Weeping dermatitis – causes, symptoms, effective treatment
The skin covers perform a barrier function, but due to the influence of internal or external factors, they can decrease, the appearance of spots or rashes on the skin characterizes a malfunction of the body or a decline in immunity, do not ignore the signals of the body, timely contact with a specialist reduces negative consequences.
Weeping dermatitis is one of the many skin pathologies, it brings severe discomfort to a person – the disease causes pain and does not look aesthetically pleasing. The insidiousness of dermatitis is that it can occur in people of any age, even infants.
The therapy includes a comprehensive treatment regimen, taking into account the characteristics of the patient’s body and age.
Causes of weeping dermatitis
The causes of weeping dermatitis are divided into several points: distant, close, obligate, selective factors.
Remote factors causing the development of the disease:
- Hereditary factor – dermatitis in infants in 40% of manifestations, occurs due to allergies of one or both parents;
- Predisposition – having fallen ill once with any form of weeping dermatitis, 50% of patients remain sensitive to the disease;
- Low immunity;
- Acute and chronic diseases of internal organs;
Related factors that can provoke the development of the disease:
- Psychological diseases, prolonged stress, nervousness – very often a strong nervous shock can cause a decrease in the protective functions of the body and, as a result, a decline in immunity.
- The entry of pathogenic substances into the human body – allergens, chemicals that have a detrimental effect on the skin.
- Diseases of the stomach and / or intestines – improper functioning or malfunction of these organs is the most common cause of weeping dermatitis.
Obligate factors (arising under the influence of external factors):
- Pathogenic radiation – radiation, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight;
- Overheating or, on the contrary, hypothermia of the body;
- Contact with chemicals – acid or alkali.
Electoral factors:
- Allergy – food (to food or medicines);
- Allergy – to cosmetics, to insect bites;
Weeping dermatitis is essentially an advanced stage of any other type of dermatitis (household, professional, fungal, bacterial), in addition to the above, may occur due to improperly selected treatment or ignoring the disease.
Weeping dermatitis symptoms
Symptoms of the disease may vary, depending on the age of the patient.
In adults, lesions form in the natural folds of the skin, on the face and neck, arms and legs. There is a rash and erythema (redness) with cloudy contents, with the course of the disease, the rash opens, forming weeping erosions.
It is possible to distinguish common symptoms for all ages: swelling and redness of the skin at the locations of the foci, the presence of a rash with cloudy contents.
The disease is characterized by severe itching – its intensity is affected by the strength of the damage to the nerve endings located in the skin; burning and painful sensations, feeling of dryness or tightness , in addition to this, a person experiences emotional discomfort, since dermatitis has an impartial appearance.
Weeping dermatitis, in the absence of proper treatment, can have complications – damage to large areas of the skin, the release of purulent contents (in cases of infection), in rare cases, sepsis (blood poisoning) is possible.
What weeping dermatitis looks like, you can see in the photo section.
Weeping dermatitis in a child
The occurrence of weeping dermatitis in children is due to the characteristics of the skin, at an early age the skin does not have such protective forces as the skin of an adult and therefore is more susceptible to the influence of pathogenic factors. The second reason may be weak immunity, children suffer respiratory diseases more often than adults, and adults are more susceptible to the negative effects of external factors.
Signs of the disease in children may vary depending on the age of the child:
Weeping dermatitis of infants often occurs on the bends of the elbows, knees and face, very rarely occurs on other areas of the skin. Cracks and small ulcers may appear on the dermis, after a few days crusts form on the affected areas.
In children older than three years, the lesions are localized on the hands, elbows, knees and neck. The skin in the affected areas is inflamed – edematous and acquires a bright red color, cracks and sores form, the course of the disease is long. Subsequently, the skin on the former sites of the distribution of foci thickens and differs from healthy in a dark shade.
In adolescents, the disease proceeds in the same way as in children older than three years, the only difference is the spontaneous course, there may be a sharp development or an independent decline in symptoms. With a sharp exacerbation of the disease, the foci can occupy large segments of the skin.
In the photo section, you can see what weeping dermatitis looks like in children.
Weeping dermatitis treatment
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to conduct a diagnosis. Diagnosis is very important, since weeping dermatitis has a similar clinical picture with eczema, it is usually not difficult for a specialist, but for an accurate diagnosis, the specialist conducts the following studies:
- Scraping – to exclude other skin diseases and identify a possible causative agent of the disease;
- Tests to identify allergies, and the source of the allergy;
- General analysis of blood and urine – to establish the cause of dermatitis and identify concomitant diseases.
Often, treatment involves complex therapy, which is aimed at eliminating the cause of the appearance of weeping dermatitis and relieving the symptoms characteristic of it.
- Antihistamine (anti-allergic) drugs to relieve itching and swelling of tissues;
- Sometimes sorbents may be shown (if dermatitis occurs due to allergies);
- Prebiotics to normalize the intestinal microflora;
- Antibiotics – in case of secondary infection (when combing, often in children)
- Local drugs to eliminate the inflammatory process, relieve itching and for rapid tissue regeneration, a popular drug that copes with these goals is Losterin .
- Antiseptic solutions are used to treat lesions when opening pustules (rashes).
- Severe itching can cause sleep disturbances and affect mental health, in these cases sedatives are indicated.
In addition to medications, it is recommended to follow a diet, this is one of the factors contributing to a quick recovery. The diet involves the elimination of foods that can cause the development of allergic reactions (citrus fruits, nuts, honey, etc.).
With weeping dermatitis in infants, special attention is paid to the correction of nutrition and the diet of the mother if she is breastfeeding.
With the transition of weeping dermatitis to the chronic stage, preparations are shown to raise and strengthen immunity.
Self-medication in this case is unacceptable, especially in relation to the treatment of children. The doctor prescribes medications based on the results of the tests and taking into account the characteristics of the body.
Treatment of weeping dermatitis with folk remedies
Traditional medicine has many recipes to combat various dermatological pathologies. Methods of therapy may include tinctures, lotions, ointments, etc., based on herbs or other natural ingredients, but these agents are ineffective or not effective at all. Phytotherapy can relieve some symptoms, but will not be able to detrimentally affect the cause of dermatitis, and in some cases will aggravate the disease. Some traditional medicines can be used as an addition to the main treatment, only a doctor should report them. You should not prescribe any folk remedies on your own, especially if the child needs help.