CONTACT DERMATITIS:
Is a topical allergic reaction caused by an external factor i.e. detergents, shampoo's cement, latex etc...comprises only 5-6% of sufferers and is commonly known as topical dermatitis.You may not know it but you may have developed an allergy to a certain product. One could spend the money by having blood tests to determine the 100 most common allergens, however I have found these tests to be very unreliable. A simple indican test will tell you everything.
This is the easiest form of Eczema to treat and heal, as the process of elimination is quite simple. Click here if you only have facial eczema
Classic causes are :
Chemical Irritants- This category can be vast as your body comes into contact with numerous chemical irritants on a daily basis. This can be detergents, chemicals, cement, glues, soaps, dyes etc...EFA's deficient- A serious deficiency in Essential Fatty Acids
Metal toxicity - An external metal toxicity i.e. Nickel and internal metal imbalances i.e. Copper
Treatment Options:
Try to determine if there is anything that your hands may be coming into contact with that is "toxic". Start with the more severe items like chemicals, plastics. For example many women wear false nails. Many of the glues and chemicals that go into the making of these products are not suitable for long term use.
If your diet is constantly looking for "low fat" products and your diet comprises little fat especially olive and fish
Internal metal toxicity is difficult to test for as the smallest amounts are difficult to detect and are usually embedded in tissue, but can cause havoc with your health. Research has shown a strong correlation between copper deficiencies in the skin mantle of eczema patients. Supplementing with copper can be dangerous as we require very small amounts, but it is better to determine what is causing the imbalance i.e. too high a level of another metal.
Treatment
Only wash with a natural soap that has no chemical or perfume additives for example the Dermaphend Liquid Soap (other soaps will further irritate the skin)
Use a non petrochemical based emollient to help with the dry and itchy skin.
Try to determine the factor that is causing the irritation and elliminate it.
Supplements:
Supplement with Omega-3 and GLA (gamma lipoic acid).
The only Omega-3 we recommend is one derived from fish.
Cod liver oil is also an excellent choice.
An excellent metal detoxifier called Chlorella, should also
be considered
CONTACT DERMATITIS: (OF THE FACIAL AREA ONLY)
Skin care products that contain AHA's and BHA's (alpha or beta hydroxy acids) are associated with many cases of eczema to the face and neck. Many of the skin care products advertised in the media are designed for the mass market. Unfortunately eczema sufferers no longer fall into this category and you now need to search for products that exclude all the potential harmful properties that are associated with mass market products. The down side is that these items are normally much more expensive. Please don't be impressed with clever marketing tactics and the illusion that these products cater for "sensitive skins", or that because they are imported they must be good. In most cases this is not the case.What is an AHA or BHA:
This stands for Alpha or Beta Hydroxy acid and is classified as a "fruit acid". This phenomena occurs naturally within the skin substructure and with clever marketing is being promoted as a "natural" anti ageing product that makes you look younger. And yes they are right, it does make you look younger but the process is definitely not natural.
Unlike the natural process that has thousands of other proteins and enzymes to interact with, fruit acids in cosmetic products are in much higher concentrations than those found in the skin. This "natural" skin peeling effect forces skin cells to regenerate every 3-6 days whereas the normal process is 28 days. So with new skin cells pushing through over 3-6 day period it is no wonder that your skin looks great. Unfortunately the skin was never designed to work so rapidly and eventually the skins healing and regenerative mechanism "breaks down". The effect - facial eczema.
When these products were originally launched there used to be a warning printed on the leaflet that the use of these products should not exceed 30 days. I don't believe that this warning notice is present these days.
Treatment
Use a non petrochemical based emollient to help with the dry and itchy skin.
Only wash with a natural soap that has no chemical or perfume additives for example the Dermaphend Liquid Soap (other soaps will further irritate the skin)
You will have to change your skin care and cosmetic range to a naturally based one that does not contain petrochemicals and other harmful ingredients.
See the section on 10 Cosmetic chemicals to avoid