Is Eczema Contagious?

1641

Eczema is a skin condition that affects over thirty million people in the United States. There are several types of eczema, but most involve redness and itching in certain areas of the skin. This condition is not contagious. You cannot develop eczema by coming into contact with someone with eczema. It is often genetic but can be triggered by allergens or stress.

How you get eczema?

Eczema frequently develops anywhere within the first six months to five years of a child’s life, but can develop in adults as well. Symptoms can be triggered by allergens, stress, and the weather, among others. Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of eczema and is more common in those with asthma or hay fever or in their relatives. Other types of eczema can be triggered by stress or contact with strong chemicals. It cannot be passed from person to person in any way.

How to control eczema?

You can control your eczema by minimizing exposure to triggers, seeing a doctor to get medication if necessary, and learning to cope with issues that occur along with an eczema flare-up. Avoiding scratching during treatment will allow the skin to heal and calm down, causing the itching to gradually disappear. This is where coping strategies come into play. The medicine used for treatment, though helpful, sometimes does not help the itching while the skin is still healing. It can be more challenging than you think to avoid scratching. However, once the treatment has worked and your skin has healed, your itching will stop.

How to avoid triggers?

Discovering what your or your child’s triggers are can be a real challenge, but avoiding those triggers can prove to be even more difficult. There are several things that can trigger eczema, such as weather conditions (dry air), stress, sweat, contact with an allergen, and many more.

Each person’s eczema can have a different trigger and different symptoms.

It’s important to pay close attention when trying to identify them. Eczema triggers can also change with time. Just like people can grow out of their eczema, it’s possible for the eczema symptoms and triggers to change as a person grows older. It can develop in new areas, change appearance, develop pain and itch where there wasn’t before, and a lot more.

Eczema is a non-contagious skin condition. It is most commonly developed in children, though adults can develop it at any time as well. You cannot develop eczema by touching a person with eczema. Certain types of eczema are more common in women than men, may develop if you have asthma or hay fever, and can be worsened or triggered by stress.

SOURCE: https://www.medicinenet.com/is_eczema_contagious/article.htm