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should not lose all the moisture after taking a bath and to draw in as much moisture as possible, we will talk about the moisturizing.

1. Moisturizing that prevents the moisture loss from the skin

In the normal skin barrier, dead keratinocytes are piled up one after another, and lipid components hold them together like cement. In general, normal skin does not become dry except in very cold and dry winters because there are enough lipids produced in the body even if you do not need to moisturize. However, the skin barrier is damaged due to various causes, such as a mutation that causes loss of function of the filaggrin gene that produces the proteins which holds the keratinocytes, a decrease in ceramide that reduces the lipid between keratinocytes, and activation of serine protease that causes the keratinocytes to fall. In the case of weakened atopic dermatitis patients, if lipids are not supplemented from the outside, moisture is easily taken away.

2. Moisturizing to prevent the external contaminants from entering

Unlike the skin barrier of non-patient, the skin barrier of patients with atopic dermatitis is not firmly connected, so the moisture inside the skin dries out easily, external contaminants and allergens easily penetrate the skin, and falls into the vicious cycles that worsens the skin condition. Sufficient moisture is essential for the atopic dermatitis to build up the skin barrier.

3. Moisturizing to reduce the itchiness and medication usage

Moisturizing improves various symptoms of atopic dermatitis, such as itching, erythema, skin cracks, and lichenification. Sufficient moisture reduces the use of drugs such as steroids. Therefore, moisturizing is recognized as a preventive and therapeutic treatment beyond the simple management of the atopic dermatitis.

How often should I apply these moisturizers?

In general, moisturizing 2-3 times a day is recommended. However, in cold and dry seasons like winter, it dries faster, so it is recommended to increase the number of times to 4-5 times, and it is also recommended to frequently apply 4-5 times to inflamed or dry areas. Try to moisturize 2-3 times on the whole body and 4-5 times on the area that you feel good to moisturize. It will be difficult to fill up the number of moisturizing if you have to wash whenever you apply the moisturizers. Fortunately, you can apply it without washing unless you sweat a lot or are particularly dirty. However, since there is a high probability that the hands will be the most dirty, I think it will be more helpful to wash your hands and apply throughly before the moisturizing.

Appropriate use of moisturizers

Even my parents, who complained that they use too much moisturizer, asked how much they were using, and often used a very small amount. The atopic guidelines suggest using about 200ml of moisturizer per week for the small children. That's quite a lot. Adults are advised to use 250ml-500ml per week. It is small amount comparing the area difference with the child, but it is not easy for the adults to moisturize the whole body frequently. So I recommend moisturizing 4-5 times, focusing on the bad parts.

You need to moisturize more often than you think. Diligence makes the clear skin.