Scientists and doctors have tried for many years to make the connection between diet and the onset of eczema.
Skin prick tests and blood tests are relatively simple ways for your doctor to find out if you are suffering from a food allergy that is triggering your eczema symptoms.
For very young children allergies can trigger itchy and painful skin conditions, but for adults, eczema can indeed make flare ups worse but rarely do certain foods CAUSE the condition.
Very little research backs up claims that eating certain foods will exacerbate painful bouts of eczema. Dermatologists Andrea Cambio, a director of Cambio Dermatology in southwest Florida, told Web MD that linking diet and eczema is very much an individual thing, with different foods having different effects for each sufferer.
He said: "For example, if a patient reports eating chocolate makes her eczema worse, then I would advise her to cut down or eliminate chocolate from her diet."
Cambio adds that it isn’t just food that we should be aware of when it comes to eczema. A host of other environmental, physical and mental factors also come into play.
“Because we are exposed to many potential triggers in a given day, it is often hard to tell. Sometimes, it may seem to the patient that certain foods are making eczema symptoms worse. But then we find that something else, like stress, is actually the culprit."
The best way to find out what foods are affecting your eczema is to note down what you have eaten before a flare up occurs.
If you discover foods such as dairy products are causing flare ups, it’s vital that you speak to your GP before cutting out certain foods.
They can also point you in the right direction to receive support over nutrition and how to deal with painful eczema symptoms.