Atopic dermatitis | American Academy of Dermatology

Atopic dermatitis (AD) looks different in infants, children, and adults. The following gives you the signs (what you see) and symptoms (what you feel) for each age group.

AD can begin early. A child may be 2 or 3 months old when AD begins. When AD begins early, it often causes:

Parents often worry that their babies are getting AD in the diaper area. A babies rarely gets AD in his or her diaper area. The skin stays too moist for AD.

In time, the skin with AD can:

The thickened skin can itch even when the AD is not flaring.

When talking about the thickened skin, your dermatologist may use the word lichenification. This word means thickened skin.

It is rare for adults to get AD. Most people (90%) get AD before age 5. About half (50%) of people who get AD during childhood continue to have milder signs and symptoms of AD as an adult. When an adult has AD, it often looks different from the AD of childhood. For adults, AD often:

If a person has had AD for years, patches of skin may be thick and darker than the rest of the skin (or lighter). Thickened skin can itch all the time.

Adults who had AD as a child and no longer have AD can have the following:

Images used with permission of the American Academy of Dermatology National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides

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Atopic dermatitis | American Academy of Dermatology