What is dermatitis?

Dermatitis is an umbrella term for all inflammation of the skin, and there are several types of dermatitis that differ in their symptoms and location. However, the general symptoms of dermatitis include redness and itching of the skin and the possible development of pimples and blisters.

Dermatitis can have different causes based on the type of dermatitis involved, whether it is an infection, an allergic reaction or perhaps an autoimmune disorder. Dermatitis is not a contagious disease and in most cases is not serious.

What types of dermatitis are there?

The term dermatitis covers several types of dermatitis. The most common ones are atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema, irritant contact dermatitis or irritant contact eczema, allergic contact dermatitis, also known as allergic contact eczema, and seborrheic dermatitis or seborrhea. Let's take a closer look at these types of dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin disease that mainly affects infants and children, but it does not avoid adults either. Atopic eczema is not a serious or contagious disease, but it has very unpleasant symptoms that can reduce quality of life. The symptoms of atopic dermatitis include dry, scaly skin on the face, neck, hands, and other body parts, itchy, cracked skin, red to brown patches on the skin, sensitive skin and swelling.

Irritant contact dermatitis

Irritant contact dermatitis affects about 2 to 10% of the population and is responsible for up to 95% of skin diseases, according to experts. This type of dermatitis most commonly affects the hands and face, and symptoms appear when the skin comes into contact with a particular irritant, such as a metal, medicine, or cosmetic product. However, it is not an allergy. There can be a number of symptoms of this disease, such as dry skin, red patches, or burning and itching.

Allergic contact dermatitis

Another type of dermatitis is allergic contact dermatitis, which can again manifest itself as red patches, intense itching, burning, or redness of the skin. Symptoms appear after exposure to an allergen and usually break out 24 to 96 hours after contact. Allergic eczema can occur on the scalp, face, eyelids, lips, ears, neck, legs, hands, and feet. The treatment of allergic contact dermatitis is based on administration of antihistamines.

Image ALT Text: Skin redness as a result of a food allergy reaction.

Seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis, or seborrhea, is a very common type of dermatitis. This non-contagious disease, which according to experts affects 5% of the population, is most often manifested by red patches with a yellowish crust, which are usually found in the hair and on the face, scalp, forehead, beard, around nose and ears, but seborrhea can also affect other parts of the body such as arms and chest. The disease mainly affects infants in the first three months of life and adults between the ages of 20 and 40.