Eczema

Eczema is a common name for inflammation reactions of the skin in which itch and irritation are particularly prominent. The skin can be red, dry and scaly, but small bumps, vesicles, moist spots or crusts may also occur. With long-lasting eczema, the skin can become rougher and thicker.

There are different forms of eczema, with different causes and triggering factors. Some forms are related to predisposition, while others are caused by irritation or an allergic reaction after contact with a particular substance. Eczema can occur acutely, remain present for a long time or flare up regularly.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are used in various forms of eczema. Which treatment is appropriate depends, among other things, on the type of eczema, how the skin complaints are expressed and the overall picture of complaints.

Different forms of eczema

Do you know what type of eczema you have? Choose the relevant page below for more detailed information on causes, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine treatment, TCM vision, common TCM patterns and prognosis.

Atopic eczema

Atopic eczema is a chronic and often recurring form of eczema associated with an atopic predisposition. People with this predisposition have more common conditions such as asthma, hay fever and eczema.

Atopic eczema can occur at different ages. The places where the eczema develops and the way the skin looks can change with age. Itching is usually an important and sometimes very annoying symptom.

Contact dermatitis

Contact eczema is caused by substances that come into contact with the skin. A distinction is made between irritating contact eczema and allergic contact eczema.

In case of irritating contact eczema, the skin is damaged by repeated contact with water, soap, cleaning agents, solvents or other irritants. In case of allergic contact eczema, the immune system reacts to a substance for which someone has become allergic. Examples are certain metals, cosmetics, fragrances, preservatives, rubber or hair dye.

Hand and foot eczema

With hand and foot eczema, the skin symptoms are mainly on the hands, fingers, feet or toes. The skin may be dry, thickened and cracked, but itchy vesicles, wet spots or crusts may also occur.

Hand- and foot-eczema is actually a collective name: different forms of eczema can manifest in these places. Also contact with water, irritating substances and a damp working environment can play a role.

Common symptoms

What eczema looks like is different per person, per form of eczema and per phase. Common phenomena are:

itching, sometimes very severe;
redness and irritation;
dry or scaly skin;
small bumps or blisters;
swelling;
wet or moist skin defects;
crust formation;
cavities;
scratch marks;
thickening and roughening of the skin.

With acute eczema, redness, swelling, small bumps, vesicles and moist skin defects are more common in the foreground. If eczema exists longer, the skin image can change. Chronic eczema is more often dry, rough, thickened and scaly. Long-term crabs may further strengthen this thickening.

Possible causes

The causes of eczema vary greatly from one form to another. Hereditary predisposition can play an important role, such as in atopic eczema. In contact eczema, exposure to an irritating substance or an allergen is decisive.

Also factors such as water, soap, cleaning agents, cosmetics, certain metals and chemicals can cause or worsen depending on the shape. In addition, heat, cold, sweating, friction and crabs can affect the skin image.

It is therefore often important to look not only at what the eczema looks like, but also at where it occurs, when it arises and what conditions improve or worsen the complaints.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in eczema

Within Chinese medicine, eczema is not considered as one uniform skin image. The treatment looks at the form of eczema, but also at the way in which the skin complaints are expressed at that time.

For example, a red, warm skin with vesicles and moisture requires a different approach to dry, scaly and thickened skin that has been present for a long time. Also the severity of the itching, the location of the skin abnormalities, the course of symptoms and other physical symptoms are taken into account.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be used separately or in combination. Chinese herbs can be used daily between treatments. In addition, the Chinese dermatology describes external herbal treatments, depending on the skin image.

On the pages on atopic eczema, contact eczema and hand and footeczema you can read more about how to adjust treatment in these different forms. contacteczema Hand- and foot-eczema

TCM vision on eczema

Within traditional Chinese Medicine, different TCM patterns may be behind the same Western diagnosis. Eczema pays a lot of attention to the appearance and course of skin abnormalities.

Concepts such as Wind, Heat and Dampness are used to distinguish acute, itchy, red or moist skin images. With long-lasting eczema, dryness, scaling and thickening can be more prominent and concepts like Blood and Yin play a greater role.

However, the mechanisms and TCM patterns that are important differ considerably from one form or phase to another. Therefore, they are not developed on this general page. You will find the specific TCM vision and main patterns on the page about the type of eczema involved.

What is a TCM organ system?

A TCM organ system describes a group of related body functions and is wider than just the anatomical organ with the same name. Read more at TCM basics .

What is a TCM pattern?

A TCM pattern is a recognizable combination of complaints and physical characteristics that indicates which imbalance is likely to contribute to the complaints. Read more at TCM basics .

Contact

Do you suffer from eczema and do you want to know if acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal medicine can fit with your complaints? During a first consultation we discuss among other things what type of eczema you have, how the skin symptoms manifest themselves, the course of the symptoms, possible triggering factors and other relevant symptoms.

On the basis of the overall picture of complaints, it is considered which treatment is appropriate.