Protopic ointment vs. hydrocortisone: What’s the difference? Protopic ointment (acrolimus) and hydrocortisone are topical drugs (for the skin) used to treat atopic dermatitis (eczema). Hydrocortisone is also used for the relief of itching and inflammation caused by a wide variety of skin conditions (for example, insect bites and allergic reactions). Protopic Ointment and hydrocortisone belong...
What is griseofulvin tablet, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Griseofulvin is an oral antibiotic that is used to treat fungal infections of the skin, body, hair/beard, or nails. Griseofulvin prevents fungal cells from dividing and multiplying. Griseofulvin also is deposited in keratin cells on the surface of the skin making it difficult...
What is Topical Calamine Lotion? How does it work (mechanism of action)? Calamine is a mixture of zinc oxide and other components. Calamine and zinc oxide are topical anti-itch lotions. Although the exact mechanism of how calamine and zinc oxide work is not known, they have skin protecting and astringent properties that relieve itching. They...
What is minoxidil, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Minoxidil is a drug that is used for treating male-pattern baldness and hair loss in women. Oral minoxidil was originally used for treating high blood pressure, but patients and health care providers noticed that hair growth was a side effect of treatment. This led...
What are boils? Boils result from a localized skin infection. They start as a hard, tender lump that reddens. Eventually, the lump becomes filled with whitish or yellow pus, which comprises millions of dead white blood cells the body has deployed to fight the infection, bacteria, and proteins. The boil or abscess may burst and...
Hair loss facts What Are Causes of Hair Loss? Hair loss without scarring of the scalp is a very common condition and affects most people at some time in their lives. Medical professionals should distinguish hair loss from breakage of the hair shaft from hair loss due to decreased hair growth. Common balding (androgenetic alopecia)...
Keloid facts Keloids are firm, pink to red, itchy, irritated bumps that tend to gradually enlarge and appear at the site of previous skin damage. Keloids develop as a consequence of abnormal scar formation. People with darker skin are typically more predisposed to develop keloids. Simply cutting out a keloid is likely to result in...
What is clotrimazole, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Clotrimazole is an anti-fungal medication related to fluconazole (Diflucan), ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), and miconazole (Micatin, Monistat). It prevents growth of several types of fungi by preventing interfering with the production of the membrane that surrounds fungal cells. It is used topically on the...
What is azelaic acid gel, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Azelaic acid is a topical (applied to the skin) medication used for treating acne. Its exact mechanism of action is unknown. Azelaic acid may work as an antibacterial agent that blocks protein synthesis and therefore growth of Propionibacterium acnes and other bacteria...
What is mometasone, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Mometasone is a synthetic (man-made) glucocorticoid (steroid) that is used on the skin to relieve itching and inflammation of eczema, dermatitis, allergy and other skin rashes. The naturally-occurring glucocorticoid is cortisol or hydrocortisone which is produced in the body by the adrenal glands. Drugs...