[Topical therapy for atopic eczema]

Atopic eczema is a chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease characterized by intensive pruritus and a high burden of disease. Based on a genetically determined skin barrier dysfunction, xerosis cutis and a tendency towards microbial skin infections are the leading clinical features. Mild and moderate disease manifestations are common, and usually treated with topical agents only. Treatment concepts are usually based on a combination of (i) topical basic therapy consisting of skin cleansing and barrier stabilizing emollients and (ii) topical anti-inflammatory therapy of visible skin lesions with topical corticosteroids and topical calcineurin inhibitors. Proactive therapy of the commonly affected and usually relapsing areas of skin is an important therapeutic option for long-term maintenance treatment of moderate to severe disease. Patients should be actively involved in planning of treatment, which should be adapted to individual patient factors such as age, involved body areas, type of skin lesions, as well as seasonal and climatic factors. New promising treatment options including topical phosphodiesterase inhibitors and topical Janus kinase inhibitors are currently being evaluated in clinical trials and may become a future treatment option for atopic eczema. This review article summarizes the current topical treatment options and new perspectives in the topical therapy of atopic eczema.