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.

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