The
word 'eczema' is used to describe any chronic inflammatory
skin condition characterised by red, blistering, oozing
or dry, scaly, thickened lesions. Many doctors use this
term interchangeably with dermatitis.
Common
types of eczema are:
- Atopic
dermatitis: ( As described earlier in the section)
- Contact
dermatitis: ( As described earlier in the
section)
- Seborrhoeic
dermatitis: This is a common chronic skin
condition characterised by the appearance of waxy scales
on the skin and reddened areas, occurring on the areas
of the skin where there is a presence of large oil glands
(the middle of the face, behind the ears, and especially
on the scalp. Infants and adults of middle age are most
affected by it.
- Exfoliative
dermatitis: This is characterised by eruptions
which show a great amount of scaling and flaking.
- Stasis
dermatitis: This type of eczema occurs in
the portions of the body where the blood circulation
is very poor, like around the ankles and has a great
tendency to form ulcers. It is often associated with
some circulatory disorder like varicose veins etc.
- Numular
dermatitis: The eruptions are coin shaped
in this type of eczema.
- Neuro
dermatitis: This is used to describe eczema,
which are primarily psycho-somatic in nature i.e. stress
is the main cause.