Daily Moisturization for Atopic Dermatitis: Importance, Recommendations, and Moisturizer Choices

Moisturizer Use in Children With Atopic Dermatitis: Real-Life Practice, Beliefs, and Challenges Among a Cohort of Jordanian Patients

BACKGROUND

Moisturizers are a crucial baseline therapy for atopic dermatitis (AD).

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the real-life experience of using moisturizers in AD patients and to assess parents' opinions and challenges regarding moisturizer use.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire completed by the parents of pediatric AD patients. The assessment questionnaire evaluated demographic factors as well as practices, opinions, and challenges regarding the use of moisturizers in AD treatment. Applying moisturizers twice daily, considered sufficient use, was evaluated across demographic levels using bivariate analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 425 patients with AD participated in the study. The median age was 4 years, 51% of patients were female, 61% had moderate to severe AD, 34% had a family history of AD, and 41% of cases reported sufficient moisturizer use. Factors associated with increased frequency of application of moisturizers included younger age at diagnosis, higher parents' educational level, and increased family income. The twice-daily application versus less frequent application was associated with fewer monthly flare-ups (33% vs. 17%, p < 0.001). Overall, 54% of patient guardians believed that moisturizers were necessary for treating AD, 69% considered fragrance-free formulas to be better, and 86% thought there to be a need for counseling from their physician on using moisturizers in AD treatment. Factors undermining the application of moisturizers included the time needed for application, cost, and lack of patient cooperation.

CONCLUSION

In real-world practice, parents tend to underutilize moisturizers. To address this issue, treating physicians must provide additional education, and health insurance companies should consider covering moisturizers to ensure their accessibility.

Development of an Emulgel for the Effective Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis: Biocompatibility and Clinical Investigation

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common dermatological disease affecting both children and adults. No drug-free emulgel has been developed and studied in vitro and in vivo for the treatment of AD. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the efficacy of a topical emulgel containing hyaluronic acid, glycerol, Calendula officinalis, Aloe vera, polyphenols and EGF for the concomitant treatment in patients with AD aged over 14. Objective skin barrier function parameters were included, such as transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin temperature, pH, stratum corneum hydration, skin elasticity and erythema. The subjective opinion of the patients was determined including acceptability, absorption, comfort of use and tolerability, as well as the degree of improvement in patients' quality of life. We observed an improvement in the subjective parameters studied and statistically significant differences in the objective parameters. Specifically, we found an improvement in TEWL (p = 0.006), erythema (p = 0.008) and hydration (p < 0.001), parameters indicating an improvement in the epidermal barrier. One hundred per cent of patients were satisfied with the product. Therefore, these results suggest that the product may contribute to the treatment of AD.