Weeping lichen: signs, symptoms and treatment of the disease

Ringworm or eczema is a dermatological disease that affects human skin, occurring against the background of chronic stress. Eczema manifests itself in the form of focal redness with blisters, which quickly open, turn into pustules and become crusty. The affected area of ​​skin swells and itches. Ringworm is not contagious to others and can occur on any part of the body. In addition to unpleasant physical sensations, it causes severe psychological discomfort. The disease interferes with a person's normal life.

• Prevention
• Complications
• Is it contagious?
• In children
• During pregnancy
• Video

Varieties and atypical forms

Eczema can appear in a variety of forms. Not only the symptoms and nature of the rash, but also the severity of the disease and the extent of the lesion depend on this or that type of weeping lichen.

In total, medicine knows 9 forms of this disease:

1. Microbial. Occurs in areas of chronic inflammation. The microbial subtype of weeping lichen can appear against the background of long-term non-healing scratches, ulcers, abrasions, abrasions, fistulas and other wounds affected by microbes.
2. Mycotic. The disease is provoked by an allergic reaction to an acquired fungal infection. This form most often occurs in people against the background of various mycoses, candidiasis or ringworm.
3. Dyshidrotic. The disease is caused by strong emotional experiences and chronic stress. This form of weeping lichen has a characteristic localization - the soles of the feet, palms.
4. Varicose eczema. It usually appears in older people against the background of venous disease.
5. Atopic (atopic dermatitis). It mainly affects the skin of the face, arms, shoulders, chest, back of the knees, and neck.
6. Seborrheic. Localized in areas where sebaceous glands are concentrated. Appears, as a rule, against the background of seborrhea. Most often located on the scalp.
7. Professional. Refers to allergic types. A skin reaction is provoked by constant contact with any allergen. This form mainly affects production employees whose activities involve the use of chemicals.
8. Children's room. Appears against a background of weakened immunity, after an illness - acute respiratory viral infection or influenza. Usually localized on the face.
9. True (idiopathic). A characteristic feature of the true form is the acute onset of the disease, imperceptibly flowing into a chronic form. Patients with this type of weeping lichen periodically suffer from relapses.

Causes

The root causes of the formation of weeping lichen are still completely unknown. Medicine is inclined to believe that this is largely an allergic disease that occurs in conditions of weakened immunity.

People suffering from diabetes mellitus, vegetative-vascular dystonia, diseases of the stomach and thyroid gland are predisposed to eczema. Lichen versicolor often appears in patients suffering from mental disorders. This disease is also considered hereditary.

The cause of the disease directly affects the form of its manifestation. For example, a wound that does not heal or is constantly injured becomes a fundamental factor for the occurrence of microbial eczema. Allergy sufferers are more likely to experience the professional or atopic form of lichen lichen.

Symptoms

Symptoms of weeping lichen depend on the subtype of the disease.

But there are a number of common characteristics for all types of eczema:

• redness and thickening of the skin;
• severe itching, irritation;
• swelling of the affected area;
• rashes, small blisters that open and become covered with hemorrhagic or serous scabs;
• the skin becomes wet, peels, cracks, small wounds appear;
• bluish-plum spots may appear.

As a rule, with eczema, there is a lot of scratching on the damaged area of ​​the patient’s skin. Patients suffer from severe itching, which increases at night and after contact with water. Sometimes the skin itches so much that people cannot even sleep normally. During an exacerbation, a person may have a fever. After the onset of remission, the skin at the site of erosion becomes dry and inelastic. There are cracks left on it.

The course of true eczema is divided into four stages. First, the skin becomes covered with tiny blisters, which quickly burst. Foci of erosion form in this zone. Then the skin begins to get wet and pain appears. After some time, the affected areas become covered with a solid yellow crust.

Microbial eczema differs from other forms of weeping lichen by its clear localization in the injured area, through which the pathogenic microflora has penetrated.

Stages of eczema. Drawing

Additional Tips

When we talked about the complexity of treatment, we meant that for a speedy recovery the patient must adhere to some more rules, without which the effect will not come so quickly:

1. Stick to a diet, excluding spicy and spicy foods, chocolate, citrus fruits, nuts, seafood, fatty meats and fish, canned food, pickles and processed foods during your illness. Food should be as healthy as possible. It is advisable that the dishes be boiled, baked or steamed.
2. Drink more clean water.
3. Avoid any contact with chemicals. Clean with gloves, do not use perfume, replace your usual hygiene products with hypoallergenic or natural ones, etc.
4. While the inflammatory process is in full swing, keep water procedures to a minimum.
5. Give up bad habits.
6. Get enough sleep.
7. Change bedding and underwear more often. It should also be washed with hypoallergenic agents. For this purpose, products for very young children are best suited.
8. Spend time in the fresh air more often, but do not overuse sunbathing.

Photo of weeping lichen: what it looks like

Photographs of patients show that different forms of eczema look different. The professional variety cannot be confused with seborrheic, and the microbial variety with the true one.

Seborrheic form of eczema

True eczema

Microbial eczema

Occupational eczema

Treatment of weeping lichen

The main treatment of eczema is aimed primarily at eliminating the cause and factors that provoke the disease. For an allergic type of disease, the patient is prescribed a number of antihistamines, vitamins, and immunocorrectors. If the disease manifests itself in severe form, the doctor supplements the therapy with corticosteroid hormonal medications. Often, doctors, depending on the patient’s complaints and the nature of the lesion, prescribe various anti-inflammatory drugs, courses of physiotherapy, acupuncture and even psychotherapy if the disease is caused by nervous tension.

If you notice signs of eczema, consult a doctor!

Ointments

Ointments for the treatment of weeping lichen are used, as a rule, in complex therapy. Among the non-hormonal remedies for relieving itching and swelling, zinc-based drugs are prescribed: Desitin, Tsinadol. Often they use naphthalene and ichthyol-containing creams, sulfur ointment, and Dermalex. For seborrheic form, 2% salicylic acid is often prescribed.

All these ointments are inexpensive, but at the same time they perfectly relieve inflammation and soothe itching. In addition, ichthyol and salicylic agents also have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.

Of the hormonal ointments, dermatologists prescribe: “Flucinar”, “Diprosalik” or its analogue “Belosalik”, “Trimistin” and “Hydrocortisone” cream.

Never use hormonal ointments without consulting a doctor.

Pills

For the treatment of patients suffering from tinea versicolor, drugs of various spectrums of action are widely used:

• antihistamines - “Zirtec”, “Telfast”, “Cetrin”, “Kestin”, “Claritin”, “Loratadine”, “Erius”;
• antibiotics - “Gentamicin”, “Tetracycline”, “Erythromycin”, “Ampicillin”, “Lincomycin”;
• vitamins - groups “B”, “A”, “C”, “Perfectil”, “Aevit”.

Antihistamines relieve swelling of the skin, have an antiallergic effect, a sedative, antispastic effect, eliminate itching and irritation. Antihistamines are prescribed to absolutely all patients, regardless of the form of the disease.

Antibiotics are prescribed for microbial types of lichen and in case of bacterial infection. As a rule, such therapy is considered justified when symptoms of complications appear, a high temperature rises and the patient’s condition worsens.

Only a doctor should make a decision about prescribing medications. If you are prescribed an antibiotic and you think it is not needed, consult another specialist, but do not cancel the drug based only on your opinion.

Shampoos

If the scalp is affected by eczema, then specialized shampoos are indispensable. Shampoos such as “Skin-Cap”, “Sebozol”, “Keto+”, “Cinovit”, “Nizoral” are very helpful as an adjuvant in complex treatment. Some of them not only relieve itching and soothe the skin, but also have an anti-inflammatory effect, promote the healing of wounds and microtraumas from scratching.

Folk remedies

Doctors do not advise self-medicating a serious illness at home. Folk remedies for lichen are different, and some of them can cause significant harm. You can use your grandmother's recipes, which have a non-aggressive effect, easing the condition of the skin. Before doing this, you should definitely consult a doctor. Here are some simple options for eliminating a fungal infection:

1. Crushed dried celandine (5 tablespoons) is poured with boiled cold water (1 liter). The mixture is brought to a boil and cooked for 10 minutes over low heat. The medicinal decoction is infused for 2 hours, filtered through gauze. Compresses are applied to the spots several times a day.
2. Apple cider vinegar, undiluted, is also applied to the affected areas of the skin. This procedure is performed 4 times a day. The product helps get rid of itching and burning. The lichen infection gradually disappears from the face, the skin becomes clearer. The results of treating the disease are positive.
3. You can make an ointment based on natural ingredients. First, a decoction is made from burdock roots, hops and calendula flowers in equal parts. The resulting liquid is combined with Vaseline in a ratio of one to two. The product in the form of an ointment is carefully applied in a thin layer to the patient’s lichen rashes several times a day. This type of treatment significantly improves the condition of the facial skin.
4. You may need a bottle of licorice syrup or a decoction of its root. This folk remedy for lichen perfectly strengthens the immune system, which helps to quickly get rid of the pathology.

Prevention

If the disease has progressed to the chronic stage, as well as during the period of remission, you should monitor your psycho-emotional state and try to avoid stress. If allergic forms are present, it is necessary to exclude allergens from contact. In the case of a seborrheic or mycotic type of illness, it is important to eliminate the underlying disease - seborrhea, mycosis, pyoderma.

People suffering from tinea versicolor should avoid tight, breathable clothing made from synthetic fabrics and try not to injure or subject excessive friction to already inflamed skin.

Recommendations

In the acute stage of eczema, you should avoid taking a bath. If possible, it is better to try not to wash the affected area at all. Avoid stressful situations, follow a diet and sleep schedule. Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Avoid overheating and hypothermia. It is better for women to stop using cosmetics at the time of exacerbation. Don't forget about the quality of clothes and bed linen. It is better to give preference to comfortable things made from natural fabrics that absorb moisture well.

Features in children

As a rule, eczema in early childhood occurs to a greater extent due to a genetic predisposition. Ringworm may appear in a baby if, during pregnancy, his mother suffered complications, suffered from infectious diseases, or suffered from diabetes mellitus and hepatocholecystitis.

Eczema manifests itself in children in the same way as in adults. A child can catch any form known to medicine. The symptoms of a baby are practically no different from those of older ones. The only thing is that children experience eczema much more restlessly and problematically than adults. However, this is not surprising. After all, even mature people have difficulty coping with the itching of the skin that occurs with this disease. In addition, for children this disease is more dangerous due to complications due to constant scratching of the affected areas, dirt and germs getting into them.

Diagnostics

The primary diagnosis of lichen is carried out based on the collection of complaints, anamnesis and examination of the patient. For some types of lichen, specific diagnostic methods have been developed, which are used to confirm the primary diagnosis and differential diagnosis with other diseases with similar symptoms:

• pityriasis rosea - differential diagnosis is necessary with rashes characteristic of secondary syphilis, as well as with psoriasis, seborrheic eczema, measles and rubella;
• pityriasis versicolor - an iodine test is performed ((the skin is smeared with tincture of iodine and then alcohol, after which the pityriasis versicolor spots become brown) and a microscopic examination of scrapings from the affected areas. A differential diagnosis with alopecia areata is carried out;
• ringworm - microscopic and cultural examination of scrapings from the affected area is used;
• weeping lichen – differential diagnosis with syphilis, systemic lupus erythematosus, leukoplakia, psoriasis is required;
• lichen planus – must be differentiated from syphilis, systemic lupus erythematosus, leukoplakia;
• herpes zoster - to clarify the diagnosis, serological, immunofluorescent methods, and microscopic examination are used. Differential diagnosis is carried out with chickenpox, acute eczema, and herpes simplex.

A dermatologist, as well as an infectious disease specialist, can diagnose lichen in humans. To make a correct diagnosis, an examination is prescribed that reveals the cause and nature of the disease in an individual case. If skin problems are detected, the following diagnostic methods are used:

The diagnosis is made by a dermatologist through a visual examination.

Pityriasis versicolor

An iodine test is carried out: the skin is lubricated with iodine tincture, and then wiped with alcohol, while the pityriasis versicolor spots turn dark brown. A skin scraping should reveal yeast under microscopy.

Ringworm

Microscopic examination and cultural examination are carried out.

Ringworm

The diagnosis is based on the medical history and clinical picture.

Lichen planus

Usually making a diagnosis during examination is not difficult. But in the case of an atypical course, a skin biopsy may be used.

During pregnancy

Eczema in pregnant women is not uncommon. After all, during the period of preparation for motherhood, a woman’s immunity often decreases, hormonal changes occur, and the thyroid gland malfunctions. The disease manifests itself in the expectant mother in the same way as in ordinary people. But it can not be treated with all the medications that are usually prescribed to non-pregnant women.

Remember, if you are an expectant mother, only a dermatologist should select and prescribe a course of medications for you. Be sure to consult your gynecologist about prescribed medications. Be especially careful with hormonal medications. If they are prescribed to you, consult with another doctor.

Eczema in a pregnant woman does not have any negative effect on the fetus. Only the nervous state of the expectant mother, her discomfort and anxiety about this can affect the baby’s calmness.

Forecast

Unfortunately, the prognosis for people suffering from eczema is not very good. This is especially true for seborrheic, atopic and true forms of the disease. These types of weeping lichen can be stopped if a timely and correct course of treatment is prescribed. But, as a rule, in most patients the disease becomes chronic, and the person lives with it all his life. Periodically, the disease worsens, then remission occurs again. How long the exacerbation phase and the period of “hibernation” of eczema will last largely depends on the patient himself. If a person leads a healthy lifestyle, plays sports, monitors his physical condition and promptly begins treatment at the first signs of exacerbation, then eczema may not manifest itself for many years.

Risk of complications

This disease is not life-threatening, but if it is not treated in time, serious complications are possible. When weeping lichen, a person develops open wounds that are highly likely to become infected. In this case, the patient develops purulent lesions and viral warts on the skin. As a rule, with a complicated form of the disease, the wound begins to smell bad, which causes severe discomfort to the person. In children, eczema in its advanced form can cause slow growth.