Paediatricsmiddle twist
A 7-year-old boy has had atopic dermatitis since infancy. His skin is currently red, thickened and excoriated across both antecubital and popliteal fossae and he sleeps poorly because of the itch. His height has fallen from the 50th to the 10th centile over two years while his weight has tracked the 25th. His mother has been using a paraffin-based emollient alone, having read that steroid creams stunt growth, and has left the mometasone furoate 0.1% ointment she was prescribed unopened in the cupboard. Which one of the following is the most appropriate advice to give her?