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GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips with four-year-old Dylan Watson (right), who has eczema, and fellow pupil Jack Kicks. Deadlinepix M3623-1

For four-year-old Dylan Watson, eczema is all he has ever known.

The condition leaves his skin fragile, inflamed and broken. Sometimes the eczema on his legs can be so severe it can leave him unable to walk for days.

When Dylan started at Tolworth Infant School in September it was not only a big day for him but also for his parents.

His mum Melanie worried about how the other children would react to Dylan when they saw his eczema, whether he would be teased or stared at because of the way his skin looked.

And she was anxious about how the teachers would cope when they had to apply ointments to soothe his skin.

She said: “If only someone could prepare you for the effect eczema has on your life. Caring for my son’s condition is a full time job and we are learning all the time.

“Since Dylan was born we have both never had more than two hours uninterrupted sleep a night and bathing him at 3am is quite normal.

“The prospect of sending Dylan to school in September was unbelievably stressful.

“I worry the teachers won’t know how to apply his creams and that he might come into contact with something that will leave his hands in blisters.” Now the National Eczema Society (NES) has launched a schools pack to educate teachers and pupils about the condition, which affects one fifth of all children of school age.

The pack has been devised to promote understanding among children and teachers about what eczema is, its effects, and how it can be treated.

In its mildest form eczema leaves the skin dry, hot and itchy. But in more severe cases the skin becomes broken, raw and bleeding.

On Monday, GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips visited Tolworth Infant School in School Lane, Tolworth, to help promote the schools pack.

Ms Phillips, who is a patron of the NES and whose son Mackenzie suffers severe eczema, hopes the pack will protect eczema sufferers and inform people about the condition.

Melanie said that knowing there was a school pack to help raise awareness of eczema among children and teachers was a huge comfort.

She added: “My biggest hope is that the more young children understand eczema, the more they will want to hold my little boy’s hand.” The schools pack is available on 0870 240 7183. For further advice or information about the management and treatment of eczema call 0870 241 3604 or visit www.eczema.org.

11:10am Friday 17th October 2003

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