Overview
Eczema is a group of conditions that cause the skin barrier to work less well, leading to dryness, itching, and inflammation. The most common type is atopic dermatitis. Symptoms may improve for periods and then flare again, and severity can range from mild to severe.
Key Symptoms
Common symptoms include dry skin, itching, rash, redness or darker patches, and rough or scaly areas. In some people, the skin may crack, ooze, crust, or become thickened from repeated scratching. Symptoms can appear on the face, hands, inside the elbows, behind the knees, feet, or other body areas.
Causes and Risk Factors
Eczema is linked to a combination of genes, immune system activity, and a weakened skin barrier. Triggers can include soaps, detergents, fragrances, dust, sweating, dry air, heat, cold weather, stress, and some fabrics such as wool. A personal or family history of eczema, asthma, or allergies can raise the chance of having it.
Who Is Affected
Eczema is common in infants and children, but it can start at any age and continue into adulthood. Some people improve as they get older, while others have long-term symptoms. It affects people of all skin tones, and redness may look less obvious on darker skin.
Prevention
Eczema cannot always be prevented, but careful skin care can help reduce flares. Using gentle skin-care products, moisturizing regularly, avoiding known triggers, and keeping baths or showers lukewarm may help protect the skin barrier. Keeping nails short may also reduce skin damage from scratching.
Diagnosis and Tests
A healthcare professional usually diagnoses eczema by asking about symptoms, medical history, and triggers, and by examining the skin. There is no single test that confirms eczema in every case. Sometimes testing may be used to rule out infection, contact allergy, or other skin conditions.
Treatment Categories
Treatment often includes regular use of moisturizers and other skin-barrier care. A healthcare professional may also recommend treatments to reduce inflammation, control itching, or treat infection if it develops. Treatment plans depend on age, body area, symptom severity, and how often flares happen.
Living With It
Eczema can affect sleep, school, work, mood, and confidence, especially when itching is severe or visible skin changes are present. Tracking triggers and flare patterns may help with day-to-day management. Children may need extra support to avoid scratching and to follow skin-care routines.
Diet and Lifestyle
Diet is not a trigger for everyone with eczema. Some people notice certain foods seem to worsen symptoms, but food restriction should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional, especially for children. Managing stress, avoiding overheating, wearing soft breathable clothing, and following a regular skin-care routine may help reduce flares.
When to Seek Medical Care
Seek medical care if the rash is new, spreading, very painful, affecting sleep, or not improving with basic skin care. Also get medical advice if the skin looks infected, such as with increasing redness, warmth, swelling, pus, yellow crusting, or fever. Medical review is also important if eczema affects the eyes, hands, genitals, or a baby’s skin.
When It May Be an Emergency
Urgent medical attention is needed if there are signs of a severe skin infection, rapidly worsening rash, trouble breathing, swelling of the face or lips, or if a person becomes very unwell. Emergency care is also needed for widespread painful blisters, skin peeling, or high fever with a severe rash.
Questions to Ask a Healthcare Professional
You may want to ask what type of eczema is most likely, what triggers might be involved, and how to care for the skin between flares. It may also help to ask how to recognize infection, when to return for review, and whether another condition such as contact dermatitis or allergy could be contributing.