This second edition comprises the state of the art in pathophysiology, clinical medicine, and therapeutic management. It demonstrates that there is no simple "miracle" cream, pill, or diet for this disease, but that a disturbed barrier function can only be repaired by adequate and individualized skin care. It also shows how unspecific anti-inflammatory treatment has to be individually tailored according to body area affected, patient age, and severity of skin lesions. All physicians treating patients with atopic eczema will find this book helpful in their search for the individual causal or eliciting factors, which is the only basis for rational treatment and prevention of this disease.