Atopic Dermatitis in babies and children How to calm and care for young skin

Approximately 60% of all those with Atopic Dermatitis develop the disease in the first year of life, and 90% within their first five years¹.
This article explains how to care for young atopic skin. We examine how gentle and regular skincare helps to keep young skin moisturised, prolonging the periods between flare-ups and reducing their severity. We also look at how to adjust your baby’s routine to suit the phase their skin is in.  To find out about the symptoms, causes and triggers of the disease read Atopic Dermatitis in babies and children.

Atopic Dermatitis (also known as Atopic Eczema) is typified by two phases:

• The acute phase when skin flares-up and is at its most irritable
• Calmer periods between flare-ups

You can read more about these two phases in Understanding Atopic Dermatitis and Identifying and managing flare-ups.
Your baby’s or child’s skin has slightly different needs at each of these stages and we recommend you adapt their routine to suit the phase and condition their skin is in. Broadly speaking this means:

• Daily care: Gentle cleansing and regular, effective and generous moisturisation to keep skin soft and supple and prolong the periods between flare-ups.
• Acute care: The use of anti-inflammatory ointments and creams (as well as some medically-supervised methods) in addition to normal daily moisturisation to soothe and calm skin during a flare-up.

Harsh cleansers can also strip away essential lipids and damage the delicate protective barrier and moisture balance of young skin. Avoid bubble baths, alkaline soaps and harsh surfactants such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate. Choose a mild, soap-free cleanser such as Eucerin AtopiControl Bath and Shower Oil. It makes an ideal additive for baby’s bath and is proven to be gentle on young atopic skin. 
After bathing pat rather than rub skin dry with a clean, soft towel.

It’s important to moisturise your baby’s body immediately after cleansing to avoid further evaporation of water from their skin. But once a day is not sufficient − the effective management of atopic skin rests on the regular and continuous application of moisturisers (also known as emollients)². We recommend that you moisturise your child’s body at least twice a day (even after an oil bath). Your child’s hands and face are likely to need more frequent care.

The focus of skincare during the acute phase of Atopic Dermatitis is to calm skin, soothe irritation and itchiness and relieve discomfort for your child. Thankfully, there are a number of measures that can help:

Ointments and creams such as corticosteroids (e.g. a 1% hydrocortisone cream) offer fast-acting and effective relief, but are normally prescribed for short-term use only.

• antihistamines to reduce severe itching
• wet wrap therapy

There are a number of active ingredients proven to soothe and calm skin during a flare-up:

• Licochalcone A: an extract of liquorice that reduces inflammation and soothes irritation
• Decanediol: a powerful anti-oxidant that works against bacteria to prevent infection
• Menthoxypropandiol: a menthol-derivative that cools skin and reduces itchiness at a sensory level so your child doesn’t feel the need to scratch so much and further skin damage is avoided. 

Licochalcone A, Decanediol and Menthoxypropandiol are all part of the Eucerin AtopiControl Acute Care Cream formula which is suitable for use on babies and children over three months. Eucerin AtopiControl Acute Care Cream is not a medical product, nor is it intended to replace one, but it can be used as an adjunctive care product alongside medical treatment to support the benefits of the medical product. 

In addition to gentle and effective skincare, working out any potential triggers and helping your child to avoid them can help to prolong the periods between flare-ups and reduce the severity of those flare-ups when they do occur. You can find out more about the steps you can take in Atopic Dermatitis in babies and children.