Eczema is an inflammatory skin disease caused by a variety of internal and external factors. Its lesions are often symmetrically distributed, polymorphic damage, with a tendency to exude, intense itching, often recurrent, and easily become chronic.
1, the classification of eczema
(1) Acute eczema
The inflammation of the lesions is obvious, polymorphic, often manifested as erythematous based on pinhead to corn size papules, papules, in severe cases can appear small blisters, often fused into a patch, the boundary is not clear, the lesions around the papules gradually sparse, often due to scratching the formation of punctate vesicular surface, there is obvious plasma exudate. The itching is intense, and scratching and hot water washing can aggravate the lesions. If there is a secondary infection, pustules or pustules may appear, as well as combined folliculitis, boils, and local lymphadenitis. Acute eczema can occur in any part of the body, but is more common in exposed areas such as the face, ears, hands and feet, forearms and lower legs.
(2) Subacute eczema
It is a transitional stage in the transformation of acute eczema to chronic eczema. When the acute eczema after the reduction of inflammation, or the acute phase is not
Timely and appropriate treatment, delayed for a longer time and the development of subacute eczema. The lesions are less inflammatory, darker in color, with small papules, scales and crusts, only a few papules or small blisters and vesicles, there can be mild infiltration, and still have intense pruritus.
(3) Chronic eczema
Mainly from acute, subacute eczema repeated episodes of non-healing transformation; but also due to mild irritation, sustained and the beginning of the manifestation of chronicity. Characterized by localized thickening of skin damage, infiltration, moss-like changes, surface roughness, covered with a little furfuraceous scales, may be accompanied by hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation. Self-perceived symptoms also include pronounced pruritus, often paroxysmal. Acute flare-ups are likely to occur under the stimulation of certain factors. Chronic eczema can occur on any part of the body, commonly on the lower legs, hands, feet, ears, nipples, navel, scrotum, female genitalia, anus and other parts.
2, specific parts of the eczema
(1) Ear eczema
Most occur in the crease behind the ear, manifesting as erythema, oozing, cracking and crusting. Sometimes with seborrhea, often symmetrical on both sides.
(2) Hand eczema
The hands are more exposed to various external stimuli, so the incidence of eczema is high. Most of them start slowly and appear as dry dark red spots on the hands, with local infiltration and hypertrophy, with limitations, but the edges are not very sharp, often symmetrical on both hands, easy to form fissures in winter.
(3) Breast eczema
Most often seen in lactating women. The manifestation is the nipple, areola, breast brownish red or dark red spots, which have papules and papules, clear borders, can be accompanied by vesicles, exudation and fissures, can be unilateral or symmetrical onset, itching is obvious when the fissures can be accompanied by pain. It can be unilateral or symmetrical. If it occurs unilaterally and persists, attention should be paid to exclude eczema-like carcinoma.
(4) Eczema of vulva, scrotum and anus
The local itching is intense, often due to excessive scratching and hot water scalding, resulting in redness, oozing and erosion, which may become chronic with long-term recurrent attacks and manifest as local mossy skin.
(5) Calf eczema
It is often complicated by varicose veins of lower limbs. The lesions are limited dark red, diffuse dense papules, papules, eczema vesicles, oozing, thickening of the skin over time, pigmentation. It is often accompanied by ulcers on the lower legs. Some patients have hypopigmentation in the center of the lesions, which can form secondary vitiligo.