Building Your Eczema Care Team
Here are a few experts you may want to recruit to your healthcare team.
Dermatologist
Since all forms of eczema — atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, dyshidrotic eczema, neurodermatitis, nummular eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, and stasis dermatitis — are skin conditions, it’s crucial that your care team includes a dermatologist. Your dermatologist may also refer you to other specialists, if needed, or work alongside other doctors and healthcare providers to help you manage your symptoms.
“Allergists, primary care physicians, and pediatricians often coordinate care with dermatologists in the treatment of atopic dermatitis,” says Lauren Ploch, MD, a dermatologist in Augusta, Georgia.
As a doctor who specializes in conditions that affect the skin, hair, and nails, a dermatologist can help you develop a skin-care plan to prevent flares and reduce symptoms when they do appear. This plan may include recommendations for skin-care and household products that are eczema friendly, prescription or over-the-counter treatments, depending on how severe your eczema is, and tips for avoiding triggers.
Pediatric Dermatologist
Eczema is common in babies and children — about 13 percent of all children in the United States have atopic dermatitis. If your child has eczema, you can start by talking with their pediatrician about how to manage symptoms, but you may be referred to a pediatric dermatologist, who specializes in skin conditions in children.
Psychodermatologist
A psychodermatologist is a doctor who focuses on the interaction between the mind and skin. They can help treat not only the eczema itself, but also the mental health conditions that can accompany skin diseases, such as anxiety or depression.
Allergist
An allergist is trained to treat inflammatory skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, which is often tied to allergies. Your allergist can help you identify possible allergic triggers to avoid and recommend effective treatments to relieve your symptoms.
A number of organizations, like the National Eczema Association and the Association for Psychoneurocutaneous Medicine of North America, offer provider directories on their websites to help you find specialists.
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