Atopic eczema is the most common form of eczema. You may have also heard it called atopic dermatitis. Whichever name your or your physician have given the condition, you may already be familiar with its symptoms.

If you have atopic eczema, you already know that it causes severe drying of the skin, which soon leads to a powerful itch and possibly redness and inflammation. You must be careful, however, as too much itching will only worsen your condition. If you scratch too much, you may cause the skin to split.

Adding broken skin to an already irritated area will leave your skin more prone to both irritation and possibly even infection. If the area becomes infected, it may lead to further skin cracking as well as wetness and oozing around the infected site.

As with most types of eczema, doctors are not yet sure of the cause, though they have presented several ideas. The majority of people now believe that atopic eczema has a strong relation to the person having skin that is sensitive to certain allergens that happen to be in the every day environment.

These allergens usually do not bother anyone, but people who are susceptible to them can develop atopic eczema. Other thoughts are that atopic eczema is brought on by or associated with asthma, hay fever, and conjunctivitis.

Atopic eczema may also be a hereditary condition. Though this does not mean if your father or mother had atopic eczema you are automatically going to catch it, as the condition is not like a virus or other contractible illnesses, but it can mean you are more likely to develop the chronic condition.

Some have also linked atopic eczema to food allergies. While this may or may not be the case with your eczema, if you are not sure, you can keep a food diary and make notes when you have an eczema outbreak and what foods you are eating. By doing so, you may successfully find out whether or not a food allergy is causing your eczema. If you do find that a certain food item is the cause of your eczema, cutting out that food item from your diet may help your eczema improve.

To help your atopic eczema, there are several things you can do. An important method of treatment is to keep your skin moisturized to help with the dryness. In your case, you will want a strong moisturizing cream, usually an emollient which will help add and lock in moisture to your skin. Do not underestimate the benefits an emollient can give you, and once you start using one and see results, continue to use it, as failing to do so will probably only lead to a relapse in your eczema.

Naturally, if you figure out what your possible allergens are, such as detergents and chemicals, do what you can to avoid them entirely. Doing so should help your eczema improve, and with the right treatments, you should see better results.

There are certain types of steroids and/or steroid creams out there that can help your eczema. Most people see the word steroid and think negative thoughts (or thoughts of bodybuilders) and avoid the possibilities that steroids have to offer. However, many types of eczema can be treated with steroid creams, so ask your doctor if the use of steroids can give you some relief from your eczema.

You do not have to needlessly suffer with atopic eczema. There are several possibilities out there for you to find out what is causing your eczema and how to treat it. As long as you continue to take good care of your skin in a routine manner, your eczema should be held at bay and you should be left with calmer skin altogether.