Lifestyle
Bathing once or more a day is recommended, usually for five to ten minutes in warm water. Soaps should be avoided, as they tend to strip the skin of natural oils and lead to excessive dryness. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests using a controlled amount of bleach diluted in a bath to help with atopic dermatitis.People can wear clothing designed to manage the itching, scratching and peeling.House dust mite reduction and avoidance measures have been studied in low quality trials and have not shown evidence of improving eczema. Moisturizers
Low-quality evidence indicates that moisturizing agents (emollients) may reduce eczema severity and lead to fewer flares. In children, oil–based formulations appear to be better, and water–based formulations are not recommended. It is unclear if moisturizers that contain ceramides are more or less effective than others. Products that contain dyes, perfumes, or peanuts should not be used. Occlusive dressings at night may be useful.Some moisturizers or barrier creams may reduce irritation in occupational irritant hand dermatitis, a skin disease that can affect people in jobs that regularly come into contact with water, detergents, chemicals or other irritants. Some emollients may reduce the number of flares in people with dermatitis. Medications
Corticosteroids
If symptoms are well controlled with moisturizers, steroids may only be required when flares occur. Corticosteroids are effective in controlling and suppressing symptoms in most cases. Once daily use is generally enough. For mild-moderate eczema a weak steroid may be used (e.g., hydrocortisone), while in more severe cases a higher-potency steroid (e.g., clobetasol propionate) may be used.
In severe cases, oral or injectable corticosteroids may be used. While these usually bring about rapid improvements, they have greater side effects. Long term use of topical steroids may result in skin atrophy, stria, telangiectasia. Their use on delicate skin (face or groin) is therefore typically with caution. They are, however, generally well tolerated. Red burning skin, where the skin turns red upon stopping steroid use, has been reported among adults who use topical steroids at least daily for more than a year. Antihistamines
There is little evidence supporting the use of antihistamine medications for the relief of dermatitis. Sedative antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine, may be useful in those who are unable to sleep due to eczema. Second generation antihistamines have minimal evidence of benefit. Of the second generation antihistamines studied, fexofenadine is the only one to show evidence of improvement in itching with minimal side effects. Immunosuppressants
Topical immunosuppressants like pimecrolimus and tacrolimus may be better in the short term and appear equal to steroids after a year of use. Their use is reasonable in those who do not respond to or are not tolerant of steroids. Treatments are typically recommended for short or fixed periods of time rather than indefinitely. Tacrolimus 0.1% has generally proved more effective than pimecrolimus, and equal in effect to mid-potency topical steroids. There is no link to increased risk of cancer from topical use of 1% pimecrolimus cream.When eczema is severe and does not respond to other forms of treatment, systemic immunosuppressants are sometimes used.