Eczema: Protect the Barrier, Reduce the Irritant Load (and Don't Waste Money on a Water Softener)

Summary

Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is fundamentally a **skin-barrier-plus-immune** problem, so the highest-yield levers are **protecting the barrier** (regular moisturising/emollients, gentle non-stripping washing) and **reducing the irritant load** (harsh surfactants, fragrance — and **hard water** genuinely contributes, especially in infancy and in filaggrin-gene carriers) — but installing a **water softener does not improve eczema you already have**, and aggressive diet eliminations are usually the wrong tool.