2 Months
That is the age that atopic eczema frequently first appears.
It is rare for a baby to develop atopic eczema before the age of two months. The reason for this is unclear however one theory is that the baby’s nervous system is too immature prior to this age to enable the baby the ability to scratch.
Eczema is characteristically quite severe in the early months often becoming less severe by the age of two years old.
Skin oozes and crusts
For a baby who develops atopic eczema between the ages of 2 – 4 months the initial symptoms include inflammation of the skin with oozing and crusting. The cheeks and scalp are often the first areas affected.
Facial eczema usually subsides and the rash becomes more prominent on the limbs especially the wrists and hands and behind the knees and elbows.
Dry scaly eczema
Atopic eczema may continue on past the age of two years but for some the first signs do not appear until this age. When eczema develops around the age of two years the oozing and crusting is less common as the rash is usually drier and scaly.
Scratching is a common problem for anyone with atopic eczema causing scratch marks and thickening of the skin. Excessive scratching frequently causes the skin to become broken making infection a major problem.
Atopic eczema clears spontaneously in the majority of children between the ages of two and five years. If it does persist there is usually a marked improvement by puberty.