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One person in four suffers from a form eczema during their lifetime; this irritating, often distressing condition may affect anybody at any age.

Eczema is an inherited allergy to anything from food to plants to jewelry to clothing. People with eczema often have other allergies, like asthma or hay fever. With this condition, an itchy, scaly rash appears on the face or in warm, moist areas of the body, such as behind the knees and ears, or inside the elbows. The skin may flake off, followed by the appearance of small, red pimples that leak clear fluid when scratched.
80% of eczema sufferers have their condition aggrevated by dust mites, and night time can be the worst time for itchiness and overheating. Dust mites cannot live in a home with low humidity, so a good quality dehumidifier will help. Effective elimination of dust mites in the home can also be achieved with good quality cleaning products; vacuums, air filters and steam cleaners.
The use of steroid creams, topical antibiotics or anti-inflammatory although useful in the short term or for acute phases, is not to be recommended for long term management of eczema, as it offers no prospect of actual cure or remission of the condition.The side effects or potential risks associated with the long term use of steroids creams and topical antibiotics rarely outweigh the benefit of this kind of symptomatic medication.
Eczema is frequently aggravated by stress, poor diet, excessive consumption of alcohol; modest changes of lifestyle may bring some marked improvement.
Should eczema sufferers be tested for allergies?
Since eczema includes unexpected reactions to common things that are associated with asthma and hay fever (e.g., dust and pollens), eczema is associated with these two diseases and considered to be an allergic disease.
With this in mind, allergy testing is particularly helpful to people with eczema under specific circumstances.
However, a positive allergy test is not the end of the investigation. A suspected food allergy must be confirmed by a "challenge" with the suspected food under the direction of your therapist.
To do this, the patient must eat the suspected food for a while. If there is a flare-up of eczema, the link between the food and the flare-up can be considered positive.
In addition, both children and adults with eczema may develop allergic contact dermatitis from agents that contact the skin. This includes fragrances and preservatives in moisturizing creams and ointments, antibiotics, and even corticosteroid creams.
 Many sufferers scratch themselves to the point of developing a bacterial infection of the skin. Weeping from the skin or golden crusting are usually indications of infection.
In such a case, the use of antibiotic may be unavoidable.
Avoid applications of alcohol, astringents, drying lotions or powders to your skin.  They can be over drying.

Alternative medicine is able to bring rapid relief in most cases, and offers safer and better long term solutions to chronic eczema sufferers.
• Acupuncture, herbal medicine and homeopathy can be very effective in the long term treatment of eczema; often, a combination of these techniques is even more beneficial.
• Eczema need to be treated externally, using essential oils in a cream or carrier oil base to reduce quickly inflammation or itching, and to prevent localised bacterial or fungal activity.
Good natural moisturisers are important for maintining the skin in good condition.
• Acupuncture is remarkable for its almost instant effect on stress and is also effective in its own right in reducing inflammation and itching.
• Chinese and Western Herbal Medicine or Homeopathy can treat the skin condition from within; eventually this may lead to complete cure or long term remission.
A successful treatment of chronic eczema need time and patience, but good result can be achieved even in the worst cases
First aid for eczema flare up:
Homeopathy: Arsenicum 30to reduce itching and scaling; Sulphur 30 may also be very helpful; try also ccalendula or Graphite cream
Chamomile infusion: to wash an itchy skin: very calming
Calendula oil with a few drops of lavender and Tea-Tree essential oil to reduce inflammation and the risk of infection