Irritants An irritant is something that causes burning, itching or redness. Almost anything can be irritating to the skin when the rash of AD is severe. Chemicals, solvents, soaps, detergents, fragrances, some ingredients in skin care products, some fabrics, and smoke are irritants you may need to avoid. Your health care provider may recommend patch testing on the skin to try to determine if products you use or are exposed to cause an irritant or allergic skin reaction. If you have a reaction to the same thing you touch, breathe or eat you might have an allergy.
Allergies can cause or worsen AD symptoms.
Your health care provider may recommend prick or patch skin testing, blood tests, or food challenges to see if allergies are causing itching or rash. Allergens that worsen AD include foods, dust mites, furry animals, allergens in the air, as well as, certain chemicals. Temperature and Humidity Cold weather, heat and sweating may make AD worse. Sweating caused by overheating and high humidity can irritate the skin. Low humidity causes water to be lost from the skin.