Eczema

What is Eczema?

An eczema victim’s skin not only becomes inflamed, but also usually develops a persistent itchiness – often with blisters that weep and then form dry scabs and crusts. Mostly it strikes during childhood and clears up after puberty and adolescence. However, many people are affected in later life especially housewives with an allergy to bleaches, detergents, wax polishes and so on, who get eczema on their hands.

The two most common forms

• Contact eczema: which develops in minutes and is caused by reactions to anything from rubber shoes to metal watchstraps.
• Atopic eczema: which usually affects people with a family history of asthma or hay fever, and can take months or years to develop, appearing at any time.