Eczema.com

How do you know if you have eczema? There are so many kinds of skin conditions, and the all-too typical redness, itchiness, and lesions that nearly any skin problem produce make it hard to tell what specific kind of skin condition you have. What are the symptoms of eczema?

Understanding Categories

First of all, it important to understand that you’re not the only one struggling with how to classify your skin problems. Healthcare professionals have the same conundrum. In fact, eczema is not just a single skin disorder. It is a general term for a collection of skin problems that vary in symptoms, intensity, duration, and effect. Don’t be disappointed if you can’t find a specific medical name for the skin condition you’re experiencing. Specific categories for every skin disease are just hard to come by sometimes.

Common Symptoms

• Itching. One of the first symptoms of eczema is itching. But it’s not the same type of itching that a mosquito bite produces. This kind of itching spreads over a wider area of skin, and seems to be a deeper itch than just the surface of the skin. Oh, and it lasts a lot longer, too.
• Redness. A common symptom of nearly every form of eczema is redness of the skin. The redness may be as simple as coloring of the skin, but often is accompanied by cracking, blistering, crusting, or oozing.
• Inflammation. When the skin gets red and puffy, it’s another sign that eczema may have set in. Inflamed skin sometimes burns and is usually sensitive to touch.

Other symptoms

• Swelling
• Cracking
• Crusting
• Flaking
• Dryness
• Scaling
• Blistering
• Rashes
• Lesions
• Small, firm raised red bumps

If you experience some of these symptoms, you may have eczema of some form or another. It is important to take the next step and determine the best way to treat the eczema.