Observational Study of the Changes in Skin Thickness Among Children with Atopic Dermatitis Treated with Topical Mometasone Furoate 0.1% Cream

 Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects up to 20% of children worldwide and, as of now, it has no cure. The primary treatment for AD in children involves the use of topical corticosteroids.

 Our objective was to evaluate the potential for skin atrophy caused by the application of mometasone furoate 0.1% cream in children with moderate to severe AD.

 This study was a single-center, prospective cohort study involving 22 children aged 6-12 years with moderate to severe AD. The children applied topical mometasone furoate 0.1% cream for 6 weeks in a non-occlusive manner. We conducted dermoscopic and ultrasonographic assessments of skin atrophy at 0, 2, and 6 weeks into the treatment.

 All patients exhibited an improvement in skin erythema. At the beginning of the study, 91% of the patients had mild to moderate erythema, while 9.1% had severe erythema. After 6 weeks of using topical mometasone, 27.3% had mild erythema, and 72.7% had completely resolved erythema (P<0.001). None of the patients developed clinical signs of skin atrophy. The difference in ultrasonographic measurements in median dermal thickness between baseline and week 6 was 0.030 mm [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.00 - 0.07] (P = 0.533).

 Prolonged use of potent topical corticosteroids (TCS) beyond 2 weeks appears to be potentially beneficial without causing significant skin atrophy. Clinicians should not be discouraged from continuing the use of potent TCS if clinically necessary, as long as they maintain vigilant monitoring despite concerns about local side effects.