful condition. It can range from slight dryness of the pinna (the visible, projecting part of the ear) to extensive skin loss and soreness, as well as infection of the external and internal parts of the ear.
Eczema can affect the entire ear including the ear lobes, conchal bowl (the area outside the ear-hole), the ear opening (meatus), ear canal (also known as the external auditory canal – the part of the ear which leads to the ear drum) and the ear drum itself (also known as the tympanic membrane).
The ear-folds, backs of the ears and the area where the ears meet the face are also common areas for eczema. Inflammation of the ear canal is called otitis externa and has a number of causes.
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An explanation of the relationship between infection and eczema including causes and treatment. Skin affected by eczema tends to develop small cracks and fissures on the surface. This provides entry points for bacteria, which cause infection. Infection makes eczema worse and treatment more difficult. The skin can become more cracked which leads the way to further infection. Breaking this cycle of infection is the key to successful treatment. Both contact and atopic eczema may become infected in this way.
The commonest cause of infection in eczema is a bacterium known as Staphylococcus aureus. It thrives on the weepy, broken skin of eczema. When infected, there may be over 100 million bacteria on a patch of eczema just the size of a finger nail.
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I joined the Eczema Association of Australasia last year, after becoming desperate for an end to my itchy, red skin. I was first diagnosed with eczema around the age of 20 and prescribed a mild steroid cream for the rash on my chest. The rash cleared and the unfinished tube of cream sat idle in my bathroom cupboard for years. In my late twenties and thirties, I occasionally developed a small patch of dry skin, which I sometimes treated with a topical steroid cream or with a non‐steroidal emollient. It wasn’t until my early forties that my skin rash become problematic. It started in my ears – insane itchiness which I constantly aggravated. I was prescribed steroid drops for it. Then my hands started getting itchy. I used elecon lotion on them. Then my hands would clear, but my legs would break out, or my back.
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One in eight children have eczema at one time or another as do one in twelve adults. Some of the latter are adults whose eczema has lingered on, while others will have eczema for the first time in adulthood. Some people will have had eczema for the first time as babies or young children and then experience several years of remission only to have the eczema re-appear suddenly and sometimes severely in their adult years. Since one of the homilies that seems to have attached itself to the condition is “you will grow out of it”, it is small wonder that adults with eczema often become quite desperate, believing that they are stuck with it for life. This is not necessarily the case. Adult eczema often does recover completely. As people get older emotional stress and tension can play a large role in triggering a flare-up of eczema or aggravating the current condition.
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The teenage years can sometimes be the worst for people with eczema. This is not because the condition gets worse at this time: it can get better. As the skin gets greasier the eczema often improves and it is not uncommon for someone who has had eczema severely as a child to become much better at puberty while his non-eczematous friend discovers zits in a big way!
On the other hand, some people find that they have been free of eczema for a while only for it to come back in adolescence: others develop the condition for the first time during the teenage years. It is a very individual condition.
As a child you were very much in your parent’s hands when it came to looking after your skin. Maybe they fussed a lot and insisted on creaming you at all times of the day and night.
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There are different skin disorders, some of which can start very early on in life, such as cradle cap.
This thick scurfy scalp can appear soon after birth or when the baby is a few months old. It can develop suddenly. The scalp becomes coated with greasy yellow scales that stick to the head giving a crusty appearance. This scaliness can affect other parts of the baby’s face and head including the forehead, temples, eyebrows, behind the ears and in the neck folds. The skin underneath the scales may look sore, but it is not a condition that causes discomfort or itching and baby will feed and sleep as normal. During the first few weeks the condition is usually due to the continuing secretion of the greasy coating seen on babies straight after birth.
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