Atopic Dermatitis

What is it?

Points To Remember About Atopic Dermatitis

• Atopic dermatitis is the most common kind of eczema, a term that describes many kinds of skin problems.
• The disease causes the skin to become very itchy. Scratching leads to redness, swelling, cracking, “weeping” clear fluid, crusting, and scaling.
• Often, the skin gets worse (flares), and then it improves or clears up (remissions).
• Treatment usually includes medications, proper skin care, and avoiding things that cause allergies.
• Avoid scratching itchy skin, which only worsens symptoms.
• You should not get the smallpox vaccine if you have atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis is a skin disease. When a person has this disease the skin becomes extremely itchy. Scratching leads to redness, swelling, cracking, “weeping” clear fluid, crusting, and scaling. Often, the skin gets worse (flares), and then it improves or clears up (remissions).

Atopic dermatitis is the most common kind of eczema, a term that describes many kinds of skin problems.