What can I do to improve my symptoms?
Patients themselves can take some measures to improve the symptoms of neurodermatitis. First, it is important to identify disease-triggering triggers. The easiest way to do this is with a so-called allergy diary, which records whether you have symptoms, what you ate, how the weather was, etc.
Many people with neurodermatitis, for example, react sensitively to clothing made of wool: the scratchy material irritates the skin and a new episode of neurodermatitis can occur. Various foods also aggravate the symptoms of neurodermatitis and these should be avoided. Nevertheless, patients should pay attention to a balanced and varied diet, as this strengthens the body and promotes general well-being.
If patients take care to avoid these triggers, the quality of life can be significantly improved. Even if it is difficult for those affected, scratching is an absolute no-go for neurodermatitis! This damages the skin even further and the tormenting itching increases as a result.
It is best for neurodermatitis sufferers to cut their fingernails as short as possible – this prevents unnecessary injuries if they do scratch themselves. Of course, the right skin care is very important for atopic dermatitis (see: Skin care for atopic dermatitis). The best way is to apply moisturizing and cooling creams to the affected skin areas. Baths with bath additives from the Dead Sea also help well against the complaints.
Will it be possible to cure neurodermatitis in the future?
Intensive research is currently being conducted on so-called immunomodulators.These are locally applied drugs which are supposed to inhibit the misdirected immune reaction that occurs in neurodermatitis. New scientific studies are also looking into the development of so-called gene therapies. These are attempts to identify disease-triggering genes in patients with neurodermatitis and then repair the defective genes in a targeted manner.
It remains to be seen whether neurodermatitis can be cured in the future by these innovative treatment approaches. However, medical progress makes it possible to provide ever better treatment. New drugs and the identification of triggering factors can significantly reduce both the frequency of new relapses and the severity of symptoms.
