Caring for young children can be exceedingly difficult if you’re not armed with the right information, and with thousands of web pages full of misleading or downright incorrect information, you need to be more vigilant than ever in making sure your children are treated properly for various conditions. Atopic Dermatitis is no exception to this rule, but with the right resources and treatment, you can develop your own routine for your needs using some common best practices.
Though Atopic Dermatitis is common in young children, it can occur at any age. Though Atopic Dermatitis is not contagious, the condition is chronic (long lasting), and flares can be irritating and painful. It’s one thing to be a self-aware adult with sound reasoning, but what about our infants and toddlers who aren’t quite able to articulate their discomfort?
Signs and Symptoms of Atopic Dermatitis
Though we always encourage following up with your family physician or pediatrician before taking matters into your own hands, knowing what you’re looking for can help you pinpoint an early diagnosis of Atopic Dermatitis. If you find yourself checking off several of the symptoms listed below, it’s strongly recommended that you seek an opinion from a medical professional.
- Dry, scaly skin
- Severe itching
- Redness and swelling
- Thickened skin
- Small, raised bumps that leak fluid if scratched
- Rough bumps on the face, upper arms, and thighs
- Darkened skin around the eyes
- Skin changes around the mouth, eyes, or ears
It’s worth noting that not all of these symptoms signify Atopic Dermatitis on their own; it’s a combination of several of these symptoms that should cause worry. If your child has a number of these symptoms concurrently, a trip to your pediatrician or skin specialist will be able to confirm your suspicions.
Luckily, knowing the source of the issue puts you in a better position than being left in the dark, and that’s why we’re here to help you in not only your skin care journey, but the skin care journey of your children. There are common practices you can implement in your own household in addition to applying topical solutions, and once implemented, you’ll be well on your way to providing the necessary relief required to have a functional life while managing flares.
Best Practices for treating pediatric Atopic Dermatitis
Here are some noteworthy best practices that you can implement in the comfort of your home to alleviate your child’s Atopic Dermatitis symptoms. You may find that either a combination of these best practices, or all of them in varied capacities will provide relief. You may also find that some of these best practices don’t give you your desired result. Though it’s easy to get frustrated by a lack of immediate results, we encourage you to be patient because there will be an initial phase of trial and error in finding the exact routine that works best for your child’s needs.
- Keep your child's skin moisturized by frequently applying moisturizing products - though it may take a few attempts to find the right product for your child, establishing a routine early on will be instrumental in their skin care journey.
- Give brief, lukewarm baths - finding the ideal temperature to your child’s bath will also take a few attempts to get right. Think of the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. You don’t want the water to be too hot, or too cold, but rather just right. Every child will have their own threshold of tolerance to varying water temperatures, and a particularly bad flare may have you reassessing the temperature from time to time.
- It’s also important to pat your child dry after their bath. Rubbing your child down with a towel could further irritate their skin, so it’s best if you’re gentle.
- Keep your child's fingernails filed short - scratching and picking at a flare will only irritate your child’s skin further, so it’s best to keep their fingernails filed short to prevent any unnecessary scratching.
- Select soft cotton fabrics when choosing clothing - when in doubt, clothes made with 100% cotton are your best bet. Clothes made of wool, and synthetic fabrics such as polyester or nylon are likely to cause overheating, sweating, and irritation.
- Consider using antihistamines to reduce scratching at night - though it’s up for debate whether antihistamines can directly treat Atopic Dermatitis in a child, it may help them sleep at night, which will help prevent night time scratching. If you’re on the fence about taking this route, contact your physician for their insight, and they will steer you in the right direction.
- Keep your child cool; avoid situations where overheating occurs - overheating will generally cause discomfort and will make your child more likely to experience a flare. If you’re able to control the climate in your household, it’s best to keep it on the cool side.
- Attempt to distract your child with activities that keep him or her from scratching - when all else fails, there’s nothing wrong with coloring or working on crafts. Sometimes, all your child needs is a healthy distraction while you’re waiting for their symptoms to subside.
Topical Solutions
We will be introducing our new line of Dash-Topic Plus to our store (prescription) in 2023. We hope that you will try our new solution in your skin-care journey. In the meantime, we’d like to leave you with some common best practices for preventing and treating flare-ups.
While one or several of these treatments may work for you, know that they are not a “cure all.” It will take time to find the right combination of medications or therapy. You may sometimes need to talk to a medical professional if your at home efforts aren’t getting you the results you need.
One important thing to consider is that AIM Medical is a cut above the competition. Our medical grade products are carefully formulated to give you your desired results without any filler or additives. Though seeing (and feeling) is believing, so don’t just take our word for it, and see for yourself! Your skin care is our number one priority, and the proof is in our products. As with any medical grade product, it is strongly recommended that you follow your physician’s suggestion on any medication application.
About AIM Medical
AIM Medical is a skincare products research, engineering and manufacturing company based in the world's medtech hub - Boston, Massachusetts. Dedicated to developing novel, safe, yet highly effective portfolio of products that target common dermatologic conditions, AIM Medical advances the high value opportunities for products that focus on wound care and atopic dermatitis. At AIM Medical we are proud of our heritage of creating health and beauty through technology innovation. We have aligned AIM Medical to be a worldwide healthcare brand advancing the cutting edge technologies to work in real.