Atopic Dermatitis - The Bummer!

I wanted to share a personal experience on this post...my encounter with atopic dermatitis, the annoying itching and ugly eczema-like marks. If you are bored with the personal history part, you can skip it and go further down to see what Atopic Dermatitis is. If not, read on to see my story...

(Image source: pexels.com)

My "drama":

As a child I used to get some rashes that grew to look more like pimples on my elbows (the pointingt part) that would get itchy. They seemed to appear every spring-time but after a few applications of corticosteroid ointment (kenacomb) they would go away and I would go back to being a fat happy child. Nothing more serious than that. Those rashes seemed to have stopped visiting me persintently for many years, about 20 I think, even though at times I would get some occasional pimples that were way too few and wouldn't be that annoying, but...

A few months ago they came back! And they were bad! Itchy, irritatingly itchy! So I visited my doctor and gave me some ointment for fungus infection, believing it was some kind of contamination. And I used it, and it seemed to work, but...

A few weeks ago they came back again! And they were not on my elbows anymore. They started appearing behind my knee joints and something like an eczema started growing on my face. Oh shit! I thought. Because as if that wasn't enough I got a bunch of pimples like I was a teenager with acne (which I never got as a teenager). I admit, those days had been really stressful and I could not find a free morning to visit the dermatologist. I tried using some home remedies (home made oil with herbs that we had at home) thinking it would alleviate at least the rashes for a while until I made it to the doctor's. The only thing the oil did was to moisturize my dry skin (not that I expected anything more). 

And the stress was getting more and the pressure more and more nerve racking and then I had to go away for holidays (which I really enjoyed, because I could finally find some moments of relaxation). But as soon as I got back home I made sure I paid a visit to my dermatologist, because the cold weather and poor care I gave my skin during holidays made the eczema on my face a bit worse, really dry and itchy (I avoided touching it though and I didn't get my skin more irritated).

So long story short, I went to the dermatologist and she gave me the diagnosis: ATOPIC DERMATITIS.

What is that? From what she told me it's a hereditary allergic reaction, can be stress-induced (yeah, like I didn't expect that). She gave like a million different ointments to put on me every 2-3 hours, in fact she gave me four, three for the dermatitis and one for the pimples. The good news is that after just one day of therapy I started getting better and the itching stopped. Now, a week after my therapy has started, I keep following it, my skin is healthier and I have just a few marks left. I was so angry at me for not finding the time to go to the doctor earlier, all these annoying marks would have been gone weeks ago if I had done so, but hey, what's done is done.

(Image by @ruth-girl)

After all that I decided to make a research of my own to learn more about the condition (and of course see if I can connect it with cancer, because all google diagnoses do that somehow). So here is what I got:

Atopic Dermatitis:

is a form of long-lasting eczema that mostly affects children and infants. Although it might disappear for some time in young life, it may re-appear later during adulthood. It can co-exist along with asthma and/or hay fever (allergic rhinitis) or just run in the family (there is a higher chance to get AD if one of your parents has asthma and/or hay fever). Scientists haven't figured out how these three conditions relate, but they are still working on it.  

Keep the word "filaggrin", it is a protein responsible for maintaining the skin properly hydrated. This protein is either defective or extremely low in people with AD (For a more thorough picture check: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Also, a weak immune system seems to accompany AD patients meaning they are suscetible to "fungal foot disease and cutaneous staphylococcal infections, and they can disseminate herpes simplex lip infections (eczema herpeticum) and smallpox vaccination (eczema vaccinatum) to large areas of skin" [source]. 

AD is not contagious, but rather a combination of gene loads and environmental factors like: low humidity, cold weather, seasonal allergies, use of strong soaps and detergents. Any connection to food intolerance is presently being examined. Emotional state and stress seem to make the condition worse, although the primary causes are not psychosomatic. 

Common symptoms

The lesions appear usually in the limbs (folds of the arms, wrists and back of the knees), face (even the parts around the eyes, and the eyelids themselves) and neck and they are very itchy. Scratching can only make the skin worse though, that's why treatment aims at it first.

How can the lesions look like according to medicinenet.com

* Lichenification: thick, leathery skin resulting from constant scratching and rubbing.
* Lichen simplex: refers to a thickened patch of raised skin that results from repeat rubbing and scratching of the same skin area.
* Papules: small, raised bumps that may open when scratched, becoming crusty and infected.
* Ichthyosis: dry, rectangular scales on the skin, commonly on the lower legs and shins.
* Keratosis pilaris: small, rough bumps, generally on the face, upper arms, and thighs. These are also described as gooseflesh or chicken skin and may have a small coiled hair under each bump.
* Hyper-linear palms: increased number of skin creases on the palms.
* Urticaria: hives (red, raised bumps), often after exposure to an allergen, at the beginning of flares, or after exercise or a hot bath.
* Cheilitis: inflammation of the skin on and around the lips.
* Atopic pleat (Dennie-Morgan fold): an extra fold of skin that develops under the eye.
* Dark circles under the eyes: may result from allergies and atopy.
* Hyperpigmented eyelids: scaling eyelids that have become darker in color from inflammation or hay fever.
* Prurigo nodules also called "picker's warts" are not really warts at all. These are small thickened bumps of skin caused by repeated picking of the same skin site.

Available treatments

The first step is to make the itching stop and treat the skin in order to make it healthier and increase its moisture. Then, proper care must be taken so as not to make the condition worse again. Using proper soaps and body moisturisers is important. Also, sometimes bleach baths may help.

If the above don't work and the lesions are pretty severe, medical treatment involves:

• Corticosteroid creams
• Immune modulators (non-steroid), these include tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus (Elidel) ointments
• Eucrisa (crisaborole) ointment
• Phototherapy
• Immunosuppressive medication (like cyclosporin)
• Systemic cortcosteroids (like prednisol)

Conclusion

Atopic Dermatitis is a condition that you may carry around for life. Keep in mind that it is not contagious, it has some relevance with asthma and allergic rhinitis and is a very common ailment. When patients take care of their skin and learn to listen to their body, they learn what things make their AD worse and can stay away from them. Patients can lead normal lives despite the incovenience AD may cause during its outbursts.

References and further study:

aad.org
nationaleczema.org
medicinenet.com
mayoclinic.org

Thank you for being here and reading this. If you like my writing, you can visit my blog for more ;)

This week's posts:

* A Taste Of Sweden (Part 2 - Dinosaurs Take Over Uppsala!)
* TIL - World Trade Center 7
* Short Story - Where Do People Go When They Die
* A Taste Of Sweden (Part 3 - Stockholm Aquaria)
* Bizarre Natural Phenomena Vol.33 - Barbie's Lake (Australian Lake Hillier)

Special thanks and mentions:

Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!