Eczema Causes

Eczema is a type of skin condition that results in an inflammatory response on the surface of the skin. The term eczema covers many different types of skin conditions and does not specifically speak of one single condition. Many different forms eczema exist with similar symptoms although the root cause may be quite different. Eczema is often referred to as dermatitis. Eczema can affect people of any age but is typically found in infants and young children with most of them growing out of the problem before they are 5 years old. For some affected individuals, eczema causes conditions that could be lifelong that appear and disappear depending on environmental factors and the presence of a stimulus. These people tend to have a genetic predisposition to eczema and are likely to pass the same predisposition to their offspring.

The exact causes of eczema are not known. There are some common factors between people suffering from the condition but the exact trigger has not yet been identified. Doctors suspect the role of the immune system in eczema with an abnormal immune response being the key to the condition. The people who have a genetic predisposition to eczema may suffer from the problem because of a defect in the skin which causes the skin to allow irritants to enter the surface of the skin and cause irritation.
Other causes for eczema include environmental factors. An eczema attack may be triggered off by a particular deodorant or by a particular type of material that is included in the clothes being worn by an individual. Many of the commercially produced soaps are loaded with chemicals and these could affect the skin adversely causing an outbreak of eczema to occur. Even metals can cause this problem and some people who wear jewelry or metal rimmed spectacles may be susceptible to eczema. A form of dermatitis known as contact dermatitis is one of the most common reasons for an allergic based eczema reaction. This is a condition that occurs when an individual comes into contact with some substance that triggers of an abnormal immune system reaction. This reaction can cause the skin to be affected and result in eczema. This type of contact eczema is known to happen with certain plants that affect all people and certain plants that affect only those people who are predisposed to suffering from eczema. Finally, eczema could also be triggered by a rapid change in atmospheric humidity, particularly if the air around an individual becomes very dry. For eczema treatments and prevention skin care regimen must be followed.