Facial Eczema
Some Important Facts about Facial Eczema
When a person experiences dry, red, or flaky skin on the arms, legs, back, or stomach, the appearance can be hidden but when it comes to facial eczema, the problem is there for everyone to see. For this reason, people with this skin disorder often feel self-conscious and embarrassed. In fact, in cases of severe eczema, the individual might feel depressed to the point of having no confidence or self-esteem.
Instead of simply living with facial eczema, you have options. Not only would you improve outward appearance, but the annoying symptoms of itching, redness, and flaky skin would go away. Again, if the disorder is extremely severe, the skin might scab over and then crack, followed by oozing. As you will learn from the information below, there are several different types of this skin disorder.
- Atopic Eczema – This type of facial eczema is the most common. Typically, the condition would first appear in infancy between one and six months, or childhood, somewhere around the age of two to three. The first signs would show up on the cheeks and forehead but if not properly diagnosed and treated, the redness, itching, and flaky skin would quickly spread, not just to the face, but other parts of the body. If the condition were localized, it would likely not be as intense.
- Irritant Contact Eczema – Usually, the area around the lips is the only part of the body affected.
- Allergic Contact Eczema – Some people will have facial eczema outbreaks due to certain chemicals being exposed to the skin. The most common products include perfume, fingernail polish remover, herbicides and pesticides, cosmetics, and more.
- Light Sensitive – Fortunately, this is the rarest of all eczema types. Most often, the elderly are affected, which is based on sun sensitivity. The challenge is that once it develops, it becomes very persistent and therefore, difficult to treat.
- Seborrhoeic Eczema – This form of facial eczema affects both children and adults.
Because of the horrible itching that goes along with facial eczema, people cannot stop from scratching but over time, this can cause the skin to thicken and for some, the affected area would become dark or scarred. In addition, a person may develop Lichenification, which is markings that can occur with this type of eczema, especially on the eyelids. Regardless of where on the body the eczema is found, early treatment can keep the problem from becoming chronic.
In addition to affecting infants and children, facial eczema also affects adults. When adults develop this skin disorder, it usually shows up on the inner part of the eyebrows, on the sides of the nose, on the eyelids, and even on the scalp. When the disorder affects the scalp, the individual would typically have dandruff. Medical experts believe some type of yeast allergy is the cause in this situation in that some areas of the face and scalp are oily.
Treating facial eczema begins by making personal changes such as using only organic or natural soaps without chemicals, dyes, or fragrances, using emulsifying ointments, applying daily moisturizer, using anti-yeast creams, and staying away from known irritants.