If you suffer from eczema, you want to seek relief, but you need to do more.  To eliminate eczema as an issue, you must stop it at the source.  This involves doing more than treating your symptoms.  It means finding your trigger factor and stopping it at the source.

Right about now, you may be asking yourself “what exactly is a trigger factor?”  A trigger factor is a phrase that is used to describe the onset on an eczema outbreak.  Something gives you the uncontrollable urge to itch your skin, which results in a red rash.  If scratched more, that rash can turn into an oozing blister-like sore or a rough, flaky patch of skin.

As previously stated, eczema sufferers don’t scratch and dig at their skin just for the fun of it.  There is a reason.  You need to find yours.  Although there are many eczema causes, medical professionals have developed lists of the most common.  For some patients, an outbreak is caused by warm or cold weather.  For others, airborne allergens, such as dust, mold, and pet dander, is the culprit.  Many patients have an outbreak due to eating certain foods.  Most commonly, an outbreak is caused by close skin contact with a certain chemical, such as those found in household cleaners, laundry detergents, scented lotions, and perfumes.

You now know some of the most common eczema causes, but how do you determine which is yours?  You do so through trial and error.  Unfortunately, this may not be the easiest process, but it is one of the most effective ways to seek permanent relief.

As previously stated, close contact with chemicals is a common cause of eczema.  These chemicals are unnatural, but found in many everyday health and beauty products.  If you are a woman who applies makeup, stop for a few days.  Are your face and hands still irritated?  If not, you have found your trigger factor.  On the other hand, if you may need to keep looking.  You know makeup isn’t the cause, so look at your lotion.  Is it scented or do you wear perfume?  Once again eliminate these for a few days.  Do you notice an improvement?  If not, keep searching.

Although close contact with certain chemicals is a leading cause of eczema, it may not be the source of yours.  Think about when you experience an outbreak.  What were you doing in the hours before?  Were you outside in the cold or cleaning your house?  If so, the weather and airborne allergens, respectively, may be your trigger factors.  As with household beauty products, make necessary adjustments to your daily routine and look for signs of improvement.

Skin patch test is one of the tests your physician may use to diagnose your eczema. Learn more about how this skin patch test for eczema is done and what you can expect from it.

On trying to decide on a diagnosis for a skin problem, some doctors send their patients for a skin patch test. When skin patch testing for eczema patients is done, a suspected irritant is pressed to the skin and then held there with an adhesive patch. Another adhesive patch that is devoid of anything on it is also applied as a source of comparison. The irritant patch is left in place for anywhere from one day to two days. After that period of time has elapsed it is taken away and the skin is examined. If the skin shows to be red, itchy and/or inflamed then more than likely it is the irritant in question that the patient is allergic to. Skin patch testing only becomes a necessity if the cause of your eczema is not known. Patch testing will help ascertain what you are allergic to, whether it be a material in a cosmetic product, nickel, creams, rubber, etc.
A general practitioner will refer an eczema patient to a skin specialist such as a dermatologist. When allergic or irritant contact dermatitis is deemed to be the cause then a skin patch test is scheduled. The entire procedure spans a few days. On the first day of the testing, small quantities of thirty or more different items are attached to the patient’s upper back by way of small patches. The patches are attached to the back with non-allergic tape. The patches are left on the skin for two days and then the patient comes back to the doctor’s office to have them taken off. The skin is then closely inspected to see if any allergic reactions have taken place. The patient then must return again, two days later for examination, as there is sometimes a delayed reaction to any one of the substances tested.
A number of substances are very commonly used to determine contact eczema. They are all additives that are very often included in many everyday kinds of materials such as creams, ointments, leathers, clothing and household cleaners. The additives include benzocaine, chrome, balsam of Peru, cobalt, clioquinol, nickel, formladehyde, epoxy resin, plants, fragrances, ethylenediamine, neomycin, paraben mix, imidazolidinyl urea, P-tert butylphenol, rosin, formaldehyde resin, paraphenylenediame, quaternium-15, rubber accelerators, and wool alcohols (also known as lanolin). These are referred to as the standard "battery of patches.” Sometimes other substances are added into the skin patch test, such as a chemical or solvent from your place of employment or a personal care product that you use on your body or face and develop problems because of.
It is important to realize that skin patch testing can only find the causes of allergic or irritant contact eczema. It has no such effect on discussing food allergies of any sort or urticaria. It is essential for the spot on your skin that is to be tested to be kept dry, not only for the initial test but also until the entire procedure is completed. This might mean that you will have to take a sponge bath instead of a shower during those four days. Don’t do anything that will cause you to sweat too much during the duration of the test. This is even more important during the summer months when high humidity often causes us to sweat more. Save your baseball games, aerobics classes, jogging and tennis for after the test has been completed.

Learn more about the relationship between stress and eczema and see why stress causes eczema to get worse.
Stress is a part of life that is unavoidable, no matter what age you are. There is good stress, which motivates you while there is also bad stress that, well, stresses you out and can give rise to a host of health problems. For those suffering with eczema, too much stress can signal a flare-up or even many flare-ups in a row if the stress is long term. Stress is defined as, "A mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health, usually characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression.”
The good news in all of this is that there are ways to "de-stress” your life and by so doing, see fewer eczema outbreaks. First of, consider your day-to-day life. Are there stressors in your life that don’t need to be there? Are there ways that you can remove clutter from your life that won’t affect the whole of it? Think of what is most important and do away with the small, petty things that cause you stress and headaches.
Next, have a good laugh. Yes, laugh out loud. Watch a comedy, read a funny book, listen or tell a joke or describe a hilarious moment to a family member or friend. Laughter is not only a good outlet for stress but it also has a number of health benefits. Laughter activates the immune system, it lower blood pressure, and it triggers the release of the body’s natural painkillers, endorphins. Laughter also, as previously mentioned, reduces stress hormones, helps reduce pain, allows muscles to relax and is very helpful for the breathing process as frequent bouts of laughter empties air from the lungs. 
Find activities to do in your free time that allow you to set aside all of your worries and concerns and cut loose and enjoy yourself! For some people it may be getting together with friends and going to shopping, going to see a movie or browsing at a flea market; for others it might be a game of tennis, squash or an aerobics or yoga class; while still for others it might be an artistic pursuit such as painting, pottery or writing poetry. Even if you just want to relax in an easy chair with a cup of tea and a good book, do it! Finding ways to de-stress your life can help decrease your flare-ups tremendously, not to mention also improving your quality of life.
Keep in mind however that soaking for a long time in the bathtub will only bring more stress to the life of an eczema sufferer. If you find physical activities relaxing make sure to use your common sense. Take breaks, drink water frequently and don’t allow yourself to get too sweaty or overheated. By so doing you defeat your purpose and can trigger an eczema attack.
Finally, keep in mind that no matter what you do you cannot completely escape stress so make peace with the stress you have in your life and always keep it in perspective. Someone once said, "Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s all small stuff.” If you can adopt way of thinking then your stress load should be reduced significantly.