Important Aspects of Dermatitis Treatment

An important aspect of treatment is to identify and tackle any contributing factors (see above).
Bathing Reduce how often you bath or shower, using lukewarm water. Showers are better. Replace standard soap with a substitute such as a mild detergent soap-free cleanser: your chemist or dermatologist can advise you.
Clothing Wear soft smooth cool clothes; wool is best avoided.
Irritants Protect your skin from dust, water, solvents, detergents, injury.
Emollients Apply an emollient liberally and often, particularly after bathing, and when itchy. Ask your doctor or dermatologist to recommend some to try; avoid perfumed products when possible.
Topical steroids Apply a topical steroid cream or ointment to the itchy patches for a 5 to 15 day course. A suitable one will be prescribed by your doctor or dermatologist. Make sure you understand when and where to apply it, and how often you may repeat the course. Steroids should usually be applied once or twice daily to the red and itchy areas only. Sometimes two or more topical steroids will be supplied, either for different parts of the body, or for differing grades of dermatitis.
Pimecrolimus cream Pimecrolimus is a new anti-inflammatory cream shown to be very effective for atopic dermatitis, with fewer side effects than topical steroids.
Antibiotics Your doctor will recommend antibiotics such as flucloxacillin or erythromycin if infection is complicating or causing the dermatitis. The infection is most often with Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes.
Antihistamines Antihistamine tablets may help reduce the irritation, and are particularly useful at night.
Other treatments Systemic steroids, azathioprine, phototherapy, and other complicated treatments may also be used for severe cases.