Eczema: see a GP or a dermatologist? And what about eczema in children?

Eczema: see a GP or a dermatologist?

Most eczema patients have mild disease and are mainly treated by primary care doctors; with mild to moderate topical steroid creams and better skin care, the condition can generally be improved and controlled in most cases; for more serious or urgent cases, doctors refer patients to the dermatology clinics of the Department of Health's Social Hygiene Service (Acting Secretary for Health's reply to the Legislative Council, November 2023).

The Department of Health's Social Hygiene Service has nine dermatology clinics providing specialist dermatology services, and has used a triage system for new dermatology cases since 2018 so that new cases of severe skin disease are seen first (Acting Secretary for Health's reply to the Legislative Council, November 2023).

Dermatology & Venereology (S15) is a specialty of adult internal medicine that deals with skin diseases and sexually transmitted diseases (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025).

For referral to and fees at public dermatology clinics, see How to choose a dermatologist; for private consultation fees, see Private dermatologist fees compared.

Eczema in children: see a paediatrician, a dermatologist or an allergist?

When a child's eczema (atopic dermatitis) has not improved with treatment, referral to a dermatologist or specialist centre is recommended to consider other possible diagnoses; when a coexisting condition such as immunodeficiency is suspected, or complications such as retinal detachment, cataract or growth failure occur, other specialties should also be involved (Hong Kong College of Paediatricians Guideline Development Group, 2020 review of eczema in children, published 2021 in the Hong Kong Journal of Paediatrics).

Among young children with moderate to severe eczema, food allergy is a trigger in up to one third of cases (Hong Kong College of Paediatricians Guideline Development Group 2020 review, published in 2021); food allergy is a trigger, not the cause.

Paediatrics (S10) cares for children from birth to adolescence; Paediatric Immunology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases (S56) is a branch of Paediatrics that deals with immune, allergic and infectious diseases in children (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). For children's specialists, see How to choose a paediatrician; for the adult allergy specialty, see Immunology & Allergy.

Individual cases are decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.

Frequently asked questions