Molecules in Skin Link Eczema and Asthma

In a study appearing in the May 19 in the journal PLoS Biology, research as shown below indicates that skin conditions such as acne, eczema, dermatitis and rosacea are in fact triggered as a result of an immune system response. A substance secreted by eczema-damaged skin might trigger asthma in children, U.S. researchers suggest. The theory comes from a study of mice with an eczema-like condition, which suggested that early treatment of eczema and inhibition of the trigger substance might help prevent asthma.

An estimated 50 percent to 70 percent of children with severe eczema (known as atopic dermatitis) develop asthma, compared with about 9 percent of children in the general population. In the United States, about 17 percent of children have eczema, although not all cases are severe.

The progression from eczema to asthma is called the atopic march. "Over the years, the clinical community has struggled to explain atopic march," Raphael Kopan, a professor of developmental biology and dermatology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and an author of the study, said in a news release from the school.

"So, when we found that the skin of mice with an eczema-like condition produced a substance previously implicated in asthma, we decided to investigate further," Kopan said. "We found that the mice also suffered from asthma-like responses to inhaled allergens, implicating the substance, called TSLP, as the link between eczema and asthma."

The researchers found that TSLP (thylmic stromal lymphopoietin) is secreted by damaged skin to alert the body that the skin's protective barrier has failed. TSLP activates an immune response that fights invaders. "We are excited, because we've narrowed down the problem of atopic march to one molecule," Kopan said. "We've shown that skin can act as a signaling organ and drive allergic inflammation in the lung by releasing TSLP. Now, it will be important to address how to prevent defective skin from producing TSLP. If that can be done," she said, "the link between eczema and asthma could be broken."

Over the counter acne treatments are often too strong and strip the skin of its protective barrier layer causing the skin to produce more oil as to repair and replenish the protective barrier destroyed by contact with harsh chemicals often found in acne treatments.

The skin is a protective barrier between our body organs and outside bacteria, pollution and disease. In fact it is a complex system of action and reaction. When TSLP (thylmic stromal lymphopoietin) is secreted by damaged skin to alert the body that the skin's protective barrier has failed, the TSLP activates an immune response that fights invaders. Skin conditions such as rosacea, acne, and eczema partially result from an overly acidic body and skin.

DEFINING RED, ITCHY IRRITATED SKIN

Dermatitis is classified as an inflammation of the skin. Dermatitis manifests as a rash, and the symptoms can include swelling, redness, itching, cracking, and pain. Dermatitis is the skin's reaction to chemicals or environmental elements. It causes the skin to become irritated and inflamed, itchy and red, dry and flaky. When certain substances contact the skin and causes an allergic reaction, it is called "contact dermatitis". Examples of substances causing contact dermatitis are: deodorants, metal, chemicals, clothing dyes, cosmetics, detergents, hair coloring, hair perm solutions, leather processing chemicals, nickel in jewelry, perfumes and fragrances, poison ivy, solvents, wrist watches and zippers.

 Rosacea's more pronounced symptoms can vary in intensity when exacerbated. It consists of small, red, solid bumps called papules and pus-filled pimples called pustules may appear on the skin. These can easily be confused with acne pimples, but unlike acne, rosacea papules and pustules have no blackheads. Rosacea typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 50 and affects more women than men. Because the symptoms emerge slowly, rosacea may initially be mistaken for sunburn, leading to a delay in treatment. The redness can come and go, but eventually it may become permanent. Furthermore, the skin tissue can swell and thicken and may be tender and sensitive to the touch.

Acne is a common skin condition affecting the oil producing glands of the skin. Acne occurs primarily on the face and sometimes on the back, shoulders, cheat, and arms. The incidence of acne is greatest during puberty, adolescence, and when hormones influencing the secretion of oil glands are at their peak level of activity such as during stress, emotional problems, menstruation, and exercising. Another cause of acne can be dirt, oil and dead skin, accumulated inside the pores, plugging the pores and preventing the flow of sebum. When bacteria builds up, pimples can form and acne may develop, often as an indication of an internal toxin condition. Other causes or contributing factors include allergies, a poor diet, dehydration, environmental pollution, heredity, sun over exposure, and weaken immunity.

Eczema can occur anywhere on the body. The symptoms of eczema include itching, redness, dry/flaky skin, and even blisters.  Eczema is a common skin disease. Eczema is dry, rough, red, itchy, skin dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. The most common symptom that people complain about is the itch that is a side effect of eczema. It's sometimes called the 'itch that rashes', meaning that once you start scratching, you develop a rash.

Psoriasis is a non-contagious disorder, which affects the skin. As a result, itchy, scaly red patches appear, often on the elbows, hands, feet, and scalp, but they can show up on other parts of your body. Usually, what happens is new skin cells take about a month or so to move from the deepest skin layer where they're produced, to the surface where they die and flake off. With psoriasis, the entire skin cell life cycle takes only days.

Seborrheic dermatitis causes yellowish scales to develop on the scalp, the chest, ears, face, nose, the hairline and the eyebrows. Seborrhea affects areas of the skin with abundant oil glands - When oil glands secrete abnormal amounts of oil glands secrete abnormal amounts of oil and skin cells grow at twice the normal rate, the skin produces red eruptions with thick crusting and scaliest. The oily, pinkish - yellow scales resemble dandruff and may itch and flake.