Heat and cold. Dry climates. Sweating. Allergens. Genes. Hormones. Stress. Seriously, what doesn't cause eczema?

October is National Eczema Awareness Month, but eczema is a daily reality for 35 million Americans. Chronic inflammation causes their skin to become severely itchy, red and dry, hurting sufferers' health, sleep and overall quality of life.

We talked to Dr. Kenneth Beer, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and dermopathologist and consulting associate in the Department of Medicine at Duke University, about the dos and don'ts in dealing with this chronic illness.

1. DO use hydrating cleansers and barrier creams with soothing ingredients, like colloidal oatmeal, daily to maintain the integrity of the skin's barrier.

Consider colloidal oatmeal your secret weapon in the fight against eczema. It's a clinically proven natural wonder that cleanses, moisturizes, calms inflammation and protects skin. You can find colloidal oatmeal in products like Aveeno® Eczema Therapy Bath Treatment and Aveeno® Baby Eczema Therapy Soothing Bath Treatment. Aveeno® Eczema Therapy products won the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance for providing gentle, superior ingredients to soothe skin with eczema.

2. DO look for products with ceramides, essential lipids naturally found within the skin that plays a key role in enhancing and restoring the skin's protective function.

Hands are particularly vulnerable to eczema, thanks to their frequent exposure to irritants and allergens. New Aveeno® Eczema Therapy Hand Cream is a non-greasy hand treatment chock-full of ceramides, humectants and colloidal oatmeal. Ninety percent of users of the hand cream said they saw immediate relief in their eczema symptoms and 97 percent felt a reduction in their skin's dryness, roughess and irritation.

Aveeno® Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream and Aveeno® Baby Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream also include moisture-barrier-building ceramides, humectants, colloidal oatmeal and skin-loving panthenol.

3. DO use fragrance-free laundry detergent to wash clothing, sheets and towels and avoid dryer sheets.

Artificial fragrance is one of the most common allergens and a frequent cause of contact dermatitis, a mild form of eczema. Choose unscented household and hygiene products whenever possible.

4. DON'T use body lotions with irritants that can aggravate skin and cause eczema to flare.

Many of the products we use on a daily basis contain some of eczema's worst offenders, like alcohol, lanolin and preservatives.

5. DON'T use products with fragrances or harsh dyes.

Artificial fragrances are usually composed of several different synthetic chemicals, not all of which are required to be listed in a product's ingredients. Dye is another common eczema trigger.