What is Atopic Skin

Today, "atopic dermatitis" is very common due to many different reasons. While this skin condition, which is observed especially in very dry and sensitive skin, can be seen at any age, it is mostly seen in children with advanced age or genetically atopic predisposition.

Atopic dermatitis, or allergic eczema, is one of the most common health problems faced by pediatric dermatology. The word atopy; means a genetic predisposition to allergic diseases. Generally, the families of atopic people have allergic diseases such as hay fever and asthma.

The most important feature of atopic skin is that the skin is extremely dry. In addition to dryness, the skin that stretches and flakes, becomes red and itchy, ache from time to time, and sometimes even uncomfortable when water touches it, is an atopic skin. Sleep disturbance due to existing complaints also means that you may have atopic skin.

If atopy, which manifests itself with eczema in infancy, is not taken care of, it can progress to respiratory allergies, asthma and hand eczema in adulthood. Children with atopic dermatitis/allergic eczema are genetically deficient in a substance that gives moisture to the skin and the skin is dry for life. When this dryness of the skin increases, itching occurs.

Triggers of atopic dermatitis/allergic eczema include various allergens, bacteria, irritants (detergents, etc.), seasonal changes and stress. Food allergens can exacerbate eczema by mouth or by contact. Especially chicken eggs, cow's milk, soy, peanuts are common allergens. Airborne dust mites and pollen can also exacerbate atopic eczema.

What are the factors leading to atopy?

The main reason for the occurrence of atopic dermatitis is genetic predisposition. In addition to environmental factors such as air pollution, temperature, seasonal changes and stress, factors such as food allergies and the use of wrong products increase the sensitivity of the skin by causing dehydration. If no precautions are taken in the process of decreasing the moisture balance of the skin, the skin becomes increasingly dry and exfoliated.

What are the other factors that increase skin dryness?

- Underactive thyroid.

Estrogen deficiency during menopause.

-Long-term unbalanced diets.

- Washing the laundry with detergents containing harsh chemicals.

-Anesthetic taken during surgery.

DRY SKIN IN CHILDREN

When the lipids that make up the skin barrier are damaged, our skin becomes dry or, as in atopic eczema, it is dry for life in the absence of a substance that gives moisture to the skin genetically. When this protective barrier is damaged, the skin loses water. This causes skin dryness and itching. The vulnerable skin barrier has difficulty preventing the entry of irritants that may cause skin irritation, and this causes more itching.

    

What Precautions Should People With Atopic Skin Take?
- First of all, avoid the factors that cause your complaint as much as possible. Do not be in dusty, humid and high temperature environments.
- Do not neglect daily face and body cleaning in order to stay away from environmental factors that trigger the disease.
- Avoid products containing chemicals or allergens.
-The bath should be done with warm water, should not be long and should be limited to 2-3 times a week unless necessary.
-In the bathrooms, instead of soap, products that do not disturb the lipid and acid structure of the skin, defined as syndet, should be used.
-Pouch and fiber should not be used, and the cleaning product should be applied to the body by hand.
-After the bath, we should dry it with a soft towel without irritating the skin and immediately apply the moisturizer widely.
-We should not forget that cologne, alcohol, anti-itch gel and aqueous powders will dry the skin and increase itching even more.
It should not be forgotten that high temperature and low humidity environments can cause skin dryness and itching.
- To reduce the factors caused by itching and irritation, it may be comforting to store the creams in the refrigerator and apply them when they are cold.
- Use high factor protective products in summer and avoid prolonged sunbathing.
- Prevent your nails from penetrating your skin. If your baby has atopic dermatitis, wear cotton gloves to protect your baby's skin from nails.
- Instead of synthetic fabrics and woolen clothes, choose clothes made of cotton-textured fabrics.
-When choosing personal care products, be careful to buy products that do not contain paraben, alcohol and perfume. If you are dyeing or dyeing your hair, choose ammonia-free products.
We wish you healthy days…