Outbreaks of dermatitis in children

Atopic dermatitis is a very frequent reason for consultation in our pediatric dermatology offices. It occurs because the lack of some proteins in the skin , which function as a "cement", allows many external elements (cold or other factors) to irritate or attack, causing lesions of dermatitis .

Initially, atopic dermatitis manifests as reddish and exudative lesions on the cheeks or on the external face of arms and legs.. With the passage of months or years they are moving to the areas of folds, in addition to becoming more desquamative. In any case, the most important characteristic of the disorder is the intense itching associated with the lesions , which deteriorates the quality of life of the affected patients and their families.. This itching forces scratching or, in the case of very young children, pinching the skin.

Treatment of atopic dermatitis

The treatment of atopic dermatitis must be individualized. While it is true that to date there is no definitive cure for the disease, we can learn to recognize and mitigate your rash, and perform a maintenance treatment to avoid rapid recurrence.

In the outbreaks with few lesions, a topical treatment is usually sufficient, which is based mainly on the use of corticosteroids, applied in the lesions for a limited time indicated by the dermatologist or pediatrician.. For maintenance, two topical immunomodulators (tacrolimus and pimecrolimus) are used, which can be used long-term and without resting patterns without suffering the adverse effects associated with the chronic and constant use of a corticoid.

Topical treatments may be insufficient in patients with multiple lesions and many symptoms. In these cases it may be necessary to use oral treatments, such as oral corticosteroids in short cycles associated with local treatment. If the disease is not well controlled, other treatments are phototherapy and immunosuppressive treatments , such as cyclosporine.