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- Posted April 9, 2026
There Are No Good Ways To Avoid Childhood Eczema But Many Treatment Options
There’s very little parents can do to prevent their kids from developing eczema, according to new guidelines from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).
Research hasn’t shown that common tactics like special diets, skipping baths, breastfeeding and probiotic supplements can help children avoid eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, researchers reported April 7 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
But kids who do develop eczema have a wide range of effective treatments to help soothe their itchy skin, according to the guidelines.
These are the first-ever guidelines issued by the AAD regarding eczema in children, the academy said.
“Eczema is extremely common in children, though it doesn’t always look or behave the same way it does in adults,” AAD President Dr. Murad Alam said in a news release.
“Because eczema can decrease the quality of life of children and their families, we need dedicated guidelines just for children to ensure their best care,” Alam said.
Eczema affects up to a quarter of children worldwide, researchers said in background notes. The inflammatory skin condition is marked by itchy skin, dry patches, rashes and rough bumps.
Looking over the existing medical evidence, the guideline team concluded that there are no truly effective ways to prevent a child from developing eczema.
Moisturizers were the only treatment to receive a conditional recommendation to reduce the occurrence of eczema in kids 6 months to 3 years old.
Conditional recommendations reflect a therapy where the benefits and risks are closely balanced.
Guideline writers found insufficient evidence for other prevention methods like diets, skipping baths, vitamin D or probiotic supplements, early food introduction, breastfeeding, water softening and reducing exposure to allergens like dust mites.
However, many therapies received strong recommendations when it came to treatment of eczema in children.
“Many children’s eczema cases can be improved with a treatment plan made specially just for their needs, and starting treatment early can help keep the problem from getting worse,” Alam said.
Proven treatment options include:
Moisturizers to soothe dry, itchy skin.
Topical steroid creams, which are considered a first-line treatment for eczema flares.
Topical calcineurin inhibitors (pimecrolimus cream or tacrolimus ointments) to manage eczema flares.
Phosphodiesterate-4 inhibitors (crisaborole ointment and roflumilast cream) to reduce itchiness and decrease frequency of flares.
Topical JAK inhibitors (ruxolitinib cream and tapinarof cream) to decrease severity of dry, itchy skin in patients with mild to moderate eczema.
Monoclonal antibodies (dupilumab, tralokinumab and lebrikizumab) to decrease the severity of eczema symptoms, reduce flares and improve itching in patients with moderate to severe eczema.
JAK inhibitors (upadacitinib, abrocitinib and baricitnib) to decrease the severity of eczema symptoms and improve itching in patients with moderate to severe eczema.
The guidelines also made conditional recommendations for bathing, wet wrap therapy and light therapy as treatments for children with eczema.
Guidelines strongly recommended against the use of steroid pills or injections, arguing they should be reserved exclusively for patients with sudden, severe flares.
The guidelines also conditionally recommended against the use of topical antimicrobials and a combo drug/light therapy called PUVA phototherapy.
“These guidelines were developed to educate and empower patients, caregivers and the medical community so children with eczema receive the best care possible,” said Dr. Dawn Davis, co-chair of the AAD’s Atopic Dermatitis Guideline Workgroup.
“Early, proactive intervention allows improvement in symptoms and quality of life for patients and their families,” she said in a news release.
More information
Harvard Medical School has more about eczema.
SOURCE: American Academy of Dermatology, news release, April 7, 2026
