Eczema.com

In a discussion of acne, the answer to “who gets it”?” is pretty obvious. Although it can occur at just about any age, acne is mostly a teen skin problem. What about eczema? Who gets it?

The short answer is, a lot of people. According to the National Institute of Health and other investigations, approximately 10% of the U.S. population has, have, or will have eczema of one form or another. No one, regardless of age, health, gender, or lifestyle, is immune to eczema.

Infants

The age group most subject to eczema is the youngest among us. Infants have the highest rate of eczema occurrences, usually affecting 20% of all infants. In most cases, the eczema is mild to medium in its severity, and will vanish in the first few years of the child’s life.

Elderly

The elderly population, those over age 65, is also commonly subjected to eczema. For this group, dry and cracked skin is the common complaint (the condition is called eczema craquelé) and usually occurs in the extremities. It is caused by a decrease of moisture in the outer layers of the skin, and as would be expected, usually sets in during the dry winter months.

Genetically Predisposed

Like many diseases, no one knows exactly what causes eczema. There are, of course, culprits that are viewed as highly suspicious, but the exact cause or trigger has yet to be determined. One indisputable fact is that those who most commonly get eczema have a family history of eczema.

In this way, eczema is similar to hay fever and asthma, and interestingly enough, is located on the same gene that carries these illnesses. The hereditary form of eczema is one of the most common forms of eczema. It is called atopic dermatitis.

Despite these two groups, which are most likely to have eczema, the skin disorder can crop up in one form or another upon anyone at anytime in life.