Signs and Symptoms of Eczema

Medically reviewed by Susan Bard, MD

Eczema—also called dermatitis—is a name for a group of common skin conditions that share many symptoms and triggers. Common symptoms of eczema as a whole include itchiness, inflammation of the skin, and changes in skin tone, among others. Eczema affects over 31 million people in the United States, or about 1 in 10 people. These statistics are the same for both adults and children.

Eczema symptoms can be triggered by a variety of factors, including medications, temperature, and exposure to environmental allergens or irritants. Exposure to these triggers causes your body to mistake them for something harmful, causing an immune response that is meant to fight the trigger. Since there is nothing that your body actually needs to fight, the overactive immune response instead causes eczema symptoms.

Common Symptoms of Eczema

Even though eczema is a term for a group of conditions, these conditions share some common symptoms. Symptoms include:

• Dry skin: A hallmark symptom of eczema is dry, scaly skin. Your skin may become so dry that it cracks and bleeds.

• Itchiness: Dry skin can contribute to excessive itchiness. Scratching may cause your skin to become red, inflamed, and even swollen. These affected areas can feel particularly warm to the touch.

• Raised patches or scales: Dry skin can build up on itself, developing a thick, leathery texture.

• Changes in skin tone: Skin changes generally cause a red appearance in people with lighter skin and a brown, purple, or gray appearance in people with darker skin. This is known as hyperpigmentation. Eczema can also cause hypopigmentation.

Not everyone with eczema will experience all of these symptoms. Symptoms may vary depending on if your eczema is mild or severe. Different triggers may also cause different symptoms, so it's important to identify your triggers and how they affect you.

Symptoms by Type

While there are some overarching symptoms of eczema, there are different types of eczema, each with its own set of triggers and symptoms. These types include atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, dyshidrotic dermatitis, nummular eczema, status dermatitis, asteatotic eczema, and neurodermatitis.

Atopic Dermatitis

This is the most common type of eczema, so much so that it is commonly used as an interchangeable term. It is also known as atopic eczema. Atopic dermatitis primarily causes more of the symptoms associated with all forms of eczema: dry, itchy rashes and flare-ups of inflamed skin. It can develop anywhere on the body but is especially prone to the hands, feet, face, and inner folds of the elbows and knees.

It is common for patches of affected skin to come and go, flaring up when you're exposed to excessive triggers.

Atopic dermatitis is more common among children and babies, though symptoms usually improve or go away with age. However, you can continue to have atopic eczema into adulthood or first develop it as an adult.

Contact Dermatitis

Contact eczema, or contact dermatitis, occurs when your skin comes in contact with a substance in your environment, such as an irritant or allergen. It often affects the hands, face, neck, or scalp, but can also be widespread on the body.

Contact dermatitis can cause you to have skin reactions to the sun, increase your risk of sunburn, and cause irritation when coming into contact with sunscreen. Oozing blisters may also occur.

Seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD), also known as seborrheic eczema, can cause skin inflammation and itchy scales that appear yellow and greasy. It mainly affects the scalp and other areas with more oil glands, such as around the eyebrows or above your lip, behind your ears, or on the upper chest. Seborrheic dermatitis can enflame the oil glands in the eyelids, causing blepharitis (eyelid inflammation) and crusting around your eye.

There are several types of SD, which can affect infants, teenagers, and adults. In babies, this condition often causes mild scaling on the scalp, known as cradle cap. Cradle cap usually starts at three months old and gets better on its own within four to six months.

In adolescents and adults, SD is often a recurring, long-term health concern. Dandruff is the most mild type that does not cause skin inflammation.

Dyshidrotic Eczema

Dyshidrotic eczema, which is also called pompholyx eczema, causes fluid-filled blisters called vesicles on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. These blisters are not rash-like and often itch and crust over within two to three weeks.

Dyshidrotic eczema isn't always considered to be its own type of eczema, as it describes the type of skin lesion and can be due to atopic or contact dermatitis.

Nummular Eczema

Nummular eczema, also known as discoid eczema and nummular dermatitis, causes itchy plaques—or raised, coin-sized lesions about 1–10 centimeters wide. Over time, the lesions may become clear in the center, resembling those of ringworm and psoriasis. It most often affects the legs and arms, though it can also affect the lower trunk (stomach and butt).

Stasis Dermatitis

Stasis dermatitis, or venous dermatitis, is most common in people with poor blood circulation in their leg veins—which most often affects older adults. It can be a result of other conditions, such as cardiovascular issues.

Stasis dermatitis causes rashes, dryness, plaques, crusting, and blisters on the skin of the lower leg, ankle, or foot—parts of the body that are already swollen from poor blood flow. Other symptoms may include itchiness, hyperpigmentation, and scaling of the skin. In rare cases, this condition can also affect the arms, namely alongside certain health conditions that disrupt blood flow. If the affected skin isn’t properly treated, it can turn into venous ulcers, which are open sores that are prone to infection.

Asteatotic Eczema

Asteatotic eczema causes itchy, scaly, dry lesions and cracked skin (fissures). Thus, it’s also known as xerosis (dry skin) or eczema craquelé (cracked eczema). It is the most common type of eczema in adults older than 60, but it can also affect younger adults.

Asteototic eczema can be strongly influenced by the seasons; it is especially common during the winter in places where heating can cause low humidity levels indoors. People with this type of eczema may see an improvement of symptoms in hotter, more humid areas.

Neurodermatitis

Neurodermatitis got its name due to its neurological component: onset is typically driven by experiencing psychological stressors.

Symptoms consist of dry, itchy patches that can turn into scaly, thick, or raised plaques with repeated scratching. Itching usually occurs at a few, select areas of the body (not a whole-body itch) and the plaques can result in a recurring urge to itch and scratch.

Also known as lichen simplex chronicus, chronic neurodermatitis typically affects adults ages 30 to 50. Patches most commonly affect the arms, hands, scalp, face, neck, and genitals, and can appear yellow to reddish brown.

When To See a Healthcare Provider

Eczema can be difficult to deal with, but there are several ways to treat it and reduce your symptoms. If you think you may have eczema, or you already have eczema and it's not improving or getting worse, make an appointment to see your healthcare provider.

A medical professional can examine you and, and, if needed, refer you to a specialist for treatment. The specialist will be chosen based on your provider's assessment of potential underlying causes. Dermatologists treat many types of eczema, but if your provider suspects allergies are at play, you could see an allergist.

If you develop an infection from your eczema—often characterized by worsening eczema symptoms and leaking white or yellow fluid—see your healthcare provider as soon as you can. Untreated infections can cause uncomfortable symptoms and, in some cases, systemic infections that require hospitalization.

Whether you have mild or severe eczema, prioritizing your physical and mental health by talking to your healthcare provider about your symptoms is an important first step.

A Quick Review

Eczema is a term for a group of conditions that cause dry, itchy skin. Skin may build up on itself, causing plaques, as well as changing color, which is called hyperpigmentation. Symptoms can vary based on the type of eczema you have and what is causing it. Symptoms can also fluctuate between mild and severe.

Scratching areas where you have eczema can cause your skin to crack and bleed, which can turn into an infection. Your healthcare provider can help you address these symptoms early on to avoid worsening them and experiencing complications.

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