Confronting skin hypersensitivity.

• Position: Dermatology - Atopic dermatitis treatment

Do you find yourself itching and sneezing excessively during allergy season? Does your family have a history of hay fever and asthma? Does your skin seem to get red and irritated even if someone just touches your arm for a minute? Does the thought of having a cat or dog as a pet have your eyes running and your nose itching? Do you suffer from extremely dry, scaly, cracked skin during the winter months?

If you answer "yes" to these and similar questions, there's a good chance that you, like 15 to 20% of the population, are atopic, or hypersensitive to allergens, such as pollen, ragweed, dust mites, molds, and animal dander. Atopic people are typically susceptible to itch if relatively harmless substances come in contact with their skin. Many born with a hereditary predisposition to this hypersensitivity often suffer from hay fever, asthma, and/or eczema. A number of them may have family members who are afflicted with the same conditions.

"There are differing degrees of severity in those who fall into the atopic category," explains Stephen Pennisi, a toxicologist who is the director of the Lanacane Itch Information Center. "Some people develop slightly sensitive skin and allergies, while others itch so much they can scratch until they bleed"

Those who experience atopy can acquire the condition at birth or develop it later in life. Yet, no matter when it starts, atopy usually will manifest itself as recurring bouts with headaches, hives, hay fever, asthma, and atopic dermatitis or noncontagious skin rashes. "These rashes are common, especially during the cooler, dryer months, with symptoms ranging from redness to burning to excessive itch," notes Alan B. Fleischer, Jr., professor and vice-chair of dermatology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Since it is often a genetic problem, atopy is a condition that has no cure. "It is possible that those who experience this condition in childhood may outgrow it, but usually some sensitivities remain," Fleischer points out. "Therefore, it becomes important to control the symptoms and minimize the...