How to Recognize Eczema
Eczema (atopic dermatitis, or AD) is a skin disease often characterized by visible red patches that cause itching. When scratching the itch, the red, bumpy rash of eczema appears or becomes worse. That means scratching the itchy skin rash only leads to more itching, which leads to more scratching. And on and on. The rash of eczema progresses, and you’re caught in the itch-scratch cycle. Repeated scratching of the itchy skin can also lead to open sores, which may become infected. Children’s skin affected by eczema becomes dry, scaly, and thick and may appear darker than the surrounding healthy skin.
In very young children, eczema usually appears on the face, scalp, arms, and legs. As children get older, the itchy rash of eczema appears in the skin-fold areas—the fronts of the elbows, backs of the knees, inside the wrists, near the ankles, and around the neck.
In teenagers, eczema may appear around the eyelids, neck, hands, and wrists or in the creases of the elbows and knees.