There are many different eczema types with many different causes. Some forms are believed to be triggered by allergens and irritants that are commonly found in most homes. In fact, many household substances can cause very severe eczema reactions. If you want to better control your eczema then it is important that you understand what triggers your condition.

Allergens and irritants are the two main eczema causes within your home. However, your body can have many different reactions to these triggers resulting in different forms of eczema. Sometimes a reaction happens on the outer surface of your skin. Other times, the reaction takes place internally and manifests itself within the different layers of your skin. In order to understand these triggers you should know more about the difference between internal and external reactions.

Contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis are different eczemas but both can be easily triggered by household allergens and irritants. If an allergen or irritant touches your skin and causes an external reaction, this is contact dermatitis. You will get a red, itchy, and inflamed rash at the point of contact. If your immune system reacts internally to an irritant or allergen and causes a flare up within your skin, this is atopic dermatitis. Normally, there is also a hormone imbalance or stress-related toxins in your system which increases the severity of the reaction. This form of eczema is often painful, swollen, and itchy. It will also appear anywhere on your body, not just as the point of contact with the irritant or allergen.

Irritants can be anywhere in your home. It may be in the air, such as cigarette smoke or air fragrances. Some of the more unusual airborne irritants in your home may be onion or pepper fumes from cooking and food preparation. Also, if you regularly use a humidifier you should check that you use only purified, distilled water in the machine to prevent exposure to water-based chemicals, like chlorine, in the humid air.

The irritant may also be a common household chemical. Some of the more common chemical irritants are laundry detergent, fabric softeners, cleaning solvents, latex products, and nail varnish. However, you may check these usual suspects and still find you are breaking out. If that is the case, check many of the items you use on a regular basis, such as the synthetic fibers in your bedding and beauty products, to make sure they are not irritating your eczema.

Allergens are very often either consumable or environmental in nature. Foods like dairy, nuts, and berries should always be your first suspects. In fact, some foods like peanuts and strawberries are known to cause both internal and external eczemas.

Home environment allergens may be more difficult to control, but not impossible to control. The more common allergens in your home are dust mites, pet dander and hair, mold, and mildew. As you may have guessed, most of these can be controlled with regular cleaning that includes a good quality vacuum cleaner. You may also find that you need to invest in an air filter to remove these allergens from your home.

You may think that there are too many potential eczema triggers in your home for you to be able to control them. However, your eczema is probably only caused by one or two triggers. Therefore, it should be easy for you to identify and remove the trigger in your home. The most effective treatment is to limit, or even avoid, exposure to your trigger.