Is It Eczema or Something Else? 5 Clear Signs to Never Ignore

You can get dry, irritated, and sensitive skin from many skin conditions, or from a reaction to detergents or fragrances. (And here’s the best way to moisturize when you’re in the shower.) To figure out if you might have eczema, note where the irritation is located on your body, says dermatologist Jeffrey S. Fromowitz, MD, managing partner and medical director at Dermatology of Boca. “Eczema or atopic dermatitis tends to favor flexural areas—the fold of the arms, the fold of the wrist, the fold of the neck, and the folds behind the knee,” he says. “That’s where eczema tends to be most prominent and is a fairly clear indication that it’s not just an irritation from fabric or perfume, which tend to be spread across the body.”