I am not averse to vitamin, holistic, or homeopathic therapies, if there are any. Eczema runs in families with allergies, such as hay fever or asthma. No one knows what causes eczema. There is no cure, but several treatments for eczema are available. It is impossible to know exactly how any one treatment will affect each and every patient.
Treatment involves a good deal of trial and error.
Corticosteroid creams or ointments applied topically are the most effective medications known. The major hazard of topical steroids is skin atrophy. This results from regular use of stronger creams, especially on the face, but this would be unusual with hydrocortisone. Emollients, sedating antihistamines at night, antibiotics, bandaging, and avoidance of irritant detergents, clothing, fabrics, perfumes, dyes, and metals, among other things, are other treatments. The most common foods eliminated are nuts, tomatoes, milk, eggs, and cereals.