Adult-Onset Atopic Dermatitis: Fact or Fancy?

Atopic dermatitis therapy can be a challenge in many cases. Persistence into adulthood often reflects the more severe cases and such patients have the added problems of hand eczema and thick nummular lesions that resist topical medications. Within this group are patients labeled as having adult-onset atopic dermatitis, a designation that is hard to define and probably represents those whose childhood eczema was simply forgotten. Management is difficult for most adult cases and should not be diverted by questionable labels.