Eczema booklet

About the Booklet

A booklet is available called, "Eczema: A practical approach."

Written by dermatologist Dr. A.T.Sharif, the booklet is designed to help parents of young children cope with the symptoms of eczema.

"My aim in writing this booklet is to give you the practical information you need to keep your child's eczema under control, describing what needs to be done in a straightfoward and understandable way.

I am concentrating on children because more eczema occurs in this age group than in any other. However, if you are an adult with eczema then the advice

I give applies to you too! If you have grown out of your eczema but now suffer from dry skin, or if you find that you are developing dry, itchy skin later in life, there are some specific suggestions for you.

Eczema can cause a great deal of suffering for both the child who has it and the parents. Living with a child with uncontrolled eczema, and watching him/her scratching, restless and in continuous discomfort can lead to a great deal ofanxiety and unhappiness for parents, and probably many sleepless nights for the whole family. Uncontrolled eczema can also lead to problems when children go to nursery or school, as they may be teased or bullied because of the state of their skin.

Teachers should be able to help with this, but if they know nothing about eczema, they may be as unsympathetic as the other children in the class. This all sounds very depressing, but it is possible to avoid many of these problems.

If you understand what eczemais,what causes it, and what makes it worse (or better), then you are on the way to dealing with it. If you also follow the simple, practical steps given in this booklet, then your child's eczema can gradually be brought under control. Getting the eczema under control will greatly reduce everyone's suffering - your child's and yours."