What Are The Triggers and Treatments Of Atrophic Dermatitis?

Atrophic Dermatitis occurs when the skin's behavior is disrupted resulting in very dry, inflamed skin. Normally our skin has the ability to maintain moisture this is not the case for sufferers of atrophic dermatitis.

Atrophic dermatitis is a rather severe, usually chronic, form of common eczema. It usually occurs in skin folds and creases found on the insides of elbows, the backs of knees and hands and many different parts of the face and head. Owing to constant scratching and contact with clothes, the sores often weep or may form crusts and become painful skin lesions.

Atrophic Dermatitis is usually found in patients in early childhood up to early adulthood; however, there are cases of older adults also having this skin condition. Adults sufferers of Atrophic dermatitis do not usually suffer from the inflamed skin and flakes but only suffer extremely dry, sensitive skin which is easily irritated.

What Are The Triggers Of Atrophic Dermatitis

There are three trigger classifications of atrophic dermatitis that are very common. These are: 1. Allergens: Allergens are either ingested in the form of food, beverages or medications. Other types of allergens in the environment are animal dander and pollen. Medication that may cause an allergic reaction in an individual include but are not limited to antibiotics, anesthetics, sleeping pills, aspirin, laxatives, anti-depressants and many more

2. Irritants: Irritants that are known to affect atrophic dermatitis are smoke, fumes, solvents, chemicals, soaps and detergents, alcohol based products and many more. Dust, stress and climate changes can make the rash worse..

3. Infections: Infections of a bacterial, fungal or viral nature are also known to cause flare ups, however, this is not as common as the other triggers

Atrophic Dermatitis Treatment

The best way to treat Atrophic dermatitis is to control the scratching since this can lead to further skin complications, resulting in infections and rarely, life threatening conditions. The best way is to keep the individual's skin moist. This can be done by applying prescribed ointments and lotions several times a day even if there are no flare ups. Naturally, vigilance is also needed in monitoring the environment of the person who suffers from atrophic dermatitis.

As contact with clothing and bed linen can also cause irritation to the patient Allclothes and beddings need to be washed with special detergents that are hypo allergenic to prevent flare ups. The same applies for the soaps and shampoos that the patient uses it is important that they contain little or no allergens to avoid allergic reactions. Bath water must not be too hot as this can dry skin and provoke flare ups. What else can be done? It is highly recommended that the patient embark on a dietary change, avoiding all processed, fatty foods and concentrate on eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables as this will provide the body with all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and elements for good health, ridding the body of any toxic build up.

Up until now Scientists continue to work on a cure or means of prevention but no conclusive results have been made yet. Therefore, we can only hope to control and manage atrophic dermatitis by avoiding known allergens, irritants and infections.

Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com

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