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Hydrocolloid mask effectively treated children’s facial atopic eczema

Face masks made from hydrocolloid dressing, including one with topical corticosteroids, were effective in treating recurring atopic eczema in pediatric patients, according to study results.

“We know that eroded skin hurts, and that covering it improves discomfort very quickly,” researcher Marius Rademaker, DM, BM, FRCP, FRACP, clinical director of the dermatology unit, Waikato District Health Board, Hamilton, New Zealand, told Healio.com. “The traditional face masks were too difficult to use, so it seemed logical to use a proprietary hydrocolloid dressing.”

 

Marius Rademaker

Rademaker studied three children (aged 3 to 4 years; two girls) with significant facial atopic eczema who were treated with face masks made with adhesive hydrocolloid dressings. Patients had experienced atopic eczema from ages 6 months to 9 months and had been treated with emollients and topical corticosteroids, including betamethasone valerate to clobetasol propionate on the trunk and limbs, and corticosteroids, including 1% hydrocortisone cream and 0.1% hydrocortisone butyrate, on the face. Patients had one to four episodes of secondary infection with Staphylococcus aureus, and one patient experienced facial eczema herpeticum. Appropriate antivirals or antibiotics were used to treat symptoms.

Dressings, comprised of three pieces formed to cover the forehead and cheeks, lasted 3 to 4 days before replacement. Itch or soreness symptoms were controlled within hours of application. Patients wore the masks for 5 to 14 days, with major clearing of the eczema. One patient underwent a single application of betamethasone valerate cream 30 minutes before the first face mask. Facial eczema remained in remission for more than 3 months despite continued eczema on the trunk and limbs.

Three days after treatment, one patient redeveloped eczema herpeticum, which was treated with oral acyclovir followed by 4 more days of face-mask treatment.

“By using a hydrocolloid dressing over several days, one can minimize the effects of rubbing,” Rademaker said. “It is very quick and easy to fashion the dressing, with almost instantaneous improvement in discomfort.”