Atopic Dermatitis: Prevention

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Prevention

If your baby is at risk for developing atopic dermatitis because you or other family members have it or other allergies, these steps may help prevent a rash or reduce its severity:

• If possible, breast-feed your baby for at least 6 months to boost his or her immune system.
• Talk to your doctor about your diet if you are breast-feeding. Your diet may affect whether your baby develops atopic dermatitis. Although the effect of a breast-feeding mother's diet is a point of controversy, researchers have observed that some infants' rashes improve when their mothers eliminate milk from their diets and get worse when milk is reintroduced. Other allergenic foods can potentially have a similar effect on breast-fed babies. This connection is neither well supported nor strongly refuted by current research.⁹
• When you are ready to give your child solid foods, talk with your doctor about whether your child should avoid foods that frequently cause food allergies, such as eggs, peanuts, milk, soy, and wheat.

If you or your child has atopic dermatitis, you may decrease flares by:

• Avoiding dry skin. This is essential in treating atopic dermatitis. Keep your or your child's skin hydrated through proper bathing and use of moisturizers. This includes bathing in warm water, bathing for only 3 to 5 minutes, avoiding gels and bath oils, and using soap only on the underarms, groin, and feet on a regular basis. Apply a moisturizer immediately after bathing, even while your skin is still wet. For more information, see:

  Atopic dermatitis: Taking care of your skin.

• Avoiding irritants that cause a rash or make a rash worse. These include soaps that dry the skin, perfumes, and scratchy clothing or bedding.
• Avoiding possible allergens that cause a rash or make a rash worse. These may include dust and dust mites, animal dander, and certain foods, such as eggs, peanuts, milk, wheat, or soy products. Talk to your doctor first to determine whether allergens are contributing to your atopic dermatitis. For more information on food allergies, see the topic Food Allergies.
• Controlling itching and scratching. Keep your fingernails trimmed and filed smooth to help prevent damaging the skin when scratching. You may want to use protective dressings to keep from rubbing the affected area. Put mittens or cotton socks on your baby's hands to help prevent him or her from scratching the area.

Last updated:	May 05, 2008
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine, Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC