Eczema is a widespread skin condition that affects different parts of the body. It generally starts with the skin becoming red, scaly, oozing, blistering, brownish and very itchy. Atopic eczema is one type of eczema. Atopic eczema is also referred to as atopic dermatitis. Atopic refers to the skin becoming inflamed and can also include the nose and the linings of the lungs. Atopic eczema like other allergies is often hereditary. Other allergies that are often passed down are asthma, hay fever and sensitive skin. It is common that if one person in the family has atopic eczema, then other family members (fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, mothers and uncles) will also have a similar or the same skin condition.

Atopic eczema is extremely common throughout the worlds population with around three% of the population in the US affected and 10% of infants worldwide affected by this particular skin condition. Atopic eczema can occur at anytime in some ones life, but it is more common in babies and young adults. Approximately 65 percent of people who suffer from atopic eczema develop symptoms before their first birthday. The most common areas of breakout are on the arms, neck, ears, forehead and legs. It usually starts in one place on the body and then spreads to other areas.

There is no know instant cure for atopic eczema, however there are various treatment plans than can be used to combat the eczema. If you visit your dermatologist or doctor, one of the first things that they will suggest is a change of lifestyle. Your lifestyle may not be the primary cause of the atopic eczema, but it may be contributing to the common flare-ups and may also aggravate the blisters and lesions that you are trying to get rid of. The dermatologist or doctor will often perform an allergy test to find out if you are coming into contact with any known allergens on a daily basis. These can include detergents of scented creams, soaps and lotions. Sufferers of atopic eczema will often have extremely dry skin. This can be caused by the eczema or can be a result of it. A regular mistake made by some sufferers (usually woman) is to increase the number of and amount of lotions and creams they use on their skin. The mistake that they are making is using the popular scented and fragranced creams rather than unscented varieties. These types of lotions and creams can often trigger other allergies.

If you visit your dermatologist or doctor, they will usually give you a list of lotions or creams that you can apply to your skin that will ease the itchiness and soothe any burning sensations. You may be able to buy some of these over the counter, but some may be prescription only based drugs depending on the severity of the eczema. To treat your atopic eczema correctly it is important to see your dermatologist or doctor in the beginning stages of the eczema. The sooner you start a course of treatment the sooner you will start to recover. Remember, do not stress about your eczema as this is a key contributing factor to many cases of eczema.

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