Eczema is the name for a group of conditions that can make your skin irritated, inflamed, and itchy. Your doctor may call it atopic dermatitis, which is also the most common type of eczema. You’re more likely to get eczema when you’re a child, but adults can get it, too.The symptoms you have and where they show up on your body vary from person to person. You might have one or more of these signs:
Itching
Dry, sensitive skin
Rough or scaly areas
Red patches on white skin
Gray or violet-brown patches on dark skin
Oozing or crusty skin from scratching
Swelling
Several health problems can bring on similar symptoms, so it’s important to talk to your doctor, a dermatologist, or an allergist to find out what’s going on with your skin. They might tell you that you have one of these conditions that looks like eczema but isn’t:
Psoriasis. This long-term condition is partly due to your immune system attacking your skin by mistake. Both psoriasis and eczema can bring on symptoms like:
Red, scaly patches
Dry, cracked skin
Itching
Eczema patches tend to be thinner than psoriasis patches. Another difference: Fluid can ooze from your skin with eczema.
