I remember my first bout with atopic dermatitis came when I was already an adult and working. I can’t say what my exact trigger was but I’m pretty sure it’s stress, a weak immune system and a family history of asthma which led to the back of my right thigh and knee getting inflamed with red, dry and scaly rashes.
As I got older, nadagdagan pa ng trigger: sudden changes in weather. When it gets too hot or too cold, I really feel the dryness and itchiness. It’s really uncomfortable and sometimes I lose my focus at work because the itchiness is so distracting.
I’ve been monitoring David and Noah’s skin because of this because I really don’t want them to suffer from eczema. We have a family history of allergies and asthma so the boys are predisposed talaga. Luckily wala pa silang signs.
But for you fellow moms reading this who aren’t aware yet, here’s a few fast facts about Eczema:
- Eczema is medically known as atopic dermatitis
- It is an inflammatory skin condition characterized by dry, itchy and red rashes
- Common in people who have an inherited tendency to develop allergic diseases like rhinitis and asthma
- The exact cause is unknown
- Symptoms include itchy, inflamed, red, dry and scaly rashes that become thick and leathery with constant scratching
- Typical sites of eczema: neck, crease of the elbow, back of the knees and wrists.
- Eczema is not contagious!
So throughout my adult life, I’ve always relied on Elica to help me manage my eczema. I apply the cream as soon as I get out of the shower. Once a day lang ang application and I can guarantee you based on my personal experience that I feel relief right away. I always make sure that I have Elica in our house because I feel anxious without it. When my eczema flares up, grabe talaga ang kati 🙁 I can’t concentrate at work and I’m in a bad mood the entire day.
I’ll share in another post what I do to lessen the instances of flare-ups. But I do hope this short post, which was actually inspired by a recent flare-up helps you understand what eczema (or what is more commonly called by Pinoys as skin asthma) is.
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