Atopic dermatitis is one of the more common types of eczema. It causes itchy, scaly, red skin patches. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition, but the flares may come and go through the years. This skin condition can make you very uncomfortable, so finding an effective treatment is important. Your doctor might prescribe medical treatments and educate you about how to manage your condition at home. Here are some ways to treat and manage atopic dermatitis disease.

Keep Your Skin Hydrated

When you have this form of eczema, your skin becomes dry, and that's when complications can develop. Use a moisturizer on your skin often, and choose a product recommended by your doctor. Your doctor might even advise you to use bandages to keep your skin moist and to keep you from scratching the area.

Learn And Avoid Triggers

Atopic dermatitis is linked to asthma in some people, and just like triggers cause asthma flares, triggers can cause an atopic dermatitis flare. Certain foods, chemicals in cleaning and skincare products, and rough wool fabric might cause your flares. Whatever the cause, try to avoid the trigger as best as you can. However, you may need to go through an elimination process to figure out what causes your condition to flare up.

Try Medications

Your doctor might want you to take medications to treat flares and prevent them. Some medications might be applied directly to the dermatitis patch on your skin, while others are taken orally. Your doctor might prescribe corticosteroids to fight inflammation, antibiotics to treat skin infections caused by scratching, or biological drugs.

Your doctor might also recommend over-the-counter topical medications to help with itching or oral allergy drugs to control your symptoms.

Take Light Treatments

Phototherapy is sometimes effective for treating atopic dermatitis. However, you should take the treatments under supervision since you'll be exposing yourself to UV rays which have risks of their own. You might simply expose your skin to the sun for short periods or you might take phototherapy treatments in your doctor's office or get a portable machine to use at home.

Learn Stress Reduction

Increased stress can cause flares of atopic dermatitis. If you find stress is one of your triggers, you may want to learn stress reduction. You can try yoga, meditation, massage, or even counseling to help lower your stress.

You and your doctor can try several things to help your symptoms be more manageable when you have a flare. Atopic dermatitis disease can make you miserable due to itching, and it can cause you to lose sleep. It can have an impact on your quality of life until you find a way to manage the symptoms and reduce the number of flares you have. To learn more information about atopic dermatitis disease, reach out to a company such as ADKeysuspect.