Nummular Eczema: At a Glance

Nummular eczema is a recurrent and itchy inflammation of the skin that looks like coins. The word nummular is a Latin word which means coin.

In its early stage, the affected area would appear reddish, but as it progresses, the center of the affected area will become transparent, making it look like a type of psoriasis or ringworm.

This skin disorder is also known as discoid eczema (because of its lesions that resembles the shape of a coin) and nummular eczematous dermatitis (which is the medical term).

This type is eczema is different and should not be mistaken for Atopic Dermatitis (common with other types of skin allergies).

Even though this skin condition is at times an allergic reaction to certain kinds of medicines, the overall cause is unknown. Connected to dry skin, people frequently develop this more often during winter as opposed to other seasons.

Soaps that are harsh to the skin, taking a bath too often, hot water, rough clothes, dyes, fabric softeners and perfumes can aggravate the rash.

Allergies and radical changes in temperature can as well irritate nummular eczema

Allergies and radical changes in temperature can as well irritate nummular eczema. Particular bacterial diseases can also trigger it.

You can experience a rash for a few months or it can carry on for numerous years. With this skin condition, there is a huge chance that it will return and develop again in the same area where the initial rash appeared.

The usual areas for nummular eczema are in the torso, legs, hands and arms. This often occurs in men (15 to 25 years of age) than in women of the same age.

At present, there are no treatments for this skin condition. Corticosteroids, a topical medicine, continue to be the most prevalent cure; however, for more serious cases, it can be cured by phototherapy, a particular UV laser healing procedure.

Corticosteroids must be applied precisely as what is written on the instruction label because very little applications will not have any effect and too much of it will cause your skin to become thin.

More potent prescriptions must not be applied on the rectal, groin, armpits and/or face area. These are usually applied only once each day, which is not as much effective than several applications in nearly all cases. Other options regarding treatment consist of:

• Recurring conditions can use coal tart added to the cream by pharmacists. This is effective, but has a foul smell and can stain your clothes.
• In the event of a rash, you are more vulnerable to staph diseases and may need to take antibiotics for 1 to 2 weeks.
• Serious cases of nummular eczema may require systemic healing processes, which are medicines that can be injected or taken orally. The side effects are more common compared to other remedies.