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The author reflects on various treatments for eczema in older patients, and it mentions the prevalance and incidence of eczema in Great Britain's elderly population, as well as information about the TalkingEczema tool which was developed by a panel of dermatology specialists. Various types of eczema are examined, including atopic, discoid, varicose, and asteatotic eczema. Environmental factors such as overheating and low air humidity are assessed in relation to eczema.

Olive oil is commonly recommended by health professionals to new parents for use in the prevention and treatment of the term baby's dry skin, and for baby massage. There is no evidence to support this practice. The use of olive oil may be harmful to skin, affecting skin barrier function. This effect may be a contributory factor in the prevalence of childhood conditions such as atopic eczema. This paper discusses a national online audit of UK maternity hospitals (n = 67) and neonatal units (n = 33) performed between November 2010 and January 2011. Our findings confirm that oil use on babies' skin is common practice. As the direct cost to the NHS for treatment of atopic eczema is high, it is imperative that further research in this area is performed, preferably in the form of a randomized controlled trial. Health professionals will then be in a position to provide accurate information to parents with regard to oil in baby skin care regimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]