How to care for your child’s atopic skin?

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Comment prendre soin de la peau atopique de mon enfant ?

Atopic eczema is a chronic skin disease characterized by flare-ups with red and itchy plaques. Skin is drier, more fragile and no longer properly plays its role as a protective barrier. It is therefore hypersensitive to its environment and inflames very quickly on contact with allergens or irritating substances. With a few simple habits, you can improve your child’s skin condition and live better with their eczema.

5 simple daily rituals

Apply
the prescribed medicinal treatment to plaques during flare-ups
Why?
To treat flare-ups as soon as possible
How?
Apply the prescribed treatment at the 1^st signs of a flare-up (redness, itching) and until redness disappears completely
Hydrate
the skin
Why?
Reduces dryness
Rebuilds the skin’s protective layer
Reduces the frequency of flare-ups
How?
After cleansing, apply an emollient daily to damp skin
Limit
itching
Why?
To reduce the risk of secondary infections and scarring
How?
Place something cold on the itchy area (cold pack, refrigerated stones, thermal spring water, etc.)
Keep your hands and mind busy so you don’t have to you think about the itching
Cleanse
skin gently
Why?
To avoid aggravating already fragile skin
How?
Use soap-free products adapted to atopic skin
Apply without a washcloth
recommended temperatures : 27 to 30°C
Éliminate
dust, pet hair and dust mites
Why?
To limit contact with allergens that could trigger an eczema flare-up
How?
Air your home out every day
Avoid items that collect dust (carpets, rugs, etc.)
Prohibit pets from entering their bedroom

How to apply emollients

3 key steps

1
Wash your hands
2
Warm the emollient in your hands
3
Spread it on the face and then on the body by laying the hands flat and making circles, without rubbing too much

The right dose: 1 dose of cream to be applied to each area

Some tips

Use the time spent applying these products to perform a relaxing massage on your child and make it a moment of relaxation.

Involve your child in the application of their emollient as soon as possible, as if it were a game.

Should I be worried about cortisone creams?

Cortisone creams are the benchmark and first-line treatment for atopic eczema flare-ups. They have been used for over 50 years for their anti-inflammatory and soothing effects on eczema lesions. The side effects of topical corticosteroids are often confused with those of oral corticosteroids. In short-term treatments, as used in atopic eczema, cortisone creams have not shown any negative side effects on children’s growth or long-term health.

Be sure to ask yourhealthcare professional about any questions or concerns you may have.

Publication - Chronic hand eczema: Common questions and practical recommendations from the EADV Contact Dermatitis Task Force. Balato A, Tancredi V, Aerts O, Crépy MN, Dugonik A, Gonçalo M, Krecisz B, Ljubojevic Hadzavdic S, Malinauskienė L, Özkaya E, Simon D, Giménez-Arnau AM.J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2025 Sep 29