Atopic dermatitis
Your skin used to be soft and smooth, but now it's itchy and scaly. It's gotten so bad that you're wearing long sleeves every time you go out, even in the summer. There's a chance you could have eczema, and if you do, there are treatments to smooth out your skin and get you back into t-shirts again. Eczema is like an allergic reaction on your skin. Instead of your eyes watering or your nose running, your skin swells up in response to an allergy trigger. A lot of people who have eczema also have allergies to pollen, mold, animal fur, dust, or sensitivities to products they use around the house. It could be that the detergent you're using or the perfume you're wearing is leaving its mark on your skin. To know if you have eczema, when you look at your skin, you'll see redness, dryness and maybe swelling, and blisters that may ooze or crust over. In babies and young kids, you'll see these sores mainly on the face, scalp, hands, and feet. In older kids and adults, the spots are typically on the insides of the knees and elbows, as well as on the neck, hands, and feet. But really, if you're having a bad eczema flare-up, you might see red patches on any part of your body. Eczema patches get so itchy that you'll probably be tempted to scratch at them. After a lot of scratching, they'll get red, thick, and irritated. Your doctor should be able to tell that you have eczema just by looking at your skin. If allergies are causing your eczema, you may need allergy tests to find out just what's setting off your skin reaction. To treat Eczema, you can apply creams or lotions to soothe and moisturize your skin. Just pick a product that's free from dyes and scents, which could irritate your skin even more. Your doctor can also prescribe a steroid cream or ointment to relieve the swelling. Medicines called antihistamines can calm the reaction that's causing your eczema and relieve the itchiness. There are a number of other eczema treatments if these don't work for you. Eczema is a chronic condition. Although kids usually outgrow it by age 5 or 6, most adults tend to get stuck with it for a long time. When you've got an eczema flare-up it will be itchy, but try not to scratch. You could give yourself an infection, or leave your skin permanently scarred. Instead, keep your skin moisturized and avoid whatever trigger is causing your eczema.
Atopic dermatitis
Review Date: 11/18/2022
Reviewed By: Elika Hoss, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Animations
Browse All
- Allergies
- Alzheimer disease
- Ankle ligament injury
- Arrhythmias
- Atherosclerosis
- Athetosis resulting from basal...
- Balloon angioplasty - short se...
- Bladder function - neurologica...
- Blinking
- Blood clotting
- Blood flow
- Blood pressure
- Bone fracture repair
- Brain components
- Breast lift
- Breathing
- Bunion
- Cancer of the throat or larynx...
- Cardiac conduction system
- Cardiomyopathy
- Cardiovascular system
- Cataract
- Cell division
- Cerebral aneurysm
- Cesarean section
- Components of skin
- Conception - general
- Conception - pregnancy
- Conception of identical twins...
- Concussion
- Corneal injury
- Coronary artery bypass graft (...
- Coronary artery disease
- Cosmetic surgery of the face
- Coughing
- Diabetes - retinal conditions...
- Digestion
- Directional coronary atherecto...
- Early labor
- Egg cell production
- Egg production
- Endocrine glands
- Enlarged prostate gland
- Epinephrine and exercise
- Exercise
- Feeling pain
- Fetal ear development
- Formation of twins
- Gas exchange
- Glaucoma
- Gout
- Hearing
- Hearing and the cochlea
- Heart bypass surgery
- Heart formation
- Heartbeat
- Heartburn
- Herniated nucleus pulposus (sl...
- Homeostasis
- Human face formation
- Hypertension - overview
- Immune response
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injecti...
- Kidney stones
- Kids - How big is the baby?
- Kids - How does the baby come ...
- Kids - Is it a girl or boy?
- Kids - Umbilical cord
- Kids - Where do babies come fr...
- Liposuction
- Lymph nodes
- Lymphatics and the breast
- Macular degeneration
- Muscle types
- Nerve conduction
- Nervous system formation
- Nutrient exchange
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Ovulation
- Parkinson disease
- Percutaneous transluminal coro...
- Peristalsis
- Phagocytosis
- Pituitary gland
- Placenta delivery
- Placenta formation
- Preeclampsia
- Pregnancy
- Red blood cell production
- Reflex response
- Retina
- Retinal detachment
- Rupturing membranes
- Seeing
- Sexual differentiation
- Shoulder joint dislocation
- Skeletal formation
- Skeletal muscle
- Skeletal system components
- Skin conditions
- Smelling
- Smoking
- Snoring
- Sperm production
- Sperm release pathway
- Stomach ulcer
- Stomach ulcer
- Stroke
- Stroke - secondary to cardioge...
- Sun's effect on skin
- Swallowing
- Sweating
- Tachycardia
- Tasting
- The role of amniotic fluid
- Tobacco use - effects on arter...
- Twin-to-twin transfusion syndr...
- Ultrasound
- Urination
- Vaccines
- Vaginal delivery
- Vasectomy
Videos
Browse All
- Diabetes
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Abdominal pain
- ACL injury
- Acne
- Adenoid removal
- Adolescent depression
- After your child's ear tube su...
- After your child's inguinal he...
- After your child's tonsil or a...
- After your child's umbilical h...
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Allergic rhinitis
- Allergies
- Allergy testing
- Allergy to mold - animal dande...
- Alzheimer disease
- Anemia
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Anterior shoulder stretch
- Anti-reflux surgery
- Appendectomy
- Appendicitis
- Arm reach
- Arthritis
- Asperger syndrome
- Asthma
- Asthma - children
- Atopic dermatitis
- Atrial fibrillation
- Attention deficit hyperactivit...
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Before a child's tonsil or ade...
- Bipolar disorder
- Breast cancer
- Breast engorgement
- Breast self-exam
- Breastfeeding
- Bronchitis
- Bronchoscopy
- Cardiac catheterization
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cataracts
- Cerebral palsy
- Cervical cancer
- Chest pain
- Childhood obesity
- Cholesterol and triglyceride t...
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary ...
- Cluster headache
- Cold treatments for kids
- Colon cancer
- Colon cancer screening
- Colorectal polyps
- Common cold
- Concussion
- Crohn disease
- C-section
- Cystic fibrosis
- Cystic fibrosis - nutritional ...
- Depression
- Dialysis
- Diarrhea
- Ear infection - acute
- Ear infection - chronic
- Ear tube insertion
- Earache
- Electrocardiogram
- Endometriosis
- Enlarged adenoids
- Enlarged prostate
- Epilepsy
- Erection problems
- Essential hypertension
- External rotation with band
- Fibromyalgia
- Flu
- Food poisoning
- Foot pain
- Gallstones
- Gastroesophageal reflux diseas...
- Gastroesophageal reflux in inf...
- Getting rid of lice in the hom...
- Glaucoma
- Hardening of arteries
- HbA1c
- Head injury
- Head lice
- Healthy Guide to Fast Food
- Hearing loss
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Heel pain
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Hernia
- Herniated disk
- Hip joint replacement
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- How do ear tubes come out?
- How to remove a splinter
- How to stop bedwetting
- How to treat a nosebleed
- How to treat a sunburn
- How to use a peak flow meter
- How to use a pill cutter
- How to use eye drops
- How to use nasal sprays
- Hypertension
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Hysterectomy
- Infant formulas
- Inguinal hernia repair
- Inhaler with no spacer - adult...
- Inhaler with no spacer - child...
- Inhaler with spacer - adults
- Inhaler with spacer - child
- Insomnia
- Internal rotation with band
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Isometric
- Kidney stones
- Knee joint replacement
- Let's talk about pink eye
- Lung cancer
- Lyme disease
- Melanoma
- Menopause
- Migraine
- Multiple sclerosis
- Nasal congestion
- Neck pain
- Newborn jaundice
- NICU consultants and support s...
- Nuclear stress test
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Pap smear
- Pendulum exercise
- Peptic ulcer
- Pharyngitis
- Plantar fasciitis
- Pneumonia
- Pregnancy care
- Prepare for your child's ear t...
- Prepare for your child's herni...
- Prostate cancer
- Psoriasis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rotator cuff problems
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Seizures
- Shingles
- Shoulder blade retraction
- Shoulder blade retraction with...
- Shoulder pain
- Sinusitis
- Sleep disorders
- Smoking tips to quit
- Spinal stenosis
- Stent
- Storing breast milk
- Strep throat
- Stretching back of your should...
- Stroke
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Tension headache
- The difference between a cold ...
- Tips on buying cold and flu me...
- Tips on removing ear wax
- Tonsillectomy
- Tonsillitis
- Tracking your blood pressure a...
- Treating congestion in babies...
- Treating eyelid bumps
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
- Ulcerative colitis
- Understanding cholesterol resu...
- Up the back stretch
- Urinary incontinence
- Urinary tract infection - adul...
- Uterine fibroids
- Vacation health care
- Varicose veins
- Venous insufficiency
- Wall push-up
- Wall stretch
- Warts
- What are hives?
- What are night terrors?
- What causes wheezing?
- What in the world is a neti po...
- What is tennis elbow?
- What makes your heart beat?
- What to do when kids put thing...
- What to do when kids put thing...
- What to do when something gets...