Eczema is an inflammation of the skin and often presents with red, itchy rashes on the skin. There are various types of eczema and these include atopic eczema, discoid eczema, seborrhoiec dermatitis and asteatotic eczema.
Contact dermatitis is also a form of eczema. In contact dermatitis, the eczema is due to exposure of skin to a substance that causes either an irritant or allergic reaction, resulting in an eczema. The history of what was applied to skin and the subsequent development of a rash is important to determine if the rash is due to a contact dermatitis.
A patch test can be done to determine the type of ingredients that an individual may be allergic to. This is useful to confirm a diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis and subsequent exposure to offending substance can be avoided.
