5 Eczema Types To Familiarize Yourself With

While eczema is a fairly common skin condition, you will find there are a plethora of different eczema types that can arise. With each type you will find varying symptoms, but they are all fairly similar. To help you better understand the different kinds of eczema, here are five types to familiarize yourself with.

1. Atopic dermatitis
This is the most common of all types out there. It is characterized by itchy, inflamed skin and is believed to be caused by an abnormal function of the body’s immune system. What is troubling with atopic dermatitis is that the condition may come and go. This does affect around 10% of infants and 3% of adults within the U.S. and it frequently runs in families.

2. Contact eczema
Next on the list of eczema types is contact eczema, which includes redness, itching and burning where the skin has come into contact with an allergen. Your skin can also be affected if it comes into contact with general irritants like acid, some cleaning product or any other kind of chemical. Common reasons for this include reactions to laundry detergents, nickel in jewelry, cosmetics, clothing and perfume.

3. Seborrheic eczema
This kind of skin inflammation has an unknown cause, but includes symptoms of yellowish, oily, scaly patches of skin that can appear on the scalp, face and other parts of the body. It is common for your face to inflame where the creases of your cheeks and nasal fold. Stress, oily skin, and varying weather conditions can all increase the risk of developing this kind of eczema.

4. Nummular eczema
The fourth kind of eczema to familiarize yourself with is nummular eczema. This is known for its coin-shaped patches of irritated skin that are typically found on the arms, back, buttocks and lower legs. These patches can be crusted, scaling and unfortunately extremely itchy. This is typically a chronic condition and your chances of inheriting this do increase if you have a family history.

5. Neurodermatitis
The last of the eczema types is neruodermatitis, which is a chronic skin inflammation that is caused by a scratch-itch cycle. It will become extremely irritated if you scratch it frequently, which is precisely why you want to avoid doing so. Women generate this more common than men and it is typically found with people between the ages of 20 and 50. Symptoms most commonly will arise on the head, lower legs, wrists or forearms, but they can appear anywhere.