eczema also known as atopic dermatitis is a chronic non-contagious skin disorder characterized by itchy skin eczema can present as a red crusted rash on your cheeks scalp the front of the arms or legs cracked in bleeding skin or scaly and dry skin it does not spread to other people but you can spread it to other parts of your own body by scratching scratching makes eczema symptoms worse and can lead to thick dark and scarred skin as well as increase your risk of bacterial infections it is estimated that it affects 10 to 20 percent of children most commonly in children younger than five years old children with eczema generally continue to have one or more symptoms in adulthood although there is no cure treatment options are aimed at restoring moisture to the skin healing affected skin to prevent infection and avoiding allergens that may trigger a flare-up of symptoms such as pollen dust mites pet dander from cats and dogs mold and dandruff steps you can take at home to treat eczema include using a daily moisturizer in an ointment or cream formulation to hold water into the skin moisturizers should be free from additives irritants and dyes also fragrances drink adequate amounts of water and eat a low inflammatory diet although eczema is not unique to alaskans we may have more severe and difficult to treat symptoms due to our cold and dry climates