Your skin: it protects you from the elements and acts as an effective barrier against the outside world. Without it, you’d be exposed to dangerous bacteria and much more susceptible to viruses. These are just two of the endless reasons why taking care of your skin is so vitally important to your overall wellness.
If you have a skin condition, proper skin care and disease management becomes even more critical; even the smallest breaks in your skin can increase your risk for infection and illness. Fortunately, medical science now knows how to effectively treat common skin conditions ranging from the bothersome to the downright painful.
Many of the most effective topicals doctors prescribe aren’t immediately available in commercial form; instead, your compounding pharmacist creates them from scratch. This is often the best way to individualize treatment for skin conditions just like these.
1. Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin condition that causes inflammation, itching, swelling, cracking, bleeding, and in some cases, systemic illness. Researchers don’t know the exact cause, but the strongest science shows a genetic link may be at play.
As a skin condition, psoriasis causes skin cells to slough off and renew at a rate that’s much faster than the average person. Although that may seem like a benefit, it doesn’t allow the area to heal and replace the skin fast enough, and that can cause dead skin cells to build up and multiply, creating silvery patches, pustules, and localized infection.
The disease has five main types:
- Plaque
- Guttate
- Inverse
- Pustular
- Erythrodermic
Psoriasis statistics show that over 5.5 million Americans struggle with this frustrating condition each year, but there is a fix. A compounding pharmacist can create compounded medications containing a corticosteroid like dexamethasone and certain Vitamin D analogues which suppress the immune system locally, reducing skin turnover and giving skin chance to heal.
2. Eczema
Eczema is another skin condition that can cause patches of skin to become rough, irritated, cracked, or otherwise compromised, but its cause isn’t as clear as psoriasis.
Some researchers believe the condition is a type of allergic reaction or dermatitis from exposure to trigger substances; this is likely as some patients seem to react after eating certain foods. Other studies show a potential genetic or immune link, though steroids aren’t as effective in treating eczema as they are in psoriasis, at least when used alone.
What seems to work best for many eczema patients is compounded topicals containing corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors. When used during an outbreak, these medications relieve redness, reduce inflammation, and enable the skin to heal back to its natural intact state.
3. Acne
Most patients assume that once they reach adulthood, acne is a thing of the past. This is a common misconception that simply isn’t true! Realistically, acne can strike patients of any age, gender, or race at any time.
Acne can present in ways that aren’t always obvious. A few of the most common presentations include:
- Blackheads
- Whiteheads
- Papules
- Pustules
- Nodules
- Cysts
Of these presentations, cysts are by far the most damaging and frustrating for patients because of the propensity for scarring.
Unfortunately, treating acne without causing further irritation can require a bit of trial and error. Retinol, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, topical antibiotics, and in some cases, topical steroids, all have a role to play, but if the dose is too high, patients can experience painful peeling and swelling.
This is exactly why compounded topicals are so beneficial to patients with acne. A compounding pharmacist can tweak doses in minute amounts to find the most effective dose that doesn’t cause further harm. In many cases, the dose adjustment or combination is so individualized the same dose may not even be available in commercial form.
4. Seborrheic Dermatitis
Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) has a much more common name: dandruff. It plagues millions of Americans each year across all ages, often starting in childhood as cradle cap and culminating in scalp dandruff later in life. Though the condition is often mild and comes with few symptoms, a small number of patients do experience severe dermatitis, pain, swelling, and weeping in addition to dandruff or flaking.
We know that SD is stress-aggravated. Thus, the best way to reduce your symptoms is to reduce your stress. But when lifestyle management alone doesn’t work, or when embarrassing dandruff impacts your social life, compounded medications may help.
The most common compounded topicals for SD contain one or more of the following ingredients:
- Coal tar
- Ketoconazole
- Salicylic acid
- Selenium sulfide
- Zinc pyrithione
- Steroids
Generally, steroids are only used in tandem with antibiotics when secondary infection or severe inflammation is present. This is because they can cause thinning or damage to your skin with chronic use. The other ingredients, however, are much more benign; in the case of zinc, selenium and coal tar, they’re just fine to use regularly.
5. Cold Sores
Cold sores are exceptionally common — so common that as many as 75 percent of humans will experience at least one throughout life. This highly contagious condition is caused by a form of herpes virus, Herpes Simplex 1. Despite frequent confusion on the subject, this is not the same as Herpes Simplex 2, which causes genital herpes specifically.
Cold sores usually manifest as a single sore on the upper or lower outer lip. Often, it is preceded by a tingling or burning sensation a few days before the actual breakout. Once the sore is present, it may remain present for several weeks before clearing on its own.
Even though cold sores self-clear for most patients, some patients prefer to use treatments that minimize the appearance or reduce the risk of infection. This includes compounded creams containing lysine, an amino acid that prevents the herpes virus from replicating. Such topicals may reduce the appearance or breakout time for a significant number of patients.
If pain, tingling, or inflammation is the biggest concern, your compounding pharmacist can create a soothing topical to numb the area temporarily and reduce inflammation. These solutions let you cope with the cold sore more easily until your immune system fights it off once again.
Contact a Compounding Pharmacist Today
Whether you’re fighting off one of these skin conditions or just want to remain youthful long-term, your compounding pharmacist can help. Patient-targeted treatments and cosmeceuticals work with you from wherever you are right now, well or not. It’s all about loving the skin you’re in and engaging in great self-care.
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