health

People with eczema develop an itching, scaling, and swelling rash on the
skin that may form oozing open sores or yellow and red pimples. The rash
is most likely to affect the skin of the hands and feet, the arms, the area
behind the knees, and the ankles, wrists, face, neck, and upper chest.
Some people develop eczema on their eyelids or the skin around the eyes.
Scratching in this facial area may eventually cause the eyebrows and eyelashes
to fall out. Other people may develop an extra fold of skin under
the eyes from rubbing or scratching.
The most troublesome symptom of eczema for most patients is the
intense itching that accompanies the disease. An officer of the National
Eczema Association said in an interview, “It’s like having poison oak or
poison ivy twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, forever.” The
itching in turn can lead to sleeping difficulties—children with severe
eczema may lose as much as two hours of sleep per night—as well as
self-consciousness in social situations and other psychological
disturbances.