Facial Eczema: Symptoms, Complaints, Signs

The following symptoms and complaints may indicate facial eczema:

Symptoms

  • Facial eczema defined by the stages of acute or chronic eczema:
    • Erythema (planar redness) [acute eczema reaction].
    • With/without primary efflorescences.
      • Vesicles (vesicles)
      • Papules (nodules), pustules (pustules).
    • With/without secondary florescences.
      • Crusta (crust, bark)
      • Squama (dander)
      • Lichenification (extensive leathery change in the skin due to increase in thickness and coarsening of the skin structure) [chronic eczema].

Localization

  • Concerning the complete face vs. predominantly perioral (around the mouth).
  • Restricted to the face vs. skin changes in other body regions.

Associated symptoms

Caveat.

Warning signs (red flags)

  • Anamnestic information:
    • Age > 40 years → think of:
      • Rosacea (initially erythema (skin redness), later telangiectasias (vascular dilatation; couperosis) and papules or pustules).
      • seborrheic eczema (greasy scaling, yellow foci; on a reddened base); these occur preferentially in the following areas:
        • Eyebrows
        • Hairline
        • Between lip and nose
        • Welding channel
  • Acute onset of unilateral facial eczema + facial edema → think of: Herpes zoster (shingles)
  • In acne excoriata (acne with scratching consequences) → think of: accompanying mental illness.