Simply have to weigh in on this topic
There are quite simple remedies to eczema without going down the corticosteroids route - ranging from TCM, ginger to aloe vera creams etc. Applying anything externally is a waste of time. Rashes / Eczema / rough patches on skin / psoriasis are all manifestations of something out of whack internally.
The most common cause is
Intestinal permeability - something that you're mildly allergic to, or an overgrowth of a pathogen is causing irritation of the epithelial tissue of the gut. Normally a healthy individual would have gut bacteria coating the entire digestive tract - but this population is greatly reduced in most of us now because of antibiotics and the gut becomes semi-permeable. The result is compounded by incomplete digestion as protein solutes enter the bloodstream, which the immune system recognises as foreign and launches a IgG response against it. Mast cells then degranulate, releasing a ton of histamine, which causes breakouts on the skin. An IgE response likely co-exists at the same time.
In such a case, one would realise certain foods trigger a breakout (not all foods trigger an IgG response - only those that appear in the bloodstream too often), and this problem may have started after a course of antibiotics (or even when they were young), or after a case of the stomach flu.
Digestive problems are therefore very common among those with skin problems (constipation, diarrhea etc.)
And yes... I have a pretty good idea on how to treat it without resorting to atarax, prednisolone, anti-histamines etc.
