from the Spring 2001 issue
Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is a common skin condition that occurs most often in infants and children but also can affect adults. Patients with eczema have dry, sensitive skin that periodically flares up with a red, itchy rash. For years, the mainstay of treatment has been cortisone creams and ointments, which are safe and effective when used as directed by your dermatologist. However, topical steroids work by non-selectively reducing the activity of many cells in the skin. So, they have the potential of thinning the skin if used for too long on skin that is not significantly affected. The areas of the body that have thin skin to begin with, such as the face (including the eyelids), the underarms, and the diaper/groin area, are more susceptible to these side effects.
The FDA has recently approved some new treatments for atopic dermatitis called topical immunomodulators. Patients with atopic dermatitis have abnormal activity of a specific immune cell in the skin. Immunomodulators work by selectively helping this type of cell function normally. Because of their selective activity, immunomodulators do not thin the skin and can be used safely anywhere on the body, including the very thin eyelid skin. The first topical immunomodulator approved by the FDA was Protopic ointment, known also by its generic name of tacrolimus. This was followed about a year later with the approval of Elidel cream, or pimecrolimus. The most common side effects from the new medications are a transient burning sensation and itching at the site of application. This side effect is more common with Protopic and usually subsides after a few days of treatment. Protopic and Elidel both require prescriptions.
Another interesting development in the treatment of atopic dermatitis is the discovery that drinking oolong tea helps to control the disease. The tea contains anti-oxidants that may help clear up the eczema by suppressing inflammation in the skin. Patients in the tea study drank one liter of oolong tea a day. There were no side effects associated with drinking the tea, and it can be used with other treatments for eczema.
To see if one of these new medications for eczema would be right for you or your child, please call our office at
713.796.9199 to make an appointment.
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