Eczema 5

Medical Eczema treatment options
There are a number of drug treatment options that are used to help rid eczema sufferers of the painful symptoms that accompany flare-ups. Corticosteroids (or just plain steroids) are one of the most well known and well used of all the drug treatments today. They are particularly good at decreasing the itchiness and redness of an eczema breakout, but to be most effective and least damaging to the skin should only be used for short periods of time.

Another kind of drug treatment for eczema that is making waves and showing promising results is topical immunomodulators (abbreviated to TIMs). These drugs are the newest conventional drug treatment for eczema to come along in over forty years and have been shown to effectively reduce levels of itching and redness of the skin. These drugs do not contain any form of steroids whatsoever and very well may replace steroid treatments all together in the future as the number one form of eczema drug therapy.

Coal tar cream, which is one of the oldest eczema treatments and is a topical solution, is still being used today, in particular for those suffering milder forms of eczema. They are often used in conjunction with steroid treatments or else to give a patient’s skin a break from steroids. Tar must be used sparingly and is best suited for small patches of affected skin, such as a spot on the arm or leg. Coal tar cream can be used on a daily basis but it can only be used for one week out of the month. This is a very important point of tar cream therapy.

Antibiotics taken orally as well as antibiotic creams are often needed if a flare-up of eczema has become infected. Localized areas of infected skin or spots where eczema is particularly resistant to other drug treatments can benefit from the use of antibiotics. Skin that is crusty, excessively red and oozing will usually respond well to the application of an antibiotic cream.

Antihistamines can be given to an individual who is experiencing tremendous itching and redness due to an eczema flare-up although antihistamines often cause drowsiness and are best used on days when you can lie down at home and rest. One of the older versions of antihistamine was Piritron in the form of syrup or tablets and this was very sedating but worked well at controlling itching during the night time hours to ensure a good night’s sleep. Antihistamine creams can sensitize the skin and are therefore best to avoid but the newer as well as longer acting antihistamine Cetirizine has been shown to yield above average results for bringing down swelling in skin and decreasing redness. It also can be used for extended periods of time whereas most drugs of this type cannot.

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