I had to respond. I spent years training in medicine and though I am retired from the practice of Medicine, felt I had to respond.
The term "eczema" is a generic term, which most medical people take to mean vesicular dermatitis, or an acute reaction to an irritant that causes the skin below to form small vesicles. On the other hand, some medical authorities understand the term "eczema" to mean chronic dermatitis.
So the real question is what kind of skin reaction are you talking about? Contact dermatits is a skin reaction that ocurs from an irritant's or allergen's effect on the skin. The symptoms can be anything from redness and inflammation causing an itchy sensation to the formation of small vesicles under the skin. Can wearing ballet slippers without socks cause this? As we rarely wash ballet slippers relative to the frequency with which we wash socks, it is possible that allergens build up more on the slippers. So wearing them without the socks, a protective layer if they're clean (unlike balletboy's smelly socks), exposes the foot to a build up of potential irratants.
So can we get skin irritation if we wear ballet slippers without socks. Sure for some, but for others the skin might not react as seriously. If they're canvas slippers and we wash them regularly, skin irritation should be minimalized. If we don't clean them regularly, or if they're leather and difficult to clean the liner, wear socks (which should be washed more often that balletboy washes his!).
I think that's a good summary. Contact me if you have questions.
balletboy[/i]