San José, Costa Rica. March, 2014.

Atopic dermatitis is one of the primary causes of consultation in pediatric patients. It is a little-known disease and affects 30% of the children in Costa Rica, which makes it a very common complaint, although there is a great lack of knowledge on the part of the population and tends to be confused with allergies.

El Dr. Rodrigo Martín, pediatric dermatologist of the Clinica Biblica Hospital, commented that “when it comes to treating children with skin problems, it is not enough to obtain a correct diagnosis and place all trust in the medicines. The parents must pay attention to the details and the preventive care that they must have at home, which will make a big difference.”

In order to establish recommendations which make the difference, Dr. Martin has made up a plan of 6 pillars for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, which is presented below:

1. Education: Often the expectations of the parents are much greater than what can be offered; they should know that 80% of children can be healed. Of the percentage that is healed, 40% will suffer from asthma or rhinitis (these diseases belong to the same group of diseases as atopic dermatitis). If the genetic make-up is very important, some children will be affected in the skin, others in the lungs and others in the nose, or a combination of these diseases.

2. Control of the Bath: This must be quick, with water that is not too hot, and using a neutral soap.

3. Control of Moisturizing: Use abundant cream, without fragrance. Avoid too much heat and perspiration, woolen or acrylic clothing, blankets and stuffed animals, long haired animals, sweeping or dusting when the children are nearby. Creams must be for individual use to avoid contamination.

4. Control of Triggers

5. Proactive Treatment

6. Control of Therapeutic Failure

Other common diseases in our country are: vitiligo or melancholy disease, warts, molluscum contagiosum, moles, insect bites, acne, vascular skin lesions or hemangiomas.

“It is important to underscore that any irregular skin condition in a child must be evaluated by an expert, by a professional in pediatric dermatology, in order to obtain an accurate diagnosis to determine the correct treatment. Let´s remember that the treatment in a pediatric patient must be integral and also remember that the dosages in children´s medicines are different from those taken by adults,” affirmed Dr. Martin.

Pediatric dermatologists attend children and adolescents from 0 to 18 years of age as their principal groups of interest.