What is eczema?

Medically reviewed by Dr. Linsey Mutch, Paediatrician

Written by The BabyCentre UK Editorial Team

Image Copyright © 2014 Dr P. Marazzi / Science Source. All Rights Reserved.

What is eczema?

Eczema is a dry, itchy skin condition that affects somewhere between 15 and 20 per cent of children at some point. It usually appears for the first time before your child is two.

Eczema ranges from mild cases to very severe cases. The skin will look dry, red, thickened and scaly and feel rough to the touch. It's often itchy and may even ooze fluid and bleed. The areas most affected in babies are the hands, face, neck, elbows and backs of the knees. See our visual guide to common childhood rashes for pictures of eczema.

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Eczema can be extremely distressing in babies because they find it very difficult not to scratch. In some cases the itchiness from eczema can disturb your child's sleep. The scratching breaks the skin and makes the skin less effective as a barrier against infections.

Are there different kinds of eczema?

There are many kinds of eczema. The most common kinds include:

Atopic eczema
This sometimes occurs in babies with a history of allergies or a family history of allergies, although not always. Atopic (or atopy) means an inherited tendency to have eczema, asthma, and/or hayfever.
Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD)
This type of eczema results from a skin reaction linked to a specific substance, such as nickel in play jewellery. However, the reaction may spread to affect other areas of skin. A child with atopic eczema can develop contact dermatitis as well, so the two skin problems sometimes occur together.
Irritant contact dermatitis
This kind of eczema is from contact with irritating everyday chemicals and substances like detergents or soaps. This kind of eczema often occurs in babies with atopic dermatitis (ESC 2012).

The good news is that most children who have eczema will grow out of the condition by the time they are in their teens (BAD 2005, NICE 2007). Eczema can't be cured, but it can be controlled with the right treatments.

What causes eczema?

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what causes eczema. Genetics, environment and your baby's developing immune system are all possible culprits.

While the causes are not known, it is known that eczema affects the skin in "flares" or "flare-ups". Your baby's skin may have red and itchy patches of skin most of the time, but during flare-ups these areas worsen and may need more intensive treatment.

There are several things that are thought to cause flares in eczema including reactions to a specific food, dust mites, changes in temperature and skin irritants.

What else might be causing that rash?

There are other rashes that you might mistake for eczema. Here are a few examples:

Impetigo: Impetigo first shows up as red bumps or blisters, often on the face. The blisters may be tiny and burst easily or be larger and burst after a few days. After the blisters burst and dry, a scabby yellow-brown crust forms. Impetigo can hurt and itch. Take your baby to her doctor if you suspect impetigo.

Diaper rash: Diaper rash is a red, inflamed area on your baby's bottom. The rash may affect her genitals, outer skin on her thighs and her bottom. The areas can look dry or moist and they are sometimes shiny or pimply. You can usually treat diaper rash at home.

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Yeast infection: Sometimes a diaper rash or skin rash is actually a yeast infection. A yeast infection rash will be well-defined and beefy red, with slightly raised borders and "satellite" lesions (red lesions a slight distance from the main rash). Your child's skin may also be scaly.

Another clue: A yeast rash tends to hang around for more than two days and doesn't respond to any traditional diaper rash treatments. It also usually shows up in the skin folds of the groin area but can show up on any skin surface.

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Sources

BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.

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The BabyCentre UK Editorial Team

BabyCentre UK’s talented team of editors and writers has decades of experience creating inspiring content

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What is eczema?

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What causes eczema?

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