Q: My daughter, 12 years old is having a skin problem which started 3 years back. On her face and body small bubbles have develeoped and the color changes to red and then black with itching. We consulted 3 doctors. One says it is allergy, the other one says it is eczema, and the third feels it is due to her age. We are totally confused. We applied Fucicort (steroid) on face as per the first doctor but when it is withdrawn, it becomes even more. She is a beautiful girl and anything on her face is very obvious. Then all allopathic medicines were stopped and we did homeopathic treatment for 3 months and then ayurvedic for 6 months with strict dieting. But still there is hardly any change. She lost weight considerably due to dieting, she is a vegetarian and takes no milk products, chocolates etc. Now the area of the face where fucicort was applied is black and getting broken due to itching. What needs to be done in this case and is there any way to identify the problem and treat it? Is there any medication other than steroid available?

A:The fact that your daughter gets better when steroid creams are applied implies she has a problem which is entirely allergic in nature or has allergy as a component. Eczema is one kind of manifestation of allergy. In some allergic disorders, the tendency for allergy is inherited which may be very complex. Eczemas are of various kinds. In some cases, exposure to light aggravates or causes the allergy. Thus, one should endeavour to find the cause and aggravating factors of allergy and then try to remove them. Detailed and meticulous examination may give a clue to the nature of the eczema. Find out what kind of eczema does your daughter suffer from. Is it atopic dermatitis, air borne contact dermatitis or photodermatitis?