Eczema- just dry and itchy skin?
September 6, 2010
When I first started working in
retail pharmacy, my clinical
perception of eczema was that it
was dry and itchy skin that mostly
affected children.
A number of years and a
pharmacy degree later, I now
understand that it is a little more
complex than that.
Put simply eczema, clinically
known as ‘dermatitis’, is an
inflammation of the skin.
There are many forms of
eczema, for example atopic,
contact and seborrheic, with
atopic eczema the most common.
Atopic eczema is more frequently
experienced by people who have a
family history of an atopic
disorder, e.g. asthma or hay fever.
It is not contagious and more
common in children.
But why is eczema more
frequent in children?
Well, typically children’s skin is
more sensitive than adult’s skin.
Therefore, given the number of
products aimed at children on the
market, it can be difficult to know
what cleansers and moisturisers to
recommend to minimise the
child’s exposure to allergens.
Cleansers should be gentle, pH
balanced, fragrance-free, and
most importantly soap-free.
Ideally, they should also be a
shampoo alternative.
Like a cleanser, a moisturiser
should be pH balanced,
fragrance-free and pleasant to use
but not contain alcohol or lanolin.
A good moisturiser will help to
smooth and soften the skin.
Given all this talk about
eczema, September 6 to 12 is
National Eczema Awareness Week.
For more information on how
you can support this week or to
order posters and
brochures,
contact the
Eczema
Association of
Australasia on
freecall 1300 300
182 or visit their
website at www.eczema.org.au.
This
week’s contributor is Corrin O’Brien,
Medical and Regulatory Affairs
Associate at Galderma Australia.
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