RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Brenna Scott shows us her recent Eczema breakout. It started a couple of days ago.
“I had noticed in the last six, like since Covid started, six months-ish, that around my face and neck, it’s gotten a lot worse. So I’m not sure if it has to do with wearing a mask, or maybe a cleaning product we’ve been using since. But it’s definitely gotten worse since last year.” – Brenna Scott, Eczema Patient
This is a mild case of eczema. Scott says she has had worse breakouts, particularly on her hands when exposed to latex gloves. A breakout, after coming into contact with things like irritating substances, is one of the tell-tale signs of the skin disorder. Patients scratch the itchy skin, and subsequently the skin breaks down and becomes cracked. It’s an opportunity for infection.
“Sometimes, it’s intrinsic, meaning a part of a person that their immune system is kind of overreactive in a way. And that’s called atopic dermatitis, where we don’t have an exact causative agent that’s coming in from the outside and irritating the skin. But then there’s other causes of eczema, including allergic contact dermatitis.” – Dr. Cindy Lamerson, Nevada Center for Dermatology
Dr. Lamerson says there’s several different types of eczema, some it characterized by the cause of the flare-ups, and where those flare-ups appear on the body. Treatments can be specific to the kind of Eczema the patient has. More importantly, Dr. Lamerson says, using mild soaps, and in many cases keeping the skin lubricated helps. Getting an accurate diagnosis from a dermatologist though, will help a patient take the best course of action.