Eczema

Eczema

Eczema is a type of skin inflammation also known as atopic dermatitis. It is an allergic and hereditary disease that can be chronic.

The cause of eczema is unclear. One possibility is that the condition is caused by a dysfunctional interplay between the immune system and the skin.

Eczema may appear in a rapid outbreak and then calm or it can appear in small changes with slow development. It can occur all over the body but mostly on the face, behind the ears and the knees, the neck, the hands, and the bends of the elbows.

Eczema affects 10-25% of the children (in the first five years of life) and 10-15% of the adults.

Shingles (Herpes Zoster)

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox.

Once this virus enters the body and you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve ganglia and the spinal cord. In some people, the virus stays dormant forever. In others, the virus may reactivate, usually by a weakening immune system. The varicella-zoster infection spreads to skin nerves ends and causes shingles.

Shingles can onset anywhere on the body, but usually occur on the skin of the abdomen, underneath the ribs, the inside of the mouth, and the vaginal tissues. Sometimes the shingles rash occurs around one eye or on one side of the neck or face.

Anyone who has ever had chickenpox can develop shingles, and it is possible to get it more than once. Shingles need a few weeks to achieve their cycle but in severe cases may last longer.

PSORIASIS

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder, which affects men and women equally, and it appears between ages twenty and thirty-five. It is primarily an immune system disorder.

The affected area can range from a few spots of scaling to larger scaly patches of skin on the knees, elbows, arms, ears back, and scalp. The color of these patches is red to brown. Psoriasis can also affect the nails and can cause arthritis.

It is a hereditary, noncontagious disease.

Psoriasis is linked with rapid skin cell reproduction. The new skin cells onset too rapidly so the dead skin cells cannot be shed. The accumulated pileup of cells creates the characteristic silvery scales.

The appearance of psoriasis onsets the following schema: (period of) outbreak – (period of) remission.

A bed or pressure sore is a deep ulcer caused by prolonged pressure on the skin. This often occurs when a person lies in bed or sits in a chair for a long time restricting circulation. This has as result the cell destruction in the underlying tissue, the breaking down of the skin, and the formation of an open ulcer.

Bedsores are most often found on skin that covers bony areas, such as the heels, ankles, buttocks, hips, sacrum, tailbone, and in every place that the skin can be folded over itself.

Bedsores can develop quickly. Their treatment may be from easy to very hard. For this reason, it is important to inspect daily the skin of the patient in order to prevent them.

The most vulnerable to develop pressure sores are people who stay for a long time in bed or in a wheelchair.