It’s allergy season and for many people that means sneezing,
coughing, watery eyes and trouble breathing – there’s nothing worse. Much to
our dismay, the prevalence of allergic disorders, such as atopic dermatitis (a
skin inflammation brought on by allergies) has been steadily increasing in the
past decade for reasons not yet known.
Previously, it had been thought that atopy is caused by a
primary dysfunction of the immune system. Consequently, attempts were made to
treat the condition through various methods, all aimed at weakening the immune
system activity at the cost of often severe side effects such as an increase in
the presence of infectious complications.
However, in recent studies, immunological abnormalities have
been found to occur in allergic disorders as a result of a primary defect
residing within the skin barrier.