AsianScientist (Apr. 24, 2011) – Eczema is a very common skin condition affecting people of all ages. Children are particularly susceptible to this condition, which is characterized by a very itchy rash that can be easily treated by topical steroids (TCS).
However, parental phobia of TCS is widespread, and often results in eczema being poorly managed in children. One of the commonest concerns among parents and healthcare professionals alike is that regular TCS use will cause ‘thinning’ of the skin.
A team if researchers in Australia led by Dr Gayule Fischer of The University of Sydney studied 92 children, 70 of whom had eczema while the remaining 22 children were used as controls.
Parents of the 70 children were convinced to use adequate amounts of TCS to ensure that their child’s skin remained eczema-free. The 20 children in the control group did not receive TCS.
The children were then evaluated by examining them using a dematoscope, a magnifying instrument which, when applied to skin, can examine the skin for subtle signs of thinning.
The results showed that children using regular TCS had no evidence of any more skin thinning than the children in the control group. This was despite the fact that they were using sufficient TCS for complete control of their eczema.
“Our results show that normal routine use of TCS does not cause skin thinning, and parents should be reassured. We hope that our work will give them the confidence to use TCS safely and effectively,” Fischer notes.
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Source: Wiley-Blackwell.
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