The Cause of Eczema
Before looking at an eczema cause, we need to know what eczema actually is. It is a skin rash that can occur anywhere on the body and results in patches of red, dry and scaly skin. It can be due to a number of causes ranging from systemic allergies to contact with an allergen.
The most common cause of eczema is a general allergic response — a condition called atopy. You end up with atopic eczema along with hay fever and asthma occurring together. Atopy can be hereditary and can occur among members of the same family. The rash in this situation can cover much of the body or can occur in more sensitive areas of the skin, including the folds of the skin or the inner aspect of the elbow or behind the knee.
The cause of contact dermatitis is an allergy or sensitivity to a metal when you wear jewelry that you are sensitive to. It can also occur with certain soaps and detergents that the skin is sensitive to. This can involve large body areas, depending upon where you put the detergent on. Even laundry detergents can be a cause of eczema; the rash shows up where the clothing touches the skin. Contact dermatitis can occur from cosmetics, poison ivy and latex products.
Infantile eczema has a cause that comes from the moisture generated when babies drool. The moisture triggers sensitivity to the affected area and the infant develops contact dermatitis in the area where the moisture has settled. A baby can also get cradle cap, which is a form of seborrheic dermatitis, i.e. sensitivity to the oil in the scalp.
Varicose veins can lead to swelling of the lower extremities and a form of eczema can occur called stasis dermatitis. The dermatitis is itchy, red or purplish and scaly, and shows up in the skin around the calf area.
Eczema is the skin’s response to an allergen. The cause of eczema involves the cells of the immune system reacting in the skin to the antigen — the protein, chemical or metal that the body is allergic to. Sometimes that reaction is localized and immune cells are seen just in the area of the reactivity. Other times, the reaction is more diffused and involves a greater area of skin — not just where the allergen came into contact with the body. Such generalized reactions are often associated with other symptoms such as hay fever and asthma.
Contact dermatitis can be of two types:
1) Allergic contact dermatitis, and
2) Direct contact dermatitis due to the irritant
Direct contact dermatitis involves exposure to alkaline product, acidic products, detergents and other chemicals that can inflame the skin and cause dermatitis. In allergic contact dermatitis, there is an allergen that the body is allergic to specifically that causes the symptoms. You have to have exposure to the allergen initially, a change in the immune system as a result and subsequent eczema when the person comes in contact with the allergen a second or subsequent time. Such allergic reactions can involve the whole body and not just where the allergen comes in contact with the body.
