Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition. "Atopic" describes an inherited tendency to develop dermatitis, asthma and hay fever. "Dermatitis" means that the skin is red and itchy. You are more likely to have atopic dermatitis if a family member has it. It isn't contagious, which means you can't catch it from other people.

Atopic dermatitis may start out as dry, extremely itchy skin. The rash may become very red, swollen and sore. The more you scratch it, the worse it generally gets. A clear fluid may leak from the rash. Eventually, the rash will crust over and start to scale. Common places for the rash are in the elbow creases, behind the knees, on the cheeks, and on the buttocks.

Atopic dermatitis usually starts during infancy and continues into childhood. There are times when the condition gets worse (called flare-ups). Flare-ups are followed by times when the skin will heal and there may be no signs of atopic dermatitis (called remission). Remission can last for weeks, months or even years. Some children will outgrow atopic dermatitis, and others will still have it when they are adults. Flare-ups in adults tend to be less severe.

Your doctor may prescribe a corticosteroid cream or ointment to apply to the rash. This will help reduce itching and calm inflammation. Antihistamines like hydroxyzine that reduce itching can also help make it easier not to scratch. A new class of drugs, called immunomodulators, work well if you have a severe rash. Two drugs in this class are tacrolimus (brand name: Protopic) and pimecrolimus (brand name: Elidel). These drugs keep your immune system from overreacting when stimulated by an allergen. Because they affect your immune system, the Food and Drug Administration recommends that these drugs only be used when other treatments won't work.