Ointment for eczema with corticosteroids

People do usually call various types of skin inflammation an eczema. Some of them can be inherited, other ones allergic, some inflammations are caused by bacterial, fungal or viral infection. Many of the affected people postpones the visit of a doctor and sudden deposit of reddened and itching skin “treats” at home. Without professional diagnosis, however, these treatments are more of a healing experiment that can the course of disease even worsen. When the affected person becomes a patient in the end, most often do they leave the doctor’s office with a prescription to an ointment for eczema with corticosteroids. People tend to believe that corticosteroids are hormones causing weight gain, women growing beards and men growing breast and God knows what they do to their bodies. Well, it might be time for some enlightenment.

Is it necessary to use an ointment with corticosteroids? Ointments intended to treat eczemas contain corticosteroid hormones similar to the ones produced by our adrenal glands. They can fast and effectively heal the inflammation and relieve itching. No other similarly effective product has been found so far.

Why do the ointments with corticosteroid have such a bad reputation? If the level of cortisol in the body is too high, changes in the appearance are occurring. Cortisol overdose increases appetite, slows down the metabolism and causes obesity. The fat is stored in facial and abdominal area. Simultaneously, the hormone atrophies the muscles, therefore, arms and legs stay thin. Women can experience increased body hair growth. This set of undesirable effects is referred to as a Cushing syndrome.

And what is the reality of using corticosteroids? An experienced physician prescribes ointments with corticosteroids considering the level the person is affected by the eczema. There is a variety of ointments that differ in the type of corticosteroids. The weakest and simultaneously very effective is hydrocortisone, medium-strong effect has triamcinolone, strong effect has betamethasone and very strong fluocinolone. In order to achieve a cortisol overdose via dermal administration, the treatment would have to be very intensive, e.g., applied on more than a one fifth of the body surface, and long-term – lasting at least one month. These ointments, however, do heal the eczema very quick. First effects are visible in several hours and all of them disappear in several days. So, there is no risk of the corticosteroid overdose.

Is the application of corticosteroids entirely safe? If the ointments are prescribed by the doctor after examination, their usage is safe. However, it is important to remember that eczema cannot by cured by current means. The medicament heals only the local deposit, the disease is stays hidden and likely to manifest again. The solution is not the continuous application of the ointment with corticosteroids. Moreover, although corticosteroids heal the skin, they are prone to have slightly atrophying effect. This means that the more often you treat a location with such product, the thinner the skin becomes and the weaker its barrier function is. And a weak skin barrier means repeating of the issue. The dermatologists realize this and recommend therefore a complete set of measures to be applied to prevent the development of eczema. The most important is the protection of skin barrier in locations with repeating eczema manifestations. There are several products intended for skin barrier protection, for example the barrier cream Dermaguard. It is used as a prevention of eczema reappearance and for long-term protection of the skin against allergens and aggressive substances.