Atopic Dermatitis Treatment 2.0
Atopic dermatitis is a condition that mainly affects the skin and does not require lab tests to diagnose it. Various symptoms indicate that an individual has atopic dermatitis. There is no cure for the condition of today, but there are various ways that the condition can be managed and treated. Diagnosing the condition at the early stages improves the chances of managing and treating it. The condition can be persistent, and after managing the symptoms, they might come back later. Self-care routines can be effective in treating the condition.
Treating atopic dermatitis can be of two different approaches. The first approach is medications. Patients with atopic dermatitis have a major issue of itching, which causes discomfort. To prevent and manage these itches, professional doctors provide medications that help prevent itching or reduce the urge to scratch the skin (Frazier & Bhardwaj, 2020). These medications include cream applied after the patient applies moisturizer to the affected areas. The doctors can prescribe other ointments, and their side effects and potential risks are explained to the patients.
Subsequently, other medications such as antibiotics are prescribed to patients to help with the irritation and itching issues. Some of these antibiotics are oral, and doctors provide their prescriptions to the patients. Some of these medications also help fight the bacterial infections the patients might have (Ling, 2019). They also treat cracks and open sores in the patient skin, which help to recover the skin to the standard health condition. Oral drugs such as prednisone are also prescribed for short-term cases. They are mainly used in severe cases where patients need immediate medical intervention. These medications control and manage inflammation in patients with atopic dermatitis.
Recently, a new medication comes in the form of injection, mainly used on people with severe conditions of atopic dermatitis. The drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration board (FDA). This drug is recommended for patients with issues responding to other medications and treatments.
When using the home skincare approach, patients must observe hygiene and afford particular foods that affect them. It is advisable to avoid soaps and detergents that can irritate the skin. Skin products such as cosmetics, colognes, spray, and other products that have chemicals that can affect the skin are also advised to avoid since their cause harm to the affected areas (Kemény et al., 2019). Also, woolen materials and lanolin can irritate the skin. Lukewarm baths and gentle soaps are other ways to treat and manage atopic dermatitis conditions.
The other approach to treating atopic dermatitis is by therapies. The therapies used in treating atopic dermatitis include wet therapy, counseling, behavior modification, and light therapy. In wet therapy, patients take a lukewarm bath and then apply topical medicines before wrapping themselves up with wet gauze (Ling, 2019). For patients with severe conditions, wet therapy requires a doctor's expertise and is done in hospitals. The nurses or doctors wrap the patient with topical corticosteroids and add wet bandages to the affected areas.
Light therapy involves exposing the skin to ultraviolet light A (UVA), B (UVB), and sometimes natural light. The approach is mostly used in patients who flare back after treatment or do not react to topical treatments (Kemény et al., 2019). Light therapy can be applied alone or together with the use of medications. The approach is not used for long-term cases due to its side effects associated with a long-term application.
Counseling is another approach used especially for those embarrassed by their skin. Together with medications and behavioral therapy, counseling helps patients accept the condition and deal with managing and treating it (Frazier & Bhardwaj, 2020). Behavioral therapy is used to help patients understand how to treat the condition, especially when it comes to scratching themselves. It helps modify the patient's behavior and helps with relaxation ways.
Other conditions such as abrupt changes in the body, allergies, sweating, anxieties, stress, and depression must be avoided by patients with atopic dermatitis since they affect the skin and the affected areas, causing challenges in treating the condition.
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References
Frazier, W. T., & Bhardwaj, N. (2020). Atopic dermatitis: diagnosis and treatment. American family physician, 101(10), 590-598. Kemény, L., Varga, E., & Novak, Z. (2019). Advances in phototherapy for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Expert review of clinical immunology, 15(11), 1205-1214. Ling, H. W. (2019). Can we treat atopic dermatitis without using corticosteroids. J Pediat Infants, 2(1), 08-19.