A Q and A on Eczema

A chronic inflammatory skin condition causing dry, itchy, inflamed skin.

Key takeaways

• Mainstay of treatment: emollients, used generously and often
• Typical emollient quantity: far more than most people use; hundreds of grams a week
• Most useful single change: Use emollient several times a day, including when the skin looks clear.
• Commonest mistake: Soap and detergent-based washes.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

What is Eczema?

A chronic inflammatory skin condition causing dry, itchy, inflamed skin.

Why does it matter?

It is managed rather than cured, and the single most common reason treatment fails is using far too little emollient and too little steroid.

Mainstay of treatment for Eczema?

Emollients, used generously and often.

Typical emollient quantity for Eczema?

Far more than most people use; hundreds of grams a week.

Topical steroids for Eczema?

Matched in strength to severity and site, used in short courses.

Fingertip unit for Eczema?

The standard measure for applying topical steroid.

What is the single most useful thing to do?

Use emollient several times a day, including when the skin looks clear.

What is the most common mistake?

Soap and detergent-based washes.

When should I see a doctor?

See a GP urgently for rapidly worsening eczema with fever, painful clustered blisters or punched-out sores, which can indicate eczema herpeticum — a medical emergency. Also seek advice for weeping, crusting or yellow discharge suggesting bacterial infection, or for eczema that is not responding to treatment.

Where to go next

• Eczema for Beginners: Where to Start
• Eczema at a Glance
• Eczema — the reference entry
• Acne: What Published Guidance Supports
• What the Guidance Really Says About Psoriasis

When to speak to a doctor

See a GP urgently for rapidly worsening eczema with fever, painful clustered blisters or punched-out sores, which can indicate eczema herpeticum — a medical emergency. Also seek advice for weeping, crusting or yellow discharge suggesting bacterial infection, or for eczema that is not responding to treatment.

Where this comes from

• NICE — Eczema - atopic clinical knowledge summary
• National Eczema Society — treatment

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.