EczemaZones - Patient and Carer Zone

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1. Home
2. What is eczema?
   
   1. What causes eczema?
   2. Why has my child got eczema?
   3. Will my child's eczema get better or go away?
   4. What causes my child's eczema to flare-up?
   5. How do I look out for signs of infection?
3. How treatment works
   
   1. Getting to grips with your child's emollient »
      
      1. Ointments, creams, lotions or gels
      2. Building a daily emollient routine
   2. Using topical steroids with confidence
   3. Other treatments available to your child
   4. Seeing a specialist
4. Living with eczema
   
   1. Supporting your child
   2. Coping with sleep disturbance
5. More info
6. Accessibility

Why has my child got eczema?

Why some people get it and others don't is a bit of a mystery – but you are not alone because as many as 1 in 5 children has atopic (allergic) eczema, the most common form of eczema. Eczema often runs in families, which means your child is much more likely to have it if either parent had eczema as a child (or still has eczema or dry skin problems). It is also very likely to have first appeared when your child was young.

Children who suffer from atopic eczema are also more likely to develop other allergic conditions as they grow up, such as asthma and hayfever.

This is sometimes called the 'Allergic triangle' and you'll see that all three conditions can be triggered by the same things – find out more by reading our page about triggers.

Will my child's eczema get better or go away? » « What causes eczema?