Neurodermatitis

Diagnosis

Your doctor will examine your skin and discuss your symptoms with you to determine if you have neurodermatitis. Your doctor can take a small sample of the afflicted skin and analyze it under a microscope in a lab to rule out any other disorders. The procedure is known as a skin biopsy.

Treatment

Controlling the itching, avoiding scratching, and addressing the underlying reasons are the main goals of neurodermatitis treatment. The illness frequently reappears, even after good therapy. Your doctor might advise one or more of the following therapies:

• Creams or medications to control itchiness. Your doctor may prescribe a stronger corticosteroid or a nonsteroidal anti-itch medication with a calcineurin inhibitor, such as tacrolimus or pimecrolimus, if the over-the-counter corticosteroid cream isn’t working. Inhibitors of calcineurin may be useful for reducing itching in delicate regions, such as the genitalia.
• Many people with neurodermatitis who experience itching can be helped by prescription antihistamines. Some of these medications may make you sleepy and assist stop you from scratching while you’re asleep.
• Corticosteroid injections. Your doctor may administer corticosteroids intravenously to the affected skin to speed up the healing.
• Anti-anxiety medications. Anti-anxiety medications may assist in reducing itching because neurodermatitis can be brought on by stress and anxiety.
• Medicated patches. Your doctor could advise using patches containing lidocaine or capsaicin for persistent irritation.
• Moisturizers. This controls itchiness dry skin
• Talk therapy. You can discover how your thoughts, feelings, and actions can cause or stop scratching and itching by speaking with a counselor. Your counselor can recommend trying out certain behavioral methods.
• Light therapy. People who have failed to respond to prior therapies may potentially benefit from this method. It entails exposing the afflicted skin to particular light wavelengths.
• Botox injection. Those who have failed to respond to other therapies may find this method useful.