Haidak Medical Reporter Lee Yoon-seung DirectorㅣSource: Haidak
“Even if it feels like my underwear is rubbing even a little, it itch”
“Even if I change to less irritating and comfortable underwear, the itching doesn’t get better.”
If you have atopy or eczema on your chest, you usually complain of similar discomfort. The location of the symptoms also shows similarities. Symptoms may occur sporadically in the breast area, but usually symptoms appear along the wires or strings of underwear. The same goes for the back side. There are no symptoms in areas where the underwear does not reach, but the itching is most severe in the area where the string touches, especially where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect. Many people think that it is a problem with the underwear they are wearing and try replacing it with a wire-free bra or cotton product, but it is rare to see an improvement in symptoms. In order to treat the symptoms of atopic eczema along the chest underwear line, it is necessary to understand ‘tactile defense’.
Tactile defenses influencing atopic eczema pathogenesis
Tactile defense refers to a state in which the sense of contact with the flesh is particularly hypersensitive. People with tactile defenses show sensitivity to stimuli to which others do not. It is not difficult to see people around who say that they cannot wear a scarf or a neck tee because they feel uncomfortable about something touching their neck. This is a typical example of tactile defense. When wearing underwear, a slight stimulation is applied to the skin, but generally, as time passes, the sense of being rubbed or pressed becomes insensitive. However, in the case of atopic eczema patients, their skin is very sensitive, so even weak stimuli show tactile defense symptoms and become very sensitive to itching. If you scratch the itch, the area continues to be damaged, and atopy becomes severe starting from the area where underwear touches, and furthermore, any part of the body where friction occurs, such as the area where the waistline of the pants touches or the panty line in the groin, causes atopy Eczema easily occurs.
To treat atopic eczema induced by tactile defense
It is difficult to expect improvement in symptoms simply by becoming accustomed to the sensation in a situation where the feeling of touch leads to itching, which causes damage to the skin and accelerates inflammation of the skin. In order to treat atopic eczema caused by this sensitivity to touch, it is necessary to create an environment in the body so that the nervous system can react less sensitively. In order to suppress the activation of the nervous system, treatment is needed to prevent the body from generating unnecessary heat. In general, the nervous system responds sensitively to heat. So when we touch or stroke an object, if our hands are frozen, we do not feel it because our senses are dulled, but if our hands are warm, we can perceive the texture better. Because of that, if a lot of heat is generated in the body unnecessarily or if the heat is not well discharged, the body becomes more sensitive to the senses. In particular, the nerves that feel itching tend to be more active in warm temperatures, so if you have atopy or eczema, lowering the skin temperature with a cold pack will reduce itching. Therefore, in a situation where atopic eczema symptoms are caused and worsened by tactile defense, it is very important not only to lower the temperature of the skin surface, but also to reduce unnecessary heat generated in the body.
To dissipate unnecessary heat in the body
The unnecessary heat in the human body is not relieved simply by taking cold water frequently or taking cold food or drinks. Rather, cold food can cause irritation to the digestive system. Rather than practicing folk remedies or management methods you’ve heard of somewhere, it’s more important to figure out the exact cause of unnecessary heat in your body. After that, treatment and management suitable for my cause should continue. However, there are so many factors that can generate heat in the body. In some cases, fever cannot be relieved due to a problem with sweat secretion, and even if you have chronic rhinitis symptoms, your body may not be able to relieve heat well. It is very difficult to determine the cause in an individual situation without medical expertise. Therefore, it is wise to visit a medical institution to get an accurate diagnosis, determine the cause, and receive appropriate treatment.
Written by Haidak Medical Reporter Lee Yoon-seung (oriental medicine doctor)
<전문가 칼럼은 하이닥 의견과 다를 수 있습니다.>
<저작권©언론사 하이닥, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지>
