No matter how itchy or painful eczema on other parts of your body is, having it on your face may have the most impact on your life.

You cannot hide your condition under your clothes and you cannot retreat away from the world. It fills you with dread and non-stop worry.

This worry and constant stress takes it toll on your life, but you may not yet be motivated to. It is very important that you find a way to cure your eczema because facial eczema is often a sign of greater health problems.

No matter how much stress your eczema puts on your body, you will be in greater misery once the other symptoms of poor health begin to manifest.

Your skin is your body’s largest organ. Like any other organ, if your health is compromised the organ function is compromised. The skin on your face is some of the thinnest and most delicate on your entire body.

Furthermore, it is most exposed to the elements and other influences which accelerate the deterioration of healthy skin cells. Often, any chronic health problem will first manifest itself on your facial skin.

Sometimes it manifests through discoloration or acne, but most often it is in the form of eczema. If you can treat the fundamental problem, you can correct the eczema.

Transepidermal Water Loss and Hydration

As you know, eczema often occurs because of a severe drying of the skin. What you may not know is that your skin is suffering from a fundamental loss of its natural moisture. This is a condition called Transepidermal Water Loss, or TEWL.

TEWL is a scientific term for the unexplained loss of water from the deeper skin layers. In thin areas of your skin, like your face, the skin dries out very quickly and the water drains away.

In the lower portions of your body, the skin dries out but you may also see puffiness where the water pools under the skin. This is wasted water that does not nourish your skin or the rest of your body.

The problem with TEWL is that your skin may not be the only part of your body losing water. Your skin shows the dehydration first in the form of eczema.

However, it is also very likely that your internal organs and other vital parts are also losing the essential water you need to thrive. Most eczema therapy programs you see will recommend drinking plenty of water.

However, to make up for this fundamental water loss you will need to consume more than twice the water consumed by a person without eczema.

Cortisol and Stress Management

Cortisol is a very interesting hormone when it comes to eczema. It is a steroid that is often synthesized artificially to produce a topical ointment. Cortisol creams are one of the most common medically prescribed external eczema treatments.

Internally, it is a whole different story. When your body is under stress for any reason, it releases adrenaline to keep up the energy levels needed.

It makes your metabolism and endocrine system work overtime. To counteract the adrenaline, your body produces cortisol. It slows down all of your bodily functions, including your immune system.

Typically, this is a short term process to deal with acute stress and the body quickly returns to normal function. In these busy modern times, it seems that acute stress has been replaced with chronic, never-ending stress.

This means a never-ending release of cortisol. It makes you gain weight, raises your blood sugar, imbalances hormones, and, most importantly, suppresses your immune system.

As you probably already know, immune malfunction is one of the primary causes of eczema. Unfortunately, eczema is only the first symptom and you will get increasingly unhealthy as the problem continues.

Until your chronic stress can be dealt with, your immune system will continue to suffer and you will be plagued with eczema on your face and, eventually, other parts of your body.

Many eczema experts will tell you that stress intervention must be a part of your anti-eczema therapies or you will never really eradicate the problem.

Not to Be Taken Lightly

These are just two examples of why having eczema on your face can be a sign of something far worse. There are countless other serious conditions that often manifest themselves as eczema.

If you have been “dealing” with your eczema, it is time for you to confront the problem, and its root cause, head on.

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Scientists have yet to undeniably prove a genetic tendency toward eczema. Yet, it is clear that eczema has a tendency to run in families.

Scientists and health experts who have studied all forms of eczema under the assumption that there is a link between genetics and eczema have found many effective methods of treatment and prevention.

Everyone is unique. Every form of eczema is unique. However, the people who are closest to your unique disposition are your family members.

It would be foolish to not use this to your advantage. You can use the knowledge experts have learned about genetic eczema and your family’s own experiences to improve, and even cure, your eczema.

Probiotics

A recent study out of Finland has shown probiotics to be very effective at improving immune function and preventing eczema when there is a genetic tendency.

You may think that all bacteria are bad. In fact, there are some forms of bacteria, called probiotics, which actually improve your health. Probiotics flourish in your intestines, where immune function is regulated.

The Finland study showed that families with a history of eczema have very low concentrations of probiotics in their digestive tracks.

When given high doses of probiotics, the eczema patients had substantial improvement in the health of their skin as well as other immune functions.

If you believe your eczema runs in your family, you should incorporate probiotics into your eczema remedies. Yogurts are a great source of natural probiotics.

However, you can also find probiotic supplements in most grocery and health stores.

Over Sterilization

When experts were unable to definitively prove a genetic link to eczema, they began to study other factors that would be of a familial nature, such as geographic location and socioeconomics.

It became clear that eczema had a tendency to appear in families that were either medium to high income or lived in areas where the population was predominately high income.

On the other hand, there was virtually no incident of eczema in families living in the poorest sections of the world. This is when the Hygiene Hypothesis was developed.

As you learned earlier, some bacteria is good for you. For thousands of years the human immune system has fought off and guarded against all forms of bacteria from the common cold to the plague.

Modern science has given us inoculations, anti-bacterial soaps, super-sanitizing detergents, and many other germ killers.

However, only families of means are able to effectively obtain and use these methods regularly. Therefore, each generation is exposed to fewer and fewer germs.

Although each generation has quickly become germ free, the immune system has not adapted. Without germs to fight, the immune system is free to overreact.

As soon as you encounter an allergen or irritant that would normally go unnoticed, the immune system starts a full-fledged attack on the substance which results in an eczema flare up.

This does not mean you should not practice good hygiene. You should always wash your hands and have all of the other hygiene habits to prevent infection and the spread of major diseases.

However, simple soap and water will do. You do not need the anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers. You do not need to super bleach every surface you encounter.

Granted, you may catch a cold from time to time, but that is how your body should function normally. If your immune system can resume its traditional fight against common bacteria it will not overreact to eczema triggers.

Talk To Your Family

You will be surprised how much you can learn about which unique treatment for eczema will work for you by simply talking to your fellow family sufferers.

Those older than you have been dealing with the problem longer than you have. They may have found treatments that help them heal and prevent eczema better than others. They may also have a clue as to which allergens and irritants cause flare up.

While you cannot rely on your family to give you all of your treatment advice, it will get you started in the right direction.

Finally, take good notes of all of the eczema information you learn about your family. Keep good notes about your own journey too. If you ever have children, you will be giving them vital information that may help them stay eczema free.

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Finding the specific allergen or irritant which is causing your eczema is important. If you can learn your eczema triggers, you can avoid them. If you can avoid your triggers, you can stop your eczema.

In some cases of eczema, like atopic dermatitis, it may be difficult to determine the root cause of your eczema.

This is because the eczema is actually triggered by a combination of many factors, such as a food allergy and an immune dysfunction at the same time. It makes treating that kind of eczema difficult.

However, in the case of contact dermatitis treatment and most other forms of eczema, identifying the trigger is simpler and you may be able to control your eczema by avoiding the trigger.

Many people go through their lives suffering from eczema, never knowing the cause. The truth is that there are literally thousands of potential eczema triggers.

However, instead of looking for the more complex triggers, it is far more likely that your eczema trigger is something you encounter everyday.

Too many common items are an eczema trap, causing your problem over and over again. If you can identify the triggers lurking in your own home, you may be able to make substantial progress in curing your eczema.

The first thing you should know is to not rely on your genetic disposition to determine your eczema triggers. While there are genetic tendency towards eczema in families, that is not always the case.

Sometimes, you may have a reaction to something that no other family member reacts too. Also, other family members may have never realized what is triggering their eczema.

Environmental Triggers - Smoking, dust, pet dander, and pollen. Everyone knows that these are triggers for hay fever and asthma, but not everyone knows they can cause eczema.

You may have decided that your pet dander and dust is controlled or the pollen count is not high enough to worry about. In truth, if this is causing your eczema it will only take exposure to a small amount.

It is time to examine your body’s reaction to these triggers and determine if you have an eczema reaction within 72 hours of exposure to them.

Beauty And Health Care Products - It is surprising how little we know about the products we use on our bodies everyday.

Shampoos, facial soaps, deodorants, and makeup are filled with chemicals, artificial ingredients, and dyes that are all potential allergens or irritants. Most toothpaste products contain a form of fluoride that is derived from farm fertilizer.

As you can imagine, that can easily irritate your skin. Deodorants are filled with heavy metals that can cause almost instant reactions. Nail varnish has a very high rate of causing eyelid and facial eczema.

Detergents And Other Cleaning Agents - The soaps, laundry products, floor cleansers, and other detergents you use to cleanse your home are very likely your eczema triggers.

More people are allergic to their laundry detergents than they are to any other type of eczema triggers. Typically, the trigger will not happen until you have had an intensive exposure, such as cleaning the whole house in one day.

However, it can also happen just by wearing clothes washed in a detergent all day long. Identifying if a detergent or cleanser is causing eczema in children can be very important because the reaction will get worse over time.

Identifying and preventing exposure now will help your child stay eczema free later in life.

There are also many other common household eczema triggers that you may or may not know about. It is time that you take a look around at all of the products and objects you come in contact with daily or regularly.

Keep in mind, identifying your trigger may take time as it is a trial and error process. However, with a little patience and examination you should be able to identify your trigger and stay out of that eczema trap.

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When you are an eczema sufferer, sometimes it can feel like nature has turned against you. When it gets hot outside and everyone is showing off their new swimsuits, you are covering up your eczema.

As soon as it turns cold and everyone is going out to enjoy the snow, here comes the eczema again to keep you indoors.

It is not acceptable to miss out on life because of your eczema. You should not feel trapped indoors and missing out on seasonal festivities with your loved ones.

Nor should you be forced to cover up your skin for fear of an awkward public reaction to your skin. Fortunately, with a little extra planning and some quality remedies for eczema, you no longer have to.

Summer

It has turned hot outside. All year long you everyone waits for the lazy days of summer where they can get outdoors, work in the yard, lounge by a pool, and do countless other summer activities.

However, eczema sufferers look at this time with fear and worry that is no longer needed.

There are two main eczema issues in the summer: sweat and sun. While they may seem very similar, they are dealt with is differently. Therefore it is best to address them individually.

Sweat may seem like a contradiction to the dry skin of eczema. However, sweat is one of the primary triggers in most forms of eczema.

When the body overheats, the skin produces salty water to cool itself. Dirt and germs combine with the sweat and irritate your skin and inhibits its ability to moisturize and heal itself. The result is dry, itchy eczema.

While the obvious answer may seem to reduce sweat, that is not the correct one. Sweat is typically the result of being active, which is essential to keeping yourself and your skin healthy.

However, you can reduce your sweat during periods of non-activity. For example, try to keep your indoor climate (when there is no fresh air to soothe your skin) cool.

Also, try to wear light, loose, and breathable clothing. 100% cotton and other natural fibers will give you the best breathability.

This will help vent your body’s natural heat, reducing the tendency to sweat. Furthermore, the breathability will help stop sweat and stop the skin agitation.

Just like sweat, the sun can also cause difficulties. The sun provides your body with natural and nourishing vitamins like D, but too much sun can very quickly dry out your skin.

The only defense is to use a safe moisturizer to keep the skin lubricated throughout your summer play. However, oil based moisturizers can cause sunburn.

A better alternative is to use a zinc based moisturizer. Zinc itself has amazing eczema healing properties and has a natural SPF of 40.

Winter

It is amazing that a season so different from summer can have the identical, eczema-causing issues. Sun and sweat are not the problem in the winter. However, their cousins, non-breathability and elemental dryness, are.

When the temperatures drop, it is natural to bundle up in layers of warm clothes. However, the more clothes you pile on the less your skin can breathe and cool itself.

If you put on too many layers, especially of artificial fibers, those clothes are going to cause sweat-related irritation just like you suffered from in the summer.

Finding a mid-weight, natural fiber sweater and a cotton undershirt will be much more effective than piling on layers and layers.

Of course, clothing is only half the problem. The cold winter winds chap your skin and then you retreat indoors where the heater is literally zapping every ounce of moisture from the environment, including your skin. Once again, the only solution is moisturizer.

You must apply and reapply your moisturizer throughout the day. This is especially true for eczema on eyelids where the cold, dry weather will cause your eyes to tear up. Your salty tears are chilled by the winter temperatures. The constant exposure to cold saline will agitate the skin, having a drying effect and cause a flare up.

Putting on a thick layer of a natural lotion will keep a barrier between your skin and the harsh, drying elements around you in the winter.

These are really simple tips. Yet, they can be a really big help. As you can see, it will not be hard for you to care for your skin no matter how extreme the seasons may get.

Being an eczema sufferer should never prevent you from enjoying all the winter or summer has to offer.

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There are many different forms of eczema, also called excema, and this means that there also many different eczema causes. Some people only classify the eczema causes into 2 groups, externally triggered and internally triggered.

To help you better understand the nature of your eczema, this article will explain subgroups of externally and internally triggered eczema.

It is important for you to understand specifically what causes eczema in order to seek the right type of treatment.

First, you should understand the difference between the external and internal causes of eczema. Externally is typically when you come into direct contact with a substance that caused a reaction.

If the substance has touched your skin and caused a reaction, then the outbreak will typically only be on the surface of the skin that actually contacted the trigger. While it is easy to come into contact with an external trigger, it is also easier to identify and control these triggers.

Internal triggers cause an extreme reaction by your immune system and the skin begins to react internally, at the cellular level. These reactions are typically from a combination of internal triggers, such as an allergen and a hormone imbalance occurring at the same time.

They also appear all over the body at areas of weakened skin. These can be mild or severe reactions, depending on your skin’s genetic makeup.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some triggers can be both internal and external. For example, some people break out in a rash at the point of contact if they merely touch a peanut.

When they consume a peanut product they will have a further extreme reaction within their body that causes an acute immune response resulting in a rash throughout their skin.

On the other hand, there may be people who can touch a peanut without a contact reaction but if they eat a peanut their immune system will trigger a severe eczema reason. This type of reaction primarily occurs with food allergens but can happen with any other cause of eczema.

Allergens

While allergens can externally trigger eczema at the point of contact, they are most likely to cause an internal immune response which manifests all over your body.

Ragweed, pet hair and dander, pollens, molds, and dust mites are just a few of the thousands of potential allergens that occur in nature. There are also non-natural allergens but these will be addressed within the Environment and Chemicals section of this article.

When an allergen triggers an internal reaction it has actually caused your immune system to overreact. This often occurs in young children and then later in life after they are full grown.

Allergens are most closely linked to atopic dermatitis and are believed to combine with other triggers, such as stress, to bring about a reaction.

A key to knowing if an allergen is the cause of eczema is to note any related hay fever or asthma. It is very common for these to occur at the same time as the symptoms of your allergies escalate as you get older.

For example, you may have discovered that you are allergic to dust mites when you began having occurrences of hay fever some time ago.

If you have begun to show the red inflammation and itchiness of allergen related eczema, it is highly likely that these outbreaks happen at the same time as your hay fever.

If this is true, then it is highly likely the same allergen causing your hay fever is causing your eczema.

Food

There are two main types of food-related triggers. The first is an actual immune or allergic reaction to a type of food. Foods like strawberries, nuts, and dairy products are well known to be an eczema cause along with a host of other allergic reactions.

Shellfish can also cause severe allergic reactions including acute eczema. As stated earlier, these types of foods can cause eczema both internally and externally.

Additives in foods, especially processed foods, can trigger an eczema reaction as well. Many foods include dyes, preservatives, and other chemicals that are believed to enhance the food’s shelf life, aesthetic appeal, or flavor. Unfortunately, many people have bad reactions to these additives.

As an example, the red dyes used to deepen the shade of tomato products are believed to cause eczema reactions, especially in children, along with other allergic reactions like hyperactivity, hives, and asthma.

Many people choose to detoxify their bodies by choosing only natural, additive free products. In fact, some natural grains are believed to be biogenic in nature and actually help strengthen the skin cells and promote new growth in order to prevent eczema.

Children are especially sensitive to food allergens and typically have a reaction soon after consuming these kinds of food allergens. In fact, if they have a reaction as a child they are more likely to have severe reactions to that food along with more food allergies later in life.

Doctors believe this is because they have undeveloped immune systems that are prone to overreact to food allergens. As they grow, the immune system will “learn” to always react to this food.

This is why you should introduce foods slowly to children so that you can track their reaction to each food individually. If your child already has a complex diet and you suspect a food allergy, try avoiding individual foods for several weeks and track your child’s eczema to see if it improves without that food.

It may be hard to believe, but food preparation may also cause an internal reaction resulting in eczema. Fresh food is believed to have the least potential as a trigger and older, over processed.

Ph balance is believed to play a role in internally caused eczema and you should avoid foods such as red meats and white flour that increase your body’s acid toxicity.

Furthermore, you should always prepare your food in a way that lowers the Ph levels of the food such as using fresh herbs to add flavor versus acidic, pre-packaged spices.

Environment and Chemicals

In today’s world of natural remedies and organics, it is still amazing how many chemicals and environmental irritants we are exposed to daily. They can cause both externally and internally triggered eczema.

Chemicals in perfumes, laundry detergents, bleach, fabric softeners, over-the-counter medicines, household cleaners, lotions, and makeup are just a few of the potential irritants you are exposed to regularly.

Even the water you drink may have irritant chemicals in it. There are also chemicals in man-made products like bedding and clothing. Simply touching these products for an extended period of time, such as sleeping at night, can cause a very severe flare up.

Your environment is just as full of irritants but it is much harder to control. Many people feel their eyes water and begin to cough around smoke, but there are plenty of people who break out in a rash when they are exposed to smoke.

Likewise, countless people in polluted cities suffer from eczema induced by the smog in the air. You can buy air filters to control these irritants, but it can be difficult to completely avoid them all of the time.

Bodily Irritants

It may surprise you to learn that the things you do can give you eczema. Most of these causes of eczema are external in nature and will only appear at the source of the irritant.

The first such example is exercise. Exercise heats up your body and causes you to sweat. However, it is the combination of heat and sweat that can break out into a red rash.

You will tend to see this type of eczema in the areas of your body that are hottest and sweatiest during your workout.

Another form of a bodily irritant is yeast and other germ based eczema. This is especially bad in diaper-aged children and persons with poor hygiene. When a child soils their diaper, the germs in the diaper are combined with the heat and sweat from their body.

This is a perfect situation for an infection to grow and cause an outbreak of eczema. Typically, these will stay near the area of the germs, but will gradually begin to spread outward. In this case, you will have to practice extra good hygiene in addition to consulting the doctor for a topical treatment.

Temperature

Exposure to both hot and cold can cause an eczema reaction. The elderly are often plagued by cold related eczema. The skin begins to dry out, becomes inflamed, and starts itching. Elderly people traditionally have thinner skin so they are much more susceptible to cold weather.

Heat triggered eczema is closely related to sweat triggered eczema. A “heat rash” is a form of eczema that will typically occur at a spot on the skin that has been exposed to higher than normal temperatures accompanied by sweat.

Red, itchy bumps will begin to spread from the source of the heat and sweat. Around the neck and the knees are especially prone to this type of outbreak.

Endocrine Causes

Endocrinology is the study of your body’s hormones and hormone producing organs, like your thyroid and pituitary glands. Many scientists believe that internally caused eczema is the result of a combination of an allergen/irritant, weakened skin, and a hormone imbalance.

This is especially true of atopic dermatitis. If you suffer from a hormone imbalance, you are extremely likely to have an eczema reaction as soon as you are exposed to an allergen or irritant.

Also, stress can throw your hormones off balance and cause you to have a reaction as well. If your eczema is caused by an endocrine issue, you will need to seek professional advice with regard to control and treatment.

Mental Triggers

There are even more obscure eczema causes, such as those resulting from a mental issue. Stress, anxiety, and nervousness have a profound affect on your body.

It is normal for people to have reactions during periods of stress. However, you may develop a “nervous tick” related to these issues that triggers your eczema.

This typically happens when nervously scratch or rub at one place. It can also happen around your mouth if you often lick your lips. This concentrated irritation to one part of your skin can easily cause an eczema reaction.

Your Next Steps

Understanding what causes eczema is the key to treating it. For each type of cause, there are different methods of treatment. There are excellent treatment options available out there, both medical and natural.

Now that you understand what causes your condition, it is time for you to learn about your treatment options.

Vanish Eczema is an ebook that can help you take the next step to understanding treatments. Written by a skin care and natural healing expert, it discusses both the standard medical and complimentary natural treatment options for each type of eczema.

It also recommends long-term methods to control and possibly prevent eczema. Additionally, the author thoroughly explains the different types of eczema and the treatment options recommended for each type.

Overall, it is an excellent book to help you gain a more thorough knowledge of your eczema.

Eczema unfairly hurts you and your quality of life. However, now that you understand more about what causes your condition you are in a better position to control it. If you continue on this path to knowledge then you are giving yourself the tools to become eczema free.

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