Mallorca eczema school teaches over 450 families

More than 450 families have taken part in an eczema school at Son Espases University Hospital in Palma, Mallorca, where children learn how to care for their skin. The programme, called the Atopy School, reaches its 26th edition this year, the Balearic health ministry said on Wednesday, 21 October.

Learning to manage flare-ups

The hospital’s dermatology service holds talks for parents and relatives about food allergies and managing eczema, also called atopic dermatitis. In workshops, children learn that the condition is not contagious.

Doctors’ recommended medicines and regular skin care can help make flare-ups less frequent. Children are taught to keep their skin moisturised, take short lukewarm showers and dry themselves gently. They are also advised not to scratch, dress too warmly or expose their skin to extreme temperatures.

Why daily care matters

Atopic dermatitis is a long-term inflammatory skin condition affecting 20 per cent of children. Changes to the skin’s protective barrier and an unusual immune response can leave skin dry, itchy and inflamed. Symptoms tend to come and go.

The condition often improves with age and can disappear. Until then, daily moisturising and skin care remain the basis of treatment. Depending on how severe it is, doctors may also prescribe medicine applied to the skin or medicine that works throughout the body.

Topics: Health

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com