Basically, every adult knows what dermatitis is. But not everyone knows the reasons for its origin and methods of treatment.
Dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin. This disease can act independently, and can be a signal of various disorders in the body, since the skin is sensitive enough to respond to changes in it. This reaction occurs due to the fact that human skin is directly associated with the endocrine and immune systems.
Dermatitis Classification
The treatment of skin diseases depends on their variety, so there is a certain classification of dermatitis.
By prevalence:
- Local (local). An example of this type of disease is contact dermatitis, since it is usually limited to a local reaction that occurs directly in the irritant zone.
- Diffuse (common). The diffuse nature of the disease, characteristic, for example, of neuro-allergic and toxic-allergic forms.
By the nature of the course:
- Spicy. This form of the disease is characterized by a sudden onset, rapid course, vivid manifestations of the disease. Most often, acute dermatitis responds well to therapy, but if you do not deal with treatment, it is able to go into a chronic form.
- Chronic. This form involves a long course of the disease, and often the disease returns, especially seasonally. In this case, curing the disease becomes much more difficult.
So, if it is already known what dermatitis is, you can consider its causes.
Causes of dermatitis
Only knowing the cause of the skin reaction, you can determine how to cure dermatitis. It may only be necessary to eliminate this cause. The causes of dermatitis are many different factors:
- conditioned irritants;
- unconditioned irritants;
- physical irritants;
- chemical irritants.
To conditional irritants include all kinds of allergens. The reaction of the skin to an irritant occurs under any specific conditions. Irritants of the conditional group can cause a skin allergic reaction only in people prone to allergies and susceptible to any object.
Unconditioned irritants, also called obligate ones, tend to cause an allergic skin reaction under any conditions. These include acids, alkalis, high temperature water, etc.
Physical irritants include mechanical and thermal agents. The mechanical group includes simple friction and pressure. And the temperature group includes electric current, solar energy, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, as well as ionizing radiation, which include radioactive and x-ray radiation.
Chemical irritants include alkalis, salts of certain types of acids, acids, as well as concentrated disinfectants.
Types of Dermatitis
In order to thoroughly find out what dermatitis is, its types should be considered. The disease is divided into 4 main types, but there are also some minor skin reactions, which are also considered types of dermatitis.
Contact dermatitis
This species is also called simple. This is an inflammation of the skin that occurs when in direct contact with an irritant. Irritants in this situation can be any substance if the patient has an individual sensitivity to them. There are also substances that can cause a skin reaction in any person, for example, acids, caustic alkalis, high and low temperatures, plants, such as euphorbia or nettles.
Symptoms of Simple Dermatitis
Symptoms of simple dermatitis are quite different. This may be a short, slight redness, or it may be the appearance of vesicles and severe swelling. Basically, itching is created by tiny vesicles. Initially, the rash is localized only in the area of contact, but after some time it can spread to neighboring areas of the skin. The area of the rash can be either a small or a large part of the body, for example, irritation on the earlobe from the earrings or throughout the body from the shower gel.
If the stimulus is quickly calculated and eliminated, then the redness will disappear in a couple of days, crusts may form on the weeping bubbles, which will also dry out over time.
Toxicoderma
Toxicoderma is a skin disease - a manifestation of a toxic-allergic reaction after any allergen is ingested. The most famous manifestation of this type of dermatitis is the well-known urticaria.
The causes of toxicoderma can be various reasons:
- Food;
- medications;
- household chemicals;
- production substances.
Any of these substances enters the human body through the respiratory or digestive tract. But at the same time, drugs can enter the body and with subcutaneous, intramuscular, urethral or vaginal administration.
Symptoms of Toxicoderma
The disease begins to manifest itself on 2 or 3 days after exposure to the stimulus. Symptoms of this type of dermatitis are significantly different from others. Multiple rashes are located symmetrically and consist of papular, spotty, urticarial, vesicular, nodular, pustular and bullous elements. Accompanying the rash is constant itching. With toxicoderma, a simultaneous combination of different types of rash can be observed. In the pathological process, mucous membranes can be affected. Depending on the severity, a general violation of the patient's condition may also be observed.
Atopic dermatitis
Its second name is neurodermatitis. Neurodermatitis is a neuro-allergic form of dermatitis. This form has the property of repeating itself, turning into a chronic one.
Itching is the main symptom that characterizes atopic dermatitis. Eczema is also a symptom of the disease. Itching is able to aggravate at night and remain strong for a long period. Eczema occurs due to scratching of the affected skin. The rash has a heterogeneous appearance and red color. A recurring rash periodically disappears, and then reappears, and a chronic rash can remain on the body for quite some time.
If an infection gets into the scratched skin, the vesicles may crust or release fluid, and the dermatologist will diagnose an acute (temporary) rash.
Also, the rash may have a scaly or dry appearance, in which case it is called subacute (prolonged).
In case the rash coarsens due to constant combing, a dermatologist diagnoses lichenification.
Atopic dermatitis. Treatment
Ointments are very often used to treat this type of dermatitis, but the main way to exclude the disease is diet.
Sometimes, to cure dermatitis, you just need to exclude products that contribute to the development of the disease from your diet. But you need to do this carefully enough, and only after the specialist confirms the exact diagnosis, so as not to harm your body.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, the diet for atopic dermatitis implies a fully composed diet, which will maintain the working capacity of an adult. The patient can make a diet menu for himself. In this case, you just need to avoid foods that contain histamine-liberating substances. These are different types of finished products, such as sausages, smoked meat, lard and fish, canned fish, hard cheeses, as well as products that are prepared by salting, pickling and fermentation.
If you try to exclude all such products from the diet, you can easily exclude atopic dermatitis from your life. Testimonials of patients showed that, compared with external treatment with ointments, diet brings a much better result.
Seborrheic dermatitis
The most common location for this disease is the face. Seborrheic dermatitis is observed in the upper part of the forehead, next to the hair, on the eyebrows, on the wings of the nose, on the auricles, namely their posterior part. This type of disease has a mostly chronic form.
Causes of Seborrheic Dermatitis
This disease is mainly a consequence of disorders of the nervous system. Internal causes of the disease are:
- diseases of the central nervous system;
- stresses;
- Parkinson's disease;
- paralysis;
- immune diseases;
- hormonal disorders.
External causes of seborrheic dermatitis include factors such as:
- the influence of the external environment;
- alkaline detergents.
Symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis
The disease manifests itself gradually. In this case, spots of yellowish-red color, greasy, less often dry appearance appear on the body. Their size reaches 20 mm, the borders of the spots are visible relatively clearly. Peeling of the wound is the main symptom that causes seborrheic dermatitis. Reviews of people who have had this disease report that treatment should begin with the nervous system, worry less, avoid any stress and change of place. But at the same time, do not forget about external medicines.
The treatment of skin diseases such as acne, rosacea, acne and the like is also under the supervision of a dermatologist. These diseases are usually considered separate, but are directly related to dermatitis.
Dermatitis. Treatment
Ointments are topical preparations. They are applied to the affected area and are able to suppress the inflammatory process. Ointment is considered one of the main ways to treat dermatitis, because with a mild form of the disease, only an external agent is used.
If dermatitis is allergic in nature, isolation with the allergen should be ensured. In this case, medications may not be needed at all.
Also, the treatment of certain types of dermatitis is carried out using traditional medicine, since only natural remedies are present in it.
Often, diet helps to cope with prolonged dermatitis.
What is dermatitis and how to deal with it, you can find out by visiting a dermatologist, it is he who can explain in more detail. In any case, if an incomprehensible rash appears on the skin, a visit to a specialist is mandatory!