Eczema

Skin, Hair & Detox CareImmune & Inflammation Support Care
Written By Jennifer Tang

Overview

Eczema, also called dermatitis, describes a group of conditions that cause dry, itchy, irritated, or inflamed skin. Symptoms can range from mild dryness to persistent itching, cracking, oozing, or thickened skin and often follow a pattern of flares and periods of improvement. Eczema is common in both children and adults and is not contagious.¹

At Tangible Health, we consider your eczema type, skin-care routine, flare patterns, irritant or allergen exposure, stress, sleep, nutrition, medications, and overall health. The goal is to support the skin barrier and identify relevant triggers while working alongside established eczema treatments when needed.

What Is Eczema?

Eczema is an umbrella term for several inflammatory skin conditions. Different types can look similar but may have different causes and require different approaches to treatment.¹ Common forms include:

  • Atopic dermatitis, the most common type, which is associated with skin-barrier dysfunction, immune activity, and genetic susceptibility

  • Contact dermatitis, caused by irritation or an allergic reaction after something comes into contact with the skin

  • Dyshidrotic eczema, which commonly causes intensely itchy blisters on the hands or feet

  • Seborrheic dermatitis, which typically affects oil-rich areas such as the scalp, face, and upper chest¹

Atopic dermatitis often begins in childhood but can continue into or first appear in adulthood. Treatment depends on the type of eczema, severity, affected areas, and individual triggers.¹˒²

Common Symptoms of Eczema

Eczema can appear differently depending on age, skin tone, body location, and the type of dermatitis.¹˒²

Skin Symptoms

  • Dry or rough skin

  • Intense itching

  • Red, pink, violet, brown, or greyish patches

  • Swelling or inflammation

  • Cracked or painful skin

  • Small bumps or blisters

  • Oozing or crusting during some flares

Common Areas

  • Face and neck

  • Hands and wrists

  • Inside the elbows

  • Behind the knees

  • Ankles and feet

  • Skin folds

Other Effects

  • Thickened skin from repeated scratching

  • Skin discoloration after a flare

  • Increased skin sensitivity

  • Sleep disruption from itching

Persistent itching can significantly affect sleep, concentration, mood, and overall quality of life.²

Causes & Contributing Factors

The causes of eczema depend partly on the type. Atopic dermatitis develops through an interaction of skin-barrier dysfunction, immune activity, genetics, and environmental exposures, while contact dermatitis results from direct irritation or allergic sensitization.¹˒²

Skin Barrier & Genetics
In atopic dermatitis, the skin barrier has more difficulty retaining moisture and protecting against irritants and environmental exposures. Genetics can influence this barrier function and the likelihood of developing eczema.¹˒²

Irritants, Allergens & Environment
Fragrances, soaps, detergents, cleaning products, certain cosmetics, wool or rough fabrics, sweat, heat, low humidity, and other exposures can aggravate eczema. Allergic contact dermatitis may require patch testing to identify a specific contact allergen.¹

Stress & Daily Habits
Stress can worsen eczema for some people, while itching itself can disrupt sleep and increase stress. Hot showers, scratching, excessive washing, overheating, and inconsistent moisturization may also contribute to flare-ups.¹

Allergic Conditions & Food Allergy
Atopic dermatitis is associated with other allergic conditions such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergy, particularly in children. However, food is not a common underlying cause of eczema in most adults, and routine elimination diets or broad food-sensitivity testing are not recommended for treating atopic dermatitis.³˒⁴˒⁵

When a true food allergy is suspected, assessment should be based on the clinical history and appropriate allergy testing rather than removing multiple foods without a clear indication.⁴˒⁵

Our Approach to Eczema

At Tangible Health, we focus on understanding your individual skin pattern and clinically relevant triggers rather than assuming eczema reflects a generalized gut, immune, or dietary imbalance.

Your Skin & Flare Pattern
We review when your eczema began, affected areas, severity of itching, skin-care products, bathing habits, environmental exposures, previous treatments, and patterns that seem to trigger or worsen symptoms.

Your Health & Contributing Factors
We consider stress, sleep, nutrition, medications and supplements, allergic symptoms, and exposures at home or work. When the history suggests contact allergy, food allergy, infection, or another skin condition, appropriate medical or specialist assessment may be recommended.

Your Goals
Your priorities may include reducing itching and flare frequency, improving skin hydration, identifying practical triggers, sleeping more comfortably, simplifying your skin-care routine, or integrating naturopathic support with care from your family doctor, dermatologist, or allergist.

Treatments That May Be Included

Treatment depends on the type and severity of eczema. For atopic dermatitis, established care includes regular moisturization and skin-barrier care, with treatments such as topical corticosteroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, and other non-steroidal topical medications when needed. More persistent or severe disease may require phototherapy, biologic medications, or other systemic therapies.²˒³

Your supportive naturopathic care plan may include:

  • Lifestyle Medicine to support practical trigger management, sleep, stress, bathing and skin-care habits, and sustainable daily routines

  • Clinical Nutrition to support adequate nutrition and assess specific dietary concerns without unnecessary food restriction

  • Naturopathic Counselling to support stress management, coping, behaviour change, and the impact of chronic itching or visible skin symptoms

  • Nutraceuticals & Supplements when there is a specific nutritional or clinical indication and safety has been considered

Natural products are not automatically better for eczema. Fragrances, essential oils, and some botanical skin-care products can irritate sensitive skin or cause allergic contact dermatitis.¹ Broad elimination diets, supplements, and alternative therapies should not replace moisturization and established eczema treatment.³˒⁴

What to Expect

Initial Assessment
We begin with a detailed review of your eczema history, affected areas, flare patterns, itching, sleep, skin-care products, previous treatments, environmental exposures, medications and supplements, nutrition, stress, and overall health.

Skin & Trigger Assessment
We look for patterns that may help identify irritants, contact allergens, lifestyle triggers, or other conditions that could be contributing. Persistent or unusual rashes may require dermatological assessment, while suspected contact dermatitis may benefit from patch testing.¹

Personalized Plan
Your plan may include skin-barrier and moisturization strategies, practical trigger reduction, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations, stress and sleep support, and selected supplements when appropriate. Existing topical or prescription treatments are incorporated rather than routinely replaced.

Ongoing Support
Follow-up focuses on itching, flare frequency, sleep, skin comfort, treatment response, trigger patterns, and quality of life. The plan can be adjusted as symptoms, seasons, exposures, or medical treatment change.

When to Seek Support for Eczema

Consider speaking with a healthcare provider if:

  • Eczema is persistent, worsening, or frequently recurring

  • Itching regularly interferes with sleep or daily life

  • Skin becomes painful, cracked, bleeding, or extensively inflamed

  • Over-the-counter moisturizers and skin care are not adequately controlling symptoms

  • You develop frequent oozing or crusting

  • You suspect a workplace, cosmetic, metal, fragrance, or other contact allergy

  • Your rash looks different from your usual eczema

  • Eczema is significantly affecting mood, confidence, or quality of life

Seek prompt medical care if the skin becomes increasingly painful, warm, swollen, or develops yellow or golden crusting, pus, rapidly spreading redness, or fever, as these may indicate infection.⁶ A rapidly spreading painful blistering rash accompanied by fever or feeling unwell may represent eczema herpeticum, a potentially serious viral infection that requires immediate medical treatment.⁶

Book An Appointment

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No. Dry skin is common in eczema, but eczema involves inflammation and, in atopic dermatitis, changes in skin barrier and immune function.¹˒²

  • No. You cannot catch eczema by touching or being close to someone who has it.¹

  • Triggers vary but can include fragrances, soaps, detergents, heat, sweat, dry weather, certain fabrics, skin irritation, allergens, and stress. Some flares occur without an obvious trigger.¹

  • They can be. Atopic dermatitis is associated with conditions such as asthma, hay fever, and food allergy, particularly in children. Having eczema does not automatically mean that a specific allergy is causing the skin symptoms.⁵

  • Routine broad food testing is not recommended for eczema. Food-allergy tests can produce false-positive results, especially in people with atopic dermatitis, and testing should be guided by symptoms and clinical history.⁴˒⁵

  • Not routinely. Current guidelines suggest against general elimination diets for atopic dermatitis because most people experience little or no meaningful improvement, while unnecessary restriction can have nutritional and food-allergy risks.⁴

  • Yes. Stress can contribute to flare-ups in some people, and persistent itching and poor sleep can also increase stress.¹

  • Naturopathic care can support skin-care habits, trigger identification, nutrition, sleep, stress management, and appropriate assessment of dietary or allergic concerns. It is best used alongside established topical or medical treatment when those treatments are needed.

 

Related Care

Eczema may overlap with several areas of health. You may also benefit from:

Jennifer Tang
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