If you or one or more of your children suffer from eczema you are probably frantic to find something, anything that will 1. bring relief and 2. make the problems go away.

Although eczema and over the counter treatments do not go very well together, many people are treating their eczema or that of their children with products bought over the counter.

Popular products include those that have an anesthetic or analgesic effect, to lessen the pain and/or deaden the itching.

Antiseptic mixtures are used to treat open sores to prevent infection. Creams and unguents are also used to treat dry or crusty skin areas and cover affected areas to permit the skin to heal itself from within.

All of these are valid and useful applications. However, the problem with most of these is that they are treating the symptoms only and can only give symptomatic relief. Granted that some, like for example FreeDerm HC with 1% hydrocortisone, and similar special products specifically aimed at eczema, perhaps go further.

But even the best, at base, amount to only short-term fixes to a long term problem.

Generally speaking, over the counter treatments are fine for externally afflicted injuries or damage to the skin. But with eczema the real problem is coming from within, from imbalances in the body chemistry or autoimmune system.

To really get long term relief and freedom from the eczema affliction you need to go beyond symptomatic relief to longer term approaches that attack the underlying causes.

Medical science has not yet come up with a long-term cure for eczema. Eczema and over the counter treatments do not get you anything beyond temporary relief.

In this situation, one should consider "thinking outside the box" and looking to possible dietary changes, hormonal therapy, holistic healing and other forms of alternative medicine that show promise of actually providing long-term solutions.