Eczema is a disease in a form of dermatitis or inflammation of the epidermis. The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes that are characterized by one or more of these symptoms: redness, skin edema (swelling), itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. Areas of temporary skin discoloration may appear and are sometimes due to healed lesions, although scarring up is rare. In contrast to psoriasis, eczema is often likely to be found on the flexor aspect of joints. Two common forms of Eczema are:

• Atopic eczema (aka infantile e., flexural e., atopic dermatitis) is an allergic disease believed to have a hereditary component and often runs in families whose members also have hay fever and asthma. Itchy rash is particularly noticeable on head and scalp, neck, inside of elbows, behind knees, and buttocks. Experts are urging doctors to be more vigilant in weeding out cases that are, in actuality, irritant contact dermatitis. It is very common in developed countries, and rising.
• Contact dermatitis is of two types: allergic (resulting from a delayed reaction to some allergen, such as poison ivy or nickel), and irritant (resulting from direct reaction to a detergent, such as sodium lauryl sulfate). Some substances act both as allergen and irritant (wet cement, for example). Other substances cause a problem after sunlight exposure, bringing on phototoxic dermatitis. About three quarters of cases of contact eczema are of the irritant type, which is the most common occupational skin disease. Contact eczema is curable, provided the offending substance can be avoided and its traces removed from one’s environment.

How to minimize eczema:

• Contact eczema is curable, provided the offending substance can be avoided and its traces removed from one’s environment.
• When cleansing the area, use a gentle cleanser with a neutral pH, such as Lexli's cleansing lotion.
• Apply pharmaceutical grade Aloe Vera skin care products to the area to reduce inflammation.
• Proper chemical exfoliation in the area using ingredients such as glycolic acid will help slough the skin cells and reduce the itching, dryness, flaking and prevent the eczema from getting worse.
• Apply a thicker emollient cream to relieve the dryness and itching

Do you have eczema, and what do you use on your skin to minimize the problem? References: Wikipedia