{"id":5402,"date":"2022-12-06T12:56:52","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T20:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=5402"},"modified":"2023-03-15T12:40:15","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T19:40:15","slug":"eczema-explained-part-2-melanin-rich-skin-and-eczema-misdiagnosis-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/eczema-explained-part-2-melanin-rich-skin-and-eczema-misdiagnosis-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Eczema explained, part 2: Is melanin-rich skin more prone to misdiagnosis? Plus, other myths and mistakes you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Clinically reviewed by:<\/strong>\u00a0Alexander Zuriarrain, MD, FACS<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Eczema, a skin disorder characterized by itchy, patchy, irritable skin, affects some 31.6 million Americans\u2014roughly 10% of the population. <\/sup>The condition is prevalent and it\u2019s not uncommon for well-known symptoms like flakiness and itch<\/a> to inspire an uninformed (or Google spree-informed) self-diagnosis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the internet era, we all know it can be challenging to separate the wheat from the chaff, particularly when it comes to clinical conditions and especially<\/em> in skin of color. Let\u2019s take a moment to tackle the six most common eczema <\/a>myths, as well as the truth behind them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is eczema? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dermatologists<\/a> today recognize a total of seven<\/em> different types of eczema<\/a>, whose symptoms can vary from mild to severe (from a barely-there nuisance to extreme, full-body irritation). In this article, we\u2019ll be focusing on one of the most common types: atopic dermatitis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema, usually appears in early childhood and while some cases go away, others may experience severe cases. While a common symptom includes itching, there are a few other hallmark symptoms of atopic dermatitis: <\/p>\n\n\n\n