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Babies with infantile eczema
develop an itchy red rash on
their cheeks. This spreads over
the face, down the neck to the
nappy region, and may also appear
on the arms and legs. Because
of the itching, the child may
seem upset or irritable, particularly
at night. The rash is normally
dry, but if the skin is infected
with bacteria (impetiginized
eczema) the eczema will begin
to suppurate (produce pus).
This is a danger signal, and
you should consult your doctor
or a dermatologist if this occurs.
When the child is one-and-a-half
to two-years old, the disease
will follow a more typical pattern,
with the rash appearing behind
the knees and in the bends of
the arms, wrists, ankles and
neck.
Among adults, the typical symptoms
are a variant of the pattern
found in children. The eczema,
dry on a base of thickened skin,
normally appears on the torso
and is often infected with skin
bacteria.
A lot of people who suffer from
an inherited tendency to develop
allergies also show signs of
so-called atopic stigmata: darkness
around the eyes and a double
furrow beneath them, cracks
near the the ear lobes and itchiness
when wearing woollen clothes.
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