You soak in the tub and slather on moisturizing cream, but keeping your skin hydrated and healthy is only part of your eczema treatment plan. Since environmental factors can also trigger symptoms such as itchy, red, irritated skin, it’s worth your time to pinpoint the things that may be making you itch and scratch. That way, you can stay as far away from them as possible. The National Jewish Medical and Research Center, a leading authority on allergies and immunology, offers the following tips for avoiding common eczema triggers:

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Hives, medically known as urticaria, are reddish swollen patches or welts on your skin. Most people who have hives inherited this chronic condition from their parents. In these cases, stress, hormonal changes, and some infections can trigger hives, but outbreaks may also appear now and then for no known reason.

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If you start wheezing when your dentist snaps on a pair of rubber gloves, you may be allergic to latex. As latex products become more common, the incidence of this allergy has skyrocketed in recent years.

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If you have symptoms of eczema, it can be hard not to scratch the dry, itchy areas of skin. Scratching is an understandable urge, but it can lead to more irritation — which makes you scratch again. This is the itch-and-scratch cycle of eczema. Here’s how to break the cycle, according to the eczema experts at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center (NJMRC).

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When it comes to managing chronic skin conditions, your doctor has a secret agent. This person may never have been to medical school. In fact, he or she may be entirely new to treating skin problems. But without this agent’s help, successful management of your skin condition is virtually impossible.

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About one in four of us has had it at some time or another: the red, itchy skin rash (called contact dermatitis) that results from being exposed to an allergen or irritant. From adhesives to zippers, just about anything can cause a rash if it comes in contact with the right (or wrong) person’s skin.

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Whether you’re an old hand at tackling eczema symptoms, or you’re new to managing this chronic condition, it’s worth reviewing your medication options. Here’s some help from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center (NJMRC), a leading authority on allergies, asthma, and immunology, about the types of medications now available. These prescription medications can treat symptoms ranging from a mild case of dry, itchy skin to a more severe eczema flare-up.

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Each year, the first warm weekend of spring inspires millions of hikers, campers, and other outdoor enthusiasts to hit the trails. Come Monday morning, a few of them will wake up scratching. By Tuesday, these unlucky souls may have full-blown poison ivy - the red, itchy rash that will send them searching for calamine lotion or other remedies. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about 85% of Americans are allergic to poison ivy and its close relatives, poison oak and poison sumac.

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