Atopic dermatitis characterizes several inflammatory skin conditions, such as asthma. The symptoms of atopic dermatitis include itchy, red, inflamed, and scaly patches of skin. While this condition mostly develops during childhood, it can endure into adulthood. Primary symptoms for atopic dermatitis may differ from one patient to another, but they often appear around the elbows, neck, and eyelids, among other areas.

Even though atopic dermatitis does not have a cure, there are several home remedies that can be combined with doctor-prescribed medications, or over the counter options to help soothe skin:

1. Moisturizers
Among the options available for dermatitis treatment, skin conditioning is among the simplest yet most effective. Adding moisture to your skin helps to ease the dryness that atopic dermatitis causes. It is advisable to use a gentle, unfragranced moisturizer on your skin straight away after showering when the skin is still slightly damp in order to seal in moisture. Over the counter skin, conditioners provide a long term remedy for atopic dermatitis. They come in three options.

• Lotions: Science has proven that most lotions feature the lightest moisturizing effect. Their ingredients include water and oil, which makes it easy to spread them on the skin. While they may help relieve the effects of skin infections, lotions are not ideal for severe atopic dermatitis. That is because the water in them tends to evaporate hastily.
• Ointments: The fact that ointments contain large amounts of oil and are semisolid makes them ideal for home treatment of atopic dermatitis. They have a lower volume of water as compared to lotion or creams. With only a few ingredients, they are highly moisturizing. Petroleum jelly is a perfect example in this case, as it contains a single component.
• Creams: Creams combine water and oil as ingredients. With severe skin dryness, they are ideal moisturizers because of their high oil content. Creams help in hydrating the skin, which is essential for atomic dermatitis patients.

3. Topical corticosteroid creams
You can get some topical, low strength corticosteroid creams over the counter at your local drugstore, which is ideal for short-range treatment. Applying hydrocortisone instantly after moisturizing the skin is an excellent way to treat atomic dermatitis during an outbreak.

3. Oral antihistamines
Another ideal option that you can supplement with topical cream is oral antihistamines, also available over the counter. However, according to researchers, you need to mix oral antihistamines with another treatment option. That is because they often cannot treat eczema effectively on their own, but offer relief from allergic triggers. With antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, they will help reduce itching, redness and inflammation to help you get a good night’s sleep.

4. Prescription-strength moisturizers
For patients experiencing more extreme symptoms, a skin specialist can recommend a topical prescription moisturizer, which may not be available without a prescription. These contain advanced percentages of ceramides and fatty acids, as compared to over the counter options. The ingredients are meant to resemble those that exist naturally on healthy skin.

5. Phototherapy
Phototherapy utilizes varying wavelengths of ultraviolet light (UV) light to reduce itch and inflammation in adult and child eczema patients.

6. Dupilumab (Dupixent)
Dupilumab Dupixent is an injectable treatment for eczema patients aged 6-years old and above. This prescribed treatment is ideal for those with eczema that fails to respond to other therapies.