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Dermatitis, also known as eczema, is a skin irritation characterized by red, flaky skin, sometimes with cracks or tiny blisters. Dermatitis is extremely itchy, but scratching damages the fragile skin and exacerbates the problem so it is important for people with eczema to try to leave the area alone.
Types of dermatitis:
- Contact dermatitis is an allergic reaction to something that irritates the skin and is manifested by one or more lines of red, swollen, blistered skin that may itch or weep.
- Stasis dermatitis is characterized by scaly, greasy looking skin on the lower legs and around the ankles.
- Nummular dermatitis, which is also called nummular eczematous dermatitis or nummular eczema, generally affects the hands, arms, legs, and buttocks of men and women older than 55 years of age.
- Atopic dermatitis is characterized by itching, scaling, swelling, and sometimes blistering. It is usually found on the face, inside the elbows, and behind the knees.
- Seborrheic dermatitis may be dry or moist and is characterized by greasy scales and yellowish crusts on the scalp, eyelids, face, external surfaces of the ears, underarms, breasts, and groin.

Flowers, herbs, and vegetables can affect the skin of some people. Burns and sunburn increase the risk of dermatitis developing, and chemical irritants that can cause dermitis include:
- soap, detergents and any prolonged wet work
- disinfectants and strong chemical cleaning products
- paints, DIY materials, solvents, glues and resins
citrus fruits and vegetable juices, including tomato, onion and garlic
acids and alkalis
- abrasive dust from stones, bricks, cement, sand or soil

The symptoms are:
- Dry skin
- Rashes
- Red patches
- Red, itchy, circular patches of weeping, scaling, or encrusted skin
- Greasy yellowish scales on the scalp and eyebrows

The diagnosis of dermatitis is made on the basis of how the rash looks and its location.An expert may scrape off a small piece of affected skin for microscopic examination or direct the patient to discontinue use of any potential irritant that has recently come into contact with the affected area.
If the origin of the irritation has still not been identified, an expert may perform one or more patch tests. This involves dabbing a small amount of a suspected irritant onto skin on the patient's back.
The process continues until the patient experiences an allergic reaction at the spot where the irritant was applied.