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"What a joy to have a new book which is medically accurate, wide ranging and practical in its approach" Margaret Cox, Chief Executive, National Eczema Society

Eczema can be difficult to deal with without the right treatment or advice. This new handbook will guide you through the maze of old wives' tales, unscientific advice and outdated treatments with practical and medically accurate answers to over 250 questions from people with eczema and their families.

Questions answered in the book include:

• What is atopic eczema?

• I want to find exactly what is causing my son's eczema. How can I get him tested?

• What is the difference between a moisturiser and an emollient?

• Can steroids be used on broken skin?

• Can you give me some advice about diet and eczema?

• My eczema is very wet. What is the best way to treat it?

• Is tacrolimus better than steroids?

• I have been offered narrow-band UVB treatment. What does this mean?

• How do I choose a safe complementary practitioner?

• Should the school or my son keep the creams when he is at school?

• My teenage son still has eczema and has begun to develop acne. Does he need to change his eczema treatment?

• Would it be dangerous to become pregnant while on eczema medication?

• Is there any advice on washing clothes?

• I haven't been able to get specific benefits and find it difficult to cope with the expense of special bedding and extra laundry. Is there any way of getting help?

• Is it safe to wear artificial nails?

• What is a paste bandage?

Dr Tim Mitchell MBCHB, DRCOG, DPD ia a GP at Montpelier Health Centre in Bristol, with a special interest in dermatology. He is a founder member and former Secretary of the Primary Care Dermatology Society and an adviser to the Associate Parliamentary Group on Skin.

Alison Hepplewhite RGN, Bsc (Hons) is a Dermatology Specialist Nurse based at St George Health Centre, Bristol. She has worked in the field of dermatology for the past 11 years, running nurse-led clinics and providing day treatments and phototherapy services for patients with eczema.

Eczema: Answers at your Fingertips, 213 pp, paperback.