Young children with atopic dermatitis were treated with standard topic
al care and massaged by their parents for 20 minutes daily for a 1 mon
th period. A control group received standard topical care only. The ch
ildren's affect and activity level significantly improved, and their p
arent's anxiety decreased immediately after the massage therapy sessio
ns. Over the 1 month period, parents of massaged children reported low
er anxiety levels in their children, and the children improved signifi
cantly on all clinical measures including redness, scaling, lichenific
ation, excoriation, and pruritus. The control group only improved sign
ificantly on the scaling measure. These data suggest that massage ther
apy may be a cost-effective adjunct treatment for atopic dermatitis, s
ince there is a one-time expense of $30 for the child to receive the m
assage and the parent to learn the technique.