One of the rare forms of eczema is known as eczema herpeticum. It is related to herpes simplex, a viral disease affecting the genital and mouth areas. It can be prompted by the skin damage caused by herpes, thus the name eczema herpeticum. However, it is not always linked directly to herpes. Eczema herpeticum can spread rapidly across the body, affecting not only the skin, but also the brain, liver, kidneys, and lungs.

Symptoms

Usually, symptoms do not occur until a week or more after the time of the infection. Blisters around the site of the infection are the first sign, followed by fever and swelling of the lymph nodes. Crusting, swelling, oozing, and deterioration of the skin continue to affect the skin beyond the area of original infection. As the disease continues to spread across the body, bacterial infection may occur in unprotected skin lesions produced by the blisters, and the skin begins to erode.

Causes

Skin damage from herpes is not the only means of getting eczema herpeticum. Other skin damage can prompt the outbreak of eczema herpeticum, including severe forms of atopic eczema, burns, coxsackievirus, and vaccinia. The disease occurs when an existing skin lesion is infected with a virus (often the herpes simplex virus).

Treatment

The only form of treatment is by way of antiviral drugs. The two drugs most commonly used to prevent the dissemination are acyclovir and valaciclovir. It is important that someone who suspects eczema herpeticum be admitted to a professional healthcare provider as soon as possible. The condition has been known to be fatal, and because the disease spreads so quickly and affects the vital organs, speed and immediate care are absolutely necessary.

Complications

Eczema herpeticum is a dermatological emergency, requiring sustained intensive care. The risks of serious and life-threatening disease are only secondary to the severe risk of infection from eczema herpeticum itself.

Nummular Eczema is one of the many forms of eczema that can affect people of any age. The word nummular has a Latin etymology that means something like “round coin,” and that is an apt description for what nummular dermatitis looks like—round, scaly patches on the skin.

Symptoms

Like other forms of eczema, nummular eczema has the same type of red, itchy, scaly, and blistery, outbreaks. The obvious feature that makes nummular eczema different is its round or oval-shaped pattern. They can occur anywhere on the body, but most people seem to develop them on their legs. Many times, the scaly patches develop severe itching.

Causes

Since it is a milder form of eczema, nummular eczema is more closely linked to dryness of the skin that it is to contact by irritants or allergic reactions. Ultimately genetic triggers cause nummular eczema, but there are other factors which produce flare-ups in people who are already more susceptible to it. Those factors include high levels of stress or anxiety, and increased caffeine intake. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning that it causes the body to rapidly eliminate liquids. When the body expels liquid, it means the loss of an important moisture supply for the skin. Dry skin means increased possibility of eczema. Stress, always a major contributor to eczema of any kind, can also cause nummular eczema. Because stress elevates the rate and activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, it too causes the body to eliminate (or conserve) moisture supply, which also leads to dry skin…and nummular eczema. Many people complain of the outbreak of nummular eczema during dry winter months.

Treatment

Since dry skin is the primary culprit of nummular eczema, moist skin is the best defense. Ensuring that the skin stays properly hydrated will go a long way in preventing and treating nummular eczema. Regularly applying medicated or high-quality moisturizing lotions and creams is one of the best treatments. Severe nummular eczema may require topical application of corticosteroids or oral antihistamines.

Symptoms

It’s relatively easy to identify neurodermatitis. Got a patch of itchy skin? Won’t stop itching? Or maybe it just regularly recurs? Chances are, it’s a spot of neurodermatitis. Often, the skin becomes scaly, leathery, or thickened, usually after prolonged scratching. Some people develop a habit of scratching the area, even after the itchy sensation subsides. The frustrating thing about neurodermatitis is that the more you scratch it, the more it itches. It may occur anywhere on the body, but tends to mostly occur on the extremities (especially wrists and ankles), on the neck, thigh, or genital areas.

Causes

External factors may be a cause—environmental irritants such as certain chemicals, fabrics, or foods. However, other factors are primarily to blame. Dry skin, other forms of eczema, and even psoriasis may set off an occurrence of neurodermatitis. High stress levels also cause neurodermatitis. Those who have a family history of eczema are at a higher risk, as are women between the age of 30 and 50.

Treatment

The best form of treatment is die-hard self-control. Forcing yourself to stop scratching the infected area will allow the spot to heal on its own. You may wish to put a patch over the area to prevent yourself from scratching it, or place a small amount of ointment such as Vaseline over it to sooth the irritation and remind yourself not to scratch it. Like other serious skin conditions, neurodermatitis can be treated using oral corticosteroids or antihistamines, or topical antibiotics. Anti-itching creams provide some relief, as do cool wet compresses.

Complications

As the skin weakens and breaks open due to prolonged scratching, bacterial infection may set it. Others may experience scars or a permanent whitening of the skin.

Understanding Categories

First of all, it important to understand that you’re not the only one struggling with how to classify your skin problems. Healthcare professionals have the same conundrum. In fact, eczema is not just a single skin disorder. It is a general term for a collection of skin problems that vary in symptoms, intensity, duration, and effect. Don’t be disappointed if you can’t find a specific medical name for the skin condition you’re experiencing. Specific categories for every skin disease are just hard to come by sometimes.

Common Symptoms

• Itching. One of the first symptoms of eczema is itching. But it’s not the same type of itching that a mosquito bite produces. This kind of itching spreads over a wider area of skin, and seems to be a deeper itch than just the surface of the skin. Oh, and it lasts a lot longer, too.
• Redness. A common symptom of nearly every form of eczema is redness of the skin. The redness may be as simple as coloring of the skin, but often is accompanied by cracking, blistering, crusting, or oozing.
• Inflammation. When the skin gets red and puffy, it’s another sign that eczema may have set in. Inflamed skin sometimes burns and is usually sensitive to touch.

Other symptoms

• Swelling
• Cracking
• Crusting
• Flaking
• Dryness
• Scaling
• Blistering
• Rashes
• Lesions
• Small, firm raised red bumps

If you experience some of these symptoms, you may have eczema of some form or another. It is important to take the next step and determine the best way to treat the eczema.