Tips on Eczema Atopic Dermatitis Psoriasis from a Memphis Dermatologist
George Woodbury Jr. M.D. (11/26/2023)
We’ve just entered what Dermatologists like myself call the Eczema Season or Atopic Dermatitis Season, or Psoriasis Season because the cool dry weather of winter tends to cause people with these conditions to flare. So, let’s take a quick look at tips that can help people with Eczema or Atopic or Psoriasis can use to help their condition.
First, what’s Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis?
Eczema is an itchy or sore rough dry skin condition that often starts between the ages of 3 and 30. It tends to run in families along with Asthma, Hay Fever, and Food Allergies, so we Dermatologists feel that it’s genetic. Flares of Eczema however can be brought on by chemicals that one has become allergic to, so Allergy Patch Testing is a useful type of test offered by Dermatologist to check for trigger chemicals that can cause itching to become worse, such as preservatives, fragrances, or components of latex.
Eczema tends to occur on the hands, arms, legs, neck, and face, and it can be simply dry, or also very
itchy or sore.
A special type of Eczema is Dyshidrotic Dermatitis, or Dyshidrotic Eczema, which tends to present with dry itchy areas with flaking and blisters on the fingers and/or toes. This can sometimes flare explosively – requiring steroid by mouth or by injection to bring it under control.
Sometimes Dermatologists like myself will do a type of test called a skin biopsy to check for Eczema or similar conditions like Dermatitis Herpetiformis which is related to a gluten sensitivity. We sometimes take a Fungal Culture to check whether the condition is actually due to a fungal infection, requiring antifungal medication to bring it under control.
Management strategies - from my perspective as a Memphis Board-certified Dermatologist, practicing in Cordova TN at Rheumatology and Dermatology (www.Rheumderm.com: 1-901-753-0168) since 1993 – include topical steroid creams and ointments, topical Crisaborole, and sometimes steroid shots of medications like prednisone, or sometimes steroid-free JAK inhibitor tablets, like abrocitinib, or upadacitinib. Dermatologists also sometimes use a new steroid-freeinjectable medicine called Dupixent® or Dupilumab that acts upon the immune system to decrease what is called cytokine signaling between the white blood cells.
Psoriasis is also a type of genetic skin condition that can develop in one’s teens or twenties or thirties, with dry sometimes itchy areas, particularly of the front of the arms or the back of the legs, or the scalp. Inverse psoriasis is a special type that develops in the groin or in the underarms, and scalp psoriasis often presents with dandruff, itching or even with hair loss, also called alopecia, sometimes requiring prescription shampoos or even scalp injections to help to bring it under control.
Psoriasis can often be controlled with prescription topical steroid creams and ointment, but more severe patterns may require one of over 12 prescription injectable biological therapies – including Enbrel® (etanercept) or Humira® (adalimumab) or Cosentyx® (secukinumab) – or even Tremfya (guselkumab) or Skyrizi (risakizumab) or Taltz (ixekizumab) - or oral steroid-free tablets – such as Methotrexate or Otezla® (apremilast) or Sotyktu® (deucravacitinib) - or even Zoryve® Cream (Roflumilast) or Vtama® Cream (tapinarof).
Knowing that moisturizers tend to help Eczema and Psoriasis, in 2016 I incorporated a company - Big River Silk Skincare - to manufacture and distribute three lines of helpful lubricating agents (moisturizers) containing an Alpha Hydroxy Acid chemical called Glycolic Acid: GLYCOSHEA® Hand&Body Cream/Standard Strength (1 oz: $19.95; 2 oz: $29.95; 8 oz: $89.95); GLYCOSHEA® Hand&Body Cream/High Strength (1 oz: $29.95; 2 oz: $44.95; 8 oz: $139.95); and GLYCOSHEA® Facial&Neck Cream (1 oz: $39.95/2 oz; $59.95; 8 oz: $179.95). GLYCOSHEA is helpful in both moisturizing the skin and decreasing the appearance of fine lines in the skin, promoting skin smoothness, making it into an AntiWrinkle Cream.
For people with especially sensitive skin, or for kids or seniors with dry skin or Eczema, we also manufacture fragrance-free Shea Butter moisturizers: HypoShea Moisturizer Cream and HypoShea Moisturizer Lotion (1 oz: $12.95; 2 oz: $18.95; 8 oz: $39.95).
So if you or family members are suffering from itching and rash, consider getting your condition properly diagnosed. My own Memphis Dermatology practice is with Rheumatology and Dermatology, 8143 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova TN (www.Rheumderm.com; 1-901-753-0168). Or if you want to find a "Dermatologist Near Me," or "Best Dermatologist Near Me," you can find a Dermatologist closer to you by going to the American Academy of Dermatology web site, AAD.org, then plugging your zip code into the “Find a Dermatologist” tab. Don’t delay. We have so much more to offer in 2024 to help you
get your condition under control.
George Woodbury Jr. M.D. (11/26/2023)
8143 Walnut Grove Road
Cordova TN 38018
1-901-753-0168
President of Big River Silk Skincare Inc.
1-901-753-0168
11/26/2023
