Many Questions Need To Be Answered About Atopic Dermatitis

There are many people who have dealt with atopic dermatitis during their lifetime. This condition also goes more commonly by the name eczema. Like many conditions, there’s no cure for atopic dermatitis, which means that after diagnosis, treatment will have to be aimed at controlling the symptoms and flares that periodically appear. Despite it being fairly common, many people don’t know that much about atopic dermatitis. There’s a lot of questions that are floating around. This article is going to focus on many to the important questions related to atopic dermatitis and hopefully offer up some basic information to get anyone on the right track to knowledge. It’s important to note this is only a primer article. Anyone who believes they have atopic dermatitis should speak with their doctor or a dermatologist. Early treatment from experts is always the way to go. 

The Five Important Questions About Atopic Dermatitis

1: When does someone get atopic dermatitis? 

A: In most cases, eczema is going to present itself to a person when they are a child. From there, it will appear at various times throughout life. It should be noted that it’s possible to start suffering from atopic dermatitis later in life as well. It’s just not quite as common as first suffering a bout of it when young. 

2: What does eczema look and feel like? 

A: One thing about eczema is it may actually look really different from person to person. It can affect different areas of the body in different ways. Most people will find their skin very dry. This naturally tends to go with an itchy feeling which can be quite tedious. The most obvious sign of eczema is reddish patches that appear on the skin. This is common on legs, hands, feet, wrists, neck, upper chest and eyelids. Children often see it on their face and scalp quite a bit and is the first sign many parents will recognize. It’s possible for the skin to also have raised bumps that can become cracked and leak fluid. Sometimes the skin gets scaly, thick and will crack open. Overall, none of the symptoms are particularly comfortable or enjoyable. 

3: Are there any dangerous complications?

A: If eczema isn’t properly treated, there can be some problems. Skin infections can become common if a person is scratching too much. People with atopic dermatitis often have to deal with allergic contact or irritant hand dermatitis as well. If eczema is contracted early, the biggest complication is often asthma and hay fever. It’s very common for a child to develop asthma by the time they are a teenager if they have eczema. One complication that is often overlooked is the ability to get a good night’s sleep. The itchiness and scratching can really damage the quality of sleep each night. 

4: Can flare ups be prevented? 

A: The good news about treating eczema is that there are in fact several ways in which to help the skin reduce the severity of a flare, as well as their frequency. Unfortunately, it’s not likely that they will disappear completely. The first requirement is that skin needs to be kept moist and not allowed to dry out. Each person responds differently to the various creams and lotions that are used for moisturizing. It’s also important to limit showers and baths. It may seem counter-intuitive, but really long exposure to water can be an issue, especially if it’s hot water. Showers should be in warm water. The products a person uses needs to be careful and soaps and cleaners should be monitored. A great way to prevent flare ups is to track triggers that make things worse or seem to bring on worse flares. This can be food, products, or even just your recent lifestyle (stress for example) situation. 

5: What do you do once a flare up happens? 

A: Since atopic dermatitis is a persistent disease, it will return, which means that different treatments can certainly be attempted. Typically medicated creams may be something prescribed by a doctor. These may help to reduce itching, but also have long term dangers, so they need to be used carefully. There are some oral drugs that might help a person with the inflammation of the skin, but again, are a short term option only. For severe cases, there are treatments like light therapy and wet dressings. Light therapy helps expose the skin to controlled amounts of ultraviolet light at a time. Since there can be long term complications to this therapy, it’s only for adults. Wet dressings involve topical medications combined with wet bandages. While normally done by medical professionals, the method can be taught to sufferers by a doctor.