My son has dealt with eczema almost his whole life, but we do have it under control. We wash the whole family's laundry (bedding, clothes, towels) in ALL Free and Clear. He uses Aveeno baby wash and cream (not the lotion, the cream is thicker). What we learned was to keep his skin hydrated (which means lotion 2x a day) and when we put cream on to put it on thick. Also, in the summer if he goes swimming we wash him as soon as we can and put lotion on him. He had a flare up after we used sunscreen and we now use Aveeno sunscreen and have had no problems. We also found out that he had minor food allergies and if we avoid those things, he does a lot better. Also, as soon as he starts complaining of his skin itching, he starts to get oatmeal baths (once again, we use Aveeno, b ut the adult one) We do have a tube of the steriod cream, but we haven't had to use it in a loooooong time. I have also heard that an Omega-3 supplement can help. I don't know if that is true, but my since my son has started to eat salmon about once a week, we haven't had a trace of eczema.
I know it is painful to watch....good luck.