Eczema treatment

Question 1

What are the best eczema skin care habits?

Answer

Although everyone’s skin is different, the National Eczema Association recommends the following practices to help manage eczema and prevent flare-ups:

• Moisturize twice daily

• Use clinician-approved eczema treatments as needed for maintenance

• Work on managing stress, which can trigger eczema symptoms

Bathing

• After a daily bath or shower in lukewarm water, take the next 3 minutes to apply any prescription eczema creams to your damp skin, followed by lotion with a high oil content to help seal in moisture.

• Soak in a diluted bleach bath for 10 minutes twice weekly (or more frequently if your eczema is severe). Bleach baths should have a ratio of 1/4 to 1/2 cup of bleach per full bathtub of water. Be sure to rinse off the bleach solution, then moisturize your skin right away.

Question 2

What is the 3-minute rule for eczema?

Answer

The 3-minute rule refers to the practice of applying liberal amounts of moisturizer to the skin within 3 minutes of finishing a bath or shower. This helps trap moisture in the skin, and can help reduce eczema flares.

Question 3

Are people with eczema more likely to experience other atopic diseases?

Answer

Eczema, asthma, and allergic rhinitis are all atopic diseases, meaning they're caused by an exaggerated and inappropriate immune response to a perceived threat. Essentially, your body's immune system recognizes a harmless substance (an antigen) as an enemy and launches a counterattack, leading to inflammation.

• Eczema (atopic dermatitis): Skin inflammation caused by dysregulation of the skin's barrier function

• Asthma: Bronchoconstriction caused by hyperresponsive airways

• Allergic rhinitis (AR): Nasal inflammation caused by sensitization to aeroallergens

These 3 conditions are often linked across the lifespan, with childhood eczema sometimes leading to allergic rhinitis and asthma in a process called the atopic march.

Did you know?

• Up to 80% of children with asthma are later diagnosed with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis

• Up to 40% of people with allergic rhinitis also have asthma

• Up to 50% of people with asthma also have allergic rhinitis

There's no clear consensus on what causes these atopic diseases, though experts know that our environment is at least partially responsible. Factors like diet, hygiene, infections, and air pollution have all been implicated in the atopic triad.

Question 4

What are the common symptoms of atopic dermatitis (eczema) in children?

Answer

Children with eczema often experience patches of skin that are red, irritated, and itchy. Eczema is a common condition for children but can look similar to other skin conditions, so it’s best to consult a healthcare professional for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

Question 5

How is childhood eczema diagnosed?

Answer

Childhood eczema is typically diagnosed with a thorough clinical assessment. Healthcare providers will want to know about a child's history of allergies and asthma, since these conditions are associated with eczema. They'll also want to examine your child's skin, looking for certain symptoms in certain areas, depending on your child's age.

For example, in children younger than 2, eczema may show up as itchy, red, peeling, and crusted areas on the back of the arms and hands, on the front of the legs, and on the cheeks or scalp. In children ages 2 to 16, eczema may show up as thickened, itchy, red areas on the neck, on the front of the wrists and ankles, in the elbow creases, and behind the knees.

There is no laboratory test to confirm eczema, though testing can sometimes be helpful to rule out other causes for a rash.

Question 6

Does childhood eczema go away?

Answer

The majority of children who develop eczema (atopic dermatitis) by age 2 will no longer have symptoms by age 4. But even though eczema symptoms often improve or go away with time, many children will continue to have symptoms into adolescence and adulthood. Certain risk factors, like severe early disease and parents' allergy history, are associated with a greater risk of persistent eczema symptoms.

Question 7

What is the root cause of childhood eczema?

Answer

The causes of eczema in children are complex, touching on genetic predisposition, environmental exposures, and dysregulation of the skin barrier and/or immune system.

Question 8

What is the best moisturizer for children with eczema?

Answer

Mild flares of eczema can be typically treated by keeping the skin moisturized with products that include soothing ingredients like petrolatum. Children with more severe or widespread cases of eczema may need prescription-strength topical corticosteroids.

Question 9

Do I have to be the parent or guardian of the child seeking care?

Answer

Yes. A parent or legal guardian must initiate the child's care and be present during their treatment.

Question 10

What type of healthcare provider will treat my child through On-Demand Care?

Answer

Children are treated by family practice physicians or licensed family nurse practitioners (FNPs). You'll be able to see the credentials of your child's provider after they're assigned to your child's treatment.

Question 11

Can I get a doctor's note for my child?

Answer

Yes. After your child completes their treatment, their One Medical provider can write excused absence notes, back-to-school notes, and no-play notes for sports or other activities if medically appropriate.

Question 12

What kind of online treatments can I request for my child?

Answer

At this time, parents and legal guardians can request treatments for their children aged 2 through 11 years old for the following health conditions through Amazon One Medical On-Demand Care (formerly Pay-per-visit):

• Head lice

• Pink eye

• Skin issue

• Eczema

• EpiPen prescription renewals

• Asthma prescription renewals

Question 13

Clinical sources

Answer

1. Hill, D. A., & Spergel, J. M. (2018). The atopic march: Critical evidence and clinical relevance. Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, 120(2), 131–137.

2. Lopez, D. J., Lodge, C. J., Bui, D. S., Waidyatillake, N. T., Abramson, M. J., Perret, J. L., Su, J. C., Erbas, B., Svanes, C., Dharmage, S. C., & Lowe, A. J. (2022). Establishing subclasses of childhood eczema, their risk factors and prognosis. Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 52(9), 1079–1090.

3. National Eczema Association. (2013). National Eczema Association. https://nationaleczema.org/

4. Weidinger, S., & Novak, N. (2016). Atopic dermatitis. Lancet (London, England), 387(10023), 1109–1122.

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Eczema treatment

How it works

Common eczema (atopic dermatitis) treatments

Topical corticosteroids

Lotions/emollients

Topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs)

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Can I get eczema treament for my child?

What causes eczema symptoms?

How do you treat eczema flare-ups?

Frequently asked questions

About eczema

About eczema care for children