Eczema and teenagers

Being a teenager means you are very concerned about what you look like and what others think of you.  Even if it is better to go through live not worrying about what others think, it is unfortunately something that you will only learn later in life - there are a few teenagers that do learn this early.

It can happen that you get an unsightly rash that is called 'eczema' which will get worse if you do not look after it, but luckily there is help for it.

Eczema causes the skin to become red and very itchy.  It will usually form at the back of the knees, on your elbows and ankles and even on your face and neck.  It can actually form on all parts of the body, but these places are most common.

It differs from person to person and while some will just small irritating patches, it can get so bad with some people that it actually looks like the skin is 'raw'.

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It helps to moisturize your skin a lot with special creams called emollients, but if it gets worse you will have to visit the doctor to prescribe you some steroid cream.  There are also some home remedies that may work.

The reason why you will get eczema can be genetic (you inherit it from your parents) or environmental.  The skin does not function in the 'normal' way and becomes very dry.  The moisture is lost and it is now very easy for 'germs' to penetrate the skin from the outside and cause inflammation.

 The most common type of eczema -- atopic dermatitis -- resembles an allergy. But the skin irritation, which is more often seen in children rather than adults, is not an allergic reaction. The current thinking is that eczema is caused by a combination of factors that include: Genetics. 

You do not have to stop doing sports if you have eczema.  Even though the sweat will irritate the eczema, you can control that by wearing clothes that fit loosely and are made of cotton that will dry quickly.  If it is very hot you can take regular breaks and drink enough water.

If you have a 'flare up', it is better to avoid swimming, but if you have to swim, make sure that you put enough cream on yourself and go and take a shower directly afterwards and then moisturize yourself again.

Eczema, even though it is very irritating and itchy, it is not a death sentence and you can manage it and if you look after it, a lot of people will not even know you have it.  So try and enjoy life as much as you can, just make sure you keep your cream with you.

It is not nice to have, but it could have been much worse than just having eczema...

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