Travel Insurance For Eczema Sufferers

Travel insurance for Eczema sufferers can be arranged by World First who are international travel insurance specialists. World First offer cheap holiday insurance for Eczema suffererers and annual travel insurance for UK residents with medical conditions who find it difficult to buy travel insurance with cover for Eczema and associated medical problems elsewhere. For more information about travel insurance for Eczema sufferers and a quote for your holiday insurance call World First for FREE on 0800 096 46 02.

Eczema is a skin condition, which can result in dry, red and flaky skin. The skin may feel hot and very itchy and scratching can lead to the skin becoming damaged and infected. Eczema is not contagious. Eczema is also known as dermatitis, a term used to describe inflammation of the skin.

Atopic eczema is the most common type of eczema and is linked with hay fever and asthma. The tendency to develop atopic eczema is inherited but is strongly influenced by environmental factors. Atopic means an extra sensitivity to substances (allergens). The most common allergens are house dust mites, feathers, pollen, cat or dog fur and sometimes foodstuffs e.g. cows milk, eggs or nuts. Atopic eczema may start in babies from 3 months, often on the face, then to the outside limbs and the body. In older children it can occur on almost any part of the skin but most commonly involves the creases of the limbs, especially in front of the elbows and behind the knees and the wrists, ankle and neck. Atopic eczema affects approximately 15-20% of young children in the UK. Atopic eczema clears up in approximately 70% of children by the time they reach their teens and in many it largely clears up by 4-5 years of age. If it persists into adult life, it usually affects the body creases, the face and hands. The incidence of atopic eczema has increased in recent years.

In the acute form (flare-ups):
The skin will be extremely itchy, red, hot, dry and scaly The skin may also be wet and weeping and swollen There may be infection with bacteria (usually staphylococcus) The most common areas affected are the skin creases such as the front of the elbows and wrists, backs of knees and around the neck. However, any areas of skin may be affected. The common area for babies to be affected is the face and scalp, while the hands are a common site in adult.

In the chronic form (persistent):
The skin will be dry and thickened and may be scaly or cracked, as a result of continual scratching. Your skin is vulnerable to further damage and infection when you have atopic eczema, it is more likely to be sensitive to and react more easily to certain substances. These trigger factors will make you particularly vulnerable to a flare ups. Itchiness and heat cause a strong urge to scratch, which further damages the skin. The scratching can disrupt sleep and may be so severe as to make the area bleed. Scratching can make an itch worse and an itch-scratch cycle may develop with regular scratching. In children this can lead to sleepless nights and difficulty concentrating at school.

Discoid eczema can occur in adults at any age, but more often in later life. It can affect any part of the body, but usually affects the lower leg and feet and sometimes the arms. It shows as distinct round-shaped patches of eczema.

Varicose eczema affects the lower legs; it is associated with varicose veins and is caused by poor circulation. The skin becomes dry and inflamed. It can affect middle aged to elderly people. The first sign is mild itchiness of the skin, just above the ankle, which then becomes speckled, scaly, inflamed and itchy and lesions may develop. If left untreated the skin all around the lower leg can become affected, it can also lead to the formation of ulcers.

One or many round-shaped patches of red skin appear, with well-defined edges. These patches may become very itchy and can have blisters, or they may be hardly noticeable. It is common for discoid eczema to be infected with bacteria.

Contact eczema is often referred to as dermatitis. It is an acute (short- term flare-up) or chronic (long term) skin reaction where there is sensitivity to materials or substances that come in contact with your skin. It may involve allergic or non-allergic reactions.

Irritant contact dermatitis is a skin reaction caused by the direct effect of an irritant substance on the skin. Contact dermatitis typically causes inflammation on areas of skin which have come into contact with the substance. No prior exposure to the substance is necessary. An irritant dermatitis is most likely to occur on the hands. If you have atopic eczema (the most common type of eczema, which is linked with hay fever and asthma) you may be more prone to irritant dermatitis. These irritants are commonly found in various occupations e.g. cleaning, hairdressing, horticulture and building work.

Allergic contact dermatitis is a skin reaction that occurs when your immune system reacts against a specific substance (called an allergen). Your immune system becomes sensitised to the allergen over time. Previous exposure to the substance is needed to produce an allergy. Therefore you can suddenly react to a substance you may have come in contact with many times before. A small amount of the allergen can then cause a skin reaction. Once your skin has become sensitised it can persist for life and there is no cure. Common substances include: nickel (jewellery, bra straps, belt buckles etc.), perfumes, rubber, some plants, some ingredients in cosmetics, skin medications, hairdressing chemicals etc.

Irritant dermatitis may appear as a slight redness, with mild inflammation to a severe inflammation with redness, itching and skin blistering or cracking and bleeding at the site of contact with the irritant. If the condition becomes chronic (long-term), the skin will be dry, inflamed, scaly and thickened.

Allergic contact dermatitis may initially appear as an itchy red rash at the site of contact with the skin. There may be some swelling and blistering. The skin may become thicker and dry and scaly if the allergen persists. The reaction is generally confined to the site of contact with the allergen, although occasionally it may extend outside the contact area or it may spread all over your body. The rash usually clears if the allergen is no longer in contact with the skin, but recurs with any slight contact with it again.

Source:
NHS Direct Online. © Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and Queen’s Printer for Scotland.