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Any help for what I believe is atopic dermatitis?

My father is almost 50, and in the last year has had an extreme skin condition. It started on his arms and has spread through his whole body. Legs, groin, arms, hands, eyes. Every day is different.

He's tried everything

He cannot work due to the severity of the condition. We live on the east coast of Canada and no doctor has seen anything like it, they've tried every cream, or pill, some work at first, but usually make it worst after a few days. He finally got to see a specialist and they have him on a medication given to cancer patients to eliminate the immune system because they believe it's an autoimmune disease. Which from my research, it most likely is. I can post pictures in the morning if it would help.

Can anyone relate?

If anyone believes they could identify or help in any way I'd love to hear from you. Seeing him go from a guy who can do anything you can imagine, to barely walk because of his legs and groin itch, hurt, bleed, etc. I'm reaching out to anyone who has the time to talk, it's appreciated. Thank you very much.


  1. Hi , I can totally empathise with your dad. I had a similar thing happen to me a few years back and my doctor discovered that it was caused by a foot fungal infection I had. By changing my washing routine i.e. I started using three towels - one for my face, body and feet and using antibacterial creams, I was fortunate to get better. I'm not saying this will work for your dad but it might be worth looking into. Below is a link which you may find useful: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pompholyx/

    1. Hi , Thank you for sharing your father's story with the AD community! I'm so sorry to hear that his skin is not improving and causing him a lot of pain and discomfort. I'm including our image gallery of atopic dermatitis which may help with your research, https://atopicdermatitis.net/images/eczema/. Also, I'm not sure if his doctor mentioned psoriasis as a possible diagnosis, but it seems that many of his symptoms overlap with psoriasis. If you're looking for more information, you can check out our sister site, PlaquePsoriasis.com. I reccomend him chatting with a dermatologist about treatment options to improve his health and get his life back on track. I'm sure this is a scary time for him, so if there's anything else we can help with, please let us know. Best, Sarah, AtopicDermatitis.net Team Member

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