How to spot eczema, the most common skin condition

When Mr. Oscar Brann imagined retirement, he pictured days spent fishing with his grandson or doing yardwork at his home in Skowhegan, Maine.

But itchy and flaky red rashes appeared across his body a few years ago, making it excruciating to move, he said.

The pain forced the 62-year-old former shoe manufacturer to retire early. Instead of gardening in his backyard, he spent hours on the couch, trying to find relief.

"The skin that came off my feet, it was just unbelievable," Mr. Brann said. "I had to sweep my floor every day."

Mr. Brann, who still copes with the debilitating rashes, is among millions of people with eczema, a broad term for a group of skin conditions that affects about 10 percent of the US population. The most common form of eczema is atopic dermatitis, and the terms are often used interchangeably.

The condition often crops up during childhood, experts said. And while some people outgrow it, atopic dermatitis can last into adulthood or appear later in life.

Sometimes, the rashes are an itchy nuisance that flare up once in a while. But that is not always the case, said Dr. Brittany Craiglow, an adjunct associate professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine. When it's severe, "it can be dramatically life altering," she said.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Atopic dermatitis can appear differently on different people.

Someone with darker skin might have brown, purple, or gray rashes, while the rashes might look pink or red on lighter skin.

Regardless, dry, itchy rashes are a hallmark of the condition, and other signs include oozing and thickened or scaly skin, experts said.