Sharing tips for managing atopic dermatitis

I have been showing symptoms of atopic dermatitis since I was about 5 years old and have been consistently visiting the hospital for over 20 years to manage it.

During adolescence, I was troubled by severe itching mainly around the joints of my arms and legs, but it subsided after summer and I didn't pay much attention to it.

However, after becoming an adult, the lesion areas expanded to the thighs and neck, and even after applying steroid ointments, the condition did not improve. A referral letter to a university hospital was obtained, and treatment was continued for nearly a year.

I would like to share the insights I gained from this process.

 

First and foremost, the most important thing is the temperature.

Many patients are aware that atopic dermatitis symptoms worsen during the summer.

However, I noticed that some people miss the shower water temperature.

People tend to avoid hot showers because they think it will damage their skin, but they overlook the fact that warm water can also be detrimental to atopic skin.

Atopic skin must use lukewarm water.

You also need to pay attention to warm water.

The accumulated body temperature caused by warm water triggers itching.

 

And the next most important thing is to identify the cause of atopic dermatitis symptoms.

It is good to understand atopic dermatitis as similar to allergies, but since the causes vary from person to person like allergies, it is effective to undergo allergy testing to identify the cause.

When symptoms suddenly flare up during daily life, recalling the cause and managing that environment can often help the symptoms subside easily.

 

There are many other areas to manage, but I shared the part that I painfully realized the most.

I hope that other atopic dermatitis patients will experience fewer cases of symptom worsening due to the same mistakes I made.