Force Health Care

Eczema is a chronic condition characterized by dry, red, swollen and extremely itchy skin. Eczema is not contagious but it is believed to have a hereditary connection. Research has identified the common trait that most of the time atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema, is inherited from one or both of an individual’s parents. If a person has one parent who suffers from eczema, they have a one-in-four chance of developing the condition. If both parents have eczema, the likelihood is increased to one-in-two chances. Most individuals who have two parents who suffer from eczema do indeed develop the skin disorder. Additionally, many people who develop eczema also have a genetic tendency to develop other allergy-related health problems such as hay fever and asthma.

Approximately thirty percent of infants will develop eczema. Luckily, many will outgrow it by the time they reach three to five years of age. In babies, it generally first appears between the ages of four to six months and it begins with the appearance of a red rash that might ooze fluid. It then spreads to the cheeks and the forehead and sometimes continues to the baby’s arms and legs. In the most severe of cases, a baby’s entire body may be covered with the skin disease. When a baby has cradle cap, or infantile seborrhoeic eczema, a great deal of scaling appears on the scalp although it does not itch.