Update on atopic eczema with special focus on dryness and the impact of moisturizers

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common skin disease of childhood and is characterized by erythematous papules and papulovesicles during its initial presentation, followed by subacute lesions that are crusted, weeping, scaling, and excoriated. Chronic lesions show skin thickening, xerosis, and exaggerated skin markings (lichenification) that are the skin's response to rubbing (Fig. 16.1). Sites of predilection are the face and extensor extremities in infancy, with more frequent involvement of the flexural areas after age 1 [27]. Skin lesions are accompanied by intractable pruritus, the primary symptom leading to the reduced quality of life observed in these children.