Face atopic dermatitis is a very common atopic dermatitis location, especially for infants. Atopic dermatitis in infants is often referred to as infantile eczema, and the most common locations of such rashes are the scalp and face (particularly the cheeks). This condition generally improves as the years go by. However, many adults also retain atopic eczema on their face, and the most common face atopic dermatitis locations for adults are: eyelids, around the eyes, and earlobes.

Atopic dermatitis on the face may often be confused with other skin conditions, such as: seborrheic dermatitis (dry and scaly rashes in babies, which causes cradle cap and/or oozing lesions on the face, head and in the deep skin folds – not linked to allergies), allergic contact dermatitis (an allergy to irritants, including jewelry, fragrances, etc), and others. Seborrheic dermatitis on the face looks different than face atopic dermatitis, as it consists of oily yellowish patches on the face, ears, scalp, and other skin areas.

What treatments are good for atopic dermatitis on the face? Mild topical steroids (e.g., OTC 1% Hydrocortisone cream) are considered to be a good treatment option for the areas with thin skin, such as face, genitalia, armpits, etc. It’s prudent not to use potent steroids on these areas of skin because thin skin well absorbs and responds well to even the least potent treatment.

If large areas of the face are covered with dermatitis, a doctor may also prescribe oral steroids (prednisone). However, the use of oral steroids also has potential side-effects, which include: thinning of the bones, weight gain, and immune system suppression. Even though oral steroids generally help to treat rashes very well, the dangerous side-effects make this type of treatment only good after less dangerous methods were tried. The course of oral steroid treatment is generally very short, such as 5 days. After that topical steroids can be used to maintain the achieved effects.

Another popular treatment which does not have the side-effects of topical steroid creams is Protopic. Protopic is a medicine that was approved by the FDA for the treatment of people older than 2 years of age. Since Protopic does not cause thinning of the skin and other side-effects typical of topical corticosteroids, it’s a good treatment choice for face atopic dermatitis.

Since the skin on the face (and especially on the eyelids) is the thinnest skin on the body, it’s prudent to use very low-potency medicines on these areas, which most likely will work just fine. However, if mild treatments are not working for you, you should first turn to your doctor for advice in order to avert the dangers of the more potent treatment choices.

Hand atopic dermatitis is very common, both – in children and adults. Hands of any human are exposed to various irritants (e.g., metal, water, detergents, grass, etc.) much more than any other part of the body. Not only adults have atopic eczema on their hands, children also often develop itchy blisters on their fingers and palms.

The hands’ involvement often presents unpleasant and social challenges to people with atopic dermatitis. The foremost advice for the sufferer with arm atopic dermatitis is: try to stay away from any skin irritants, whenever you can.

In order to protect your hands, you need to wear gloves. If you have an allergy to latex, or if your skin gets worse when your hands sweat, you need to wear special thin cotton gloves underneath larger spacey rubber gloves.

What particular allergens may provoke hand atopic dermatitis? There are some common allergens that include: water, detergents, animal hair, wool, dust mites, insect stings, mold spores, latex, metal, and grass.

Moreover, some food allergens may also be responsible for your hand atopic dermatitis, or its frequent aggravations, and you might not even know it. The best way to find out the particular allergens that may be causing your dermatitis to regularly get worse, or to constantly itch, is by taking a skin test and/or blood test.

A skin test will help you to determine if there is any allergen antibodies present in your skin. A skin test is very specific and an easy to use method for determining particular allergens. This test is also often referred to as “prick test” and “puncture test”. Within this test, tiny amounts of a particular allergen (peanut extract, pollen, mite proteins, grass, etc.) are introduced (injected) under the skin (the forearms or the back), one by one. Each of the injections is marked on the skin, to be able to distinguish which one it was. Next, the doctor waits for about half an hour for any visible response of the skin. If there is a response, such as an inflammation, then you know that you have an allergy to that particular allergen.

A blood test is another way to check if you are susceptible to any allergen. In this case, a doctor performs tests on the blood of the patient to determine whether there are any specific antibodies in the blood.

In order to improve the condition of your hand atopic dermatitis, try to find out the allergens that are causing your dermatitis to get worse, and avoid them the best you can.

Leg atopic dermatitis is most common in infants, but it’s also often present in older children and adults. There are different types of atopic dermatitis on the legs, depending on age, occupation, and various other factors.

For instance, infants often develop diffuse dermatitis on their legs and knees, while preschool and school age children have their leg atopic dermatitis localized only on their legs, and sometimes feet.

Adults, such as people who work as farmers, may often develop contact dermatitis on their legs due to various allergens, including animal fur and grass. Another common type of leg atopic dermatitis is stasis eczema, which affects the lower legs, and is often related to varicose veins and other circulatory problems. This type of dermatitis may look brownish or reddish. Adults may also develop nummular (coin-like) atopic eczema on their lower legs, which often look like rounded patches that have crusts, scaling, and are extremely itchy. And yet another type of dermatitis that often affects the legs (feet in particular) is dyshidrotic eczema, which generally involves the hands and palms, but may also involve the feet and soles. This type of dermatitis is characterized by irritated skin and deep clear blisters that burn and itch.

What treatments can you use for atopic dermatitis on the legs and the soles? The problem is that the skin in these areas is very thick, which may render useless common atopic dermatitis treatments (Protopic and Elidel), since they work best on the thin areas of the skin. The same is true for the mild and medium topical steroids. However, more potent topical steroids are known to be very helpful for the people with various rashes on their legs, feet and soles.

Other common suggestions include: regular skin moisturizing, special anti-bacterial treated bed clothes, and trying to avoid any suspected skin allergens.

If it’s a very severe case of leg dermatitis, you may need a course of oral steroid treatment. Generally, it’s a 5-7 day course that will help to stop the persistent inflammatory cycle. Oral topical steroids are known to have dangerous side-effects (skin thinning, stretch marks, fragile skin, sleep disturbance, etc.), but they are also known to be very helpful and quite safe for short treatment courses.

Leg atopic dermatitis is a very bothersome, painful and itchy condition. However, proper self care, avoiding irritants and allergens, and proper treatments can really help to make the life of the sufferer better.

Arm atopic dermatitis is one of the most common sights of this disorder. The skin of the arms may be very red, thick and dry, and in some cases it may also have blisters on it. The affected areas generally are the inner side of the elbows and the wrists. The hands may also be involved in this process, such as the top hand surfaces.

According to one recent study, hand atopic dermatitis is encountered in around 60% of the patients. 16% of the patients also have nail dystrophy, or other nail alterations. The study revealed that the hands of the sufferers get involved more often as the age of the sufferer increases.

Why do the arms get affected so often? Arms are often exposed to various irritants and water, in both – adults and children. These irritants and plain water makes the skin of the arms very prone to developing such rashes after the contact with any irritant.

In adults, atopic dermatitis is one of the main contributing factors to work-related contact dermatitis. Most commonly affected areas are hands, since they are repeatedly exposed to various detergents, solvents, and water. Adults, who are commonly exposed to domestic or work-related irritants, often have localized atopic dermatitis, which is confined particularly to their hands. Various occupations are known to aggravate the course of the disease in the people with arm atopic dermatitis, including: hairdressing, farming, and cleaning.

Further, atopic dermatitis makes atopic dermatitis sufferers more prone to developing hand eczema. There are cases when the people whose atopic dermatitis may completely clear up during their adult years, and who may then develop hand eczema. In fact, about 50% of the people with atopic dermatitis experience skin inflammation, such as hand eczema.

What can be done to improve the condition of arm atopic dermatitis? Studies show that people with atopic dermatitis have an increased trans-epidermal water loss in their arms, in comparison to people with normal and even dry skin. In this case, moisturizing the arms and the hands is very important in order to replenish the water loss in the skin.

Other common treatments include: more potent topical steroid hormones, Protopic (Tacrolimus), and Elidel (Pimecrolimus). If the flare up is very bad, you may be prescribed a short but very effective course of oral steroids (Prednisone), which helps most people to start feeling better very fast.

And what’s even more important – try to avoid skin irritants, whenever you can.