Maintaining the Skin Barrier for Atopic Dermatitis

Moisturizers

• Reduce inflammation and atopic dermatitis severity.
• Decrease the amount of prescription anti-inflammatory treatments required.
• Lessen symptoms including lichenification, fissuring, erythema, and pruritus.

Moisturizers function by replacing or replenishing the skin’s natural moisturizing factor, which

• Is composed of several proteins, sugars, and acids
• Is reduced in children who have loss of function mutations in filaggrin
• Binds water, increasing skin elasticity (Free water has no effect on skin.)

Moisturizers have 1 of 3 actions, depending on the type:

Multiple randomized controlled trials of topical moisturizers have shown they are effective in preventing atopic dermatitis flares and in reducing the use of topical steroids. For a summary of studies of specific moisturizers in children with atopic dermatitis, their safety and efficacy, and the treatment regimen used in the study, see this table from the 2016 Consensus Conference on Clinical Management of Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis.

The development of this information was made possible through support from Sanofi and Regeneron.