The symptoms of atopic eczema may always be present, but during a flare-up they will worsen and you or your child may need more intense treatment.
Atopic eczema can cause your skin to become:
- dry,
- itchy,
- red,
- broken,
- thickened and
- cracked.
During a flare-up, your skin may be:
- extremely itchy, red, hot, dry and scaly,
- wet, weeping and swollen, and
- infected with bacteria (usually staphylococcus).
The symptoms of atopic eczema will vary according to how severely you or your child are affected by the condition.
People with mild atopic eczema will normally only experience small areas of dry skin, which are occasionally itchy. However, in more severe cases, atopic eczema can cause widespread dry skin, constant itching and oozing fluid.
Scratching can disrupt your sleep and make your skin bleed. It can also make an itch worse and an itch-scratch cycle may develop, with regular scratching. In children, this can lead to sleepless nights and difficulty concentrating at school.
