Areas affected by eczema: it can appear anywhere on the body

Where does eczema appear?

It can affect any area of the body. Where the patches appear depends largely on the type of eczema. Atopic eczema affects certain parts of the body more than others depending on the age of the patient. Allergic contact eczema appears on the area that has come into contact with the allergen, or the object or product that triggered the allergy.

The areas of the body most commonly affected by atopic eczema

Ages up to 2 years

mainly plump areas of the face (cheeks, forehead)
arms
legs
stomach

Ages 2 to 15 years

large folds (inside the elbows, back of the knees)
hands
wrists, ankles
face (around the mouth, on the eyelids, behind the ears)

Teens

In the majority of cases, atopic eczema tends to disappear in adolescence.

Adults

face (especially the eyelids)
neck
large folds (inside the elbows, back of the knees)
hands

The areas of the body most commonly affected by contact eczema

Contact eczema is an allergy (or, more rarely, an irritation). A product or object comes into contact with the skin and triggers an inflammatory reaction. Where the redness appears is thus a key indicator of what caused the allergy. If you have contact eczema on your earlobes, for example, you will suspect an allergy to your costume jewelry over your toothpaste. Some connections are less obvious, however: you may have a reaction on your neck from a product in contact with your hands, due to our tendency to touch our neck. You can even have an allergic reaction to a product transferred onto your skin from the hands of another person (a mother holding her baby), an item of clothing or even the air!

The following are the most common causes of contact eczema according to the area of the body:

Scalp: Hair dye (very common), perms, shampoos, other hair care products

Face: Cosmetics (preservatives, fragrances, etc.), personal care products, topical medicines, sunscreens (photoallergies aggravated by sun exposure), airborne allergens (in the air: aerosol fragrances, resins, etc.)