These conditions can be extremely uncomfortable and affect your self confidence. Fortunately there are many things you can do to soothe the symptoms, making eczema easier to live with. The word 'eczema' comes from Greek and literally means 'boiling over'.
Normal skin acts as a barrier to prevent water loss and stop skin irritants from penetrating.
If you have eczema your skin doesn't do this as effectively as it should, leading to dryness, itching and cracked, scaly skin which lets in bacteria and allergens that can cause an allergic reaction. It is not a contagious condition. There are many types of eczema, varying in intensity from mild to severe, but the most common are atopic eczema and contact dermatitis. Atopic eczema is the body's over-reaction to foreign substances, causing the skin to become red, inflamed and very itchy. It tends to occur in people who have a natural tendency to develop allergies such as asthma, hayfever and food allergies.