#DermatologyMedication #DermatologyMedsAreHarsh #SkinMedsAreHarsh #DermatologyMedsAreStrong #CheongdamANZDermatology #DrChoYoungmin #GangnamguOfficeStationDermatology

When seeing patients, there is something I hear almost once a day.

"I heard dermatology medication is harsh.. Can't I just not take it?"

"It was so harsh that it made me sleepy, and I had a hard time."

"The medicine was so harsh that my lips all chapped."

and there are many more.

First of all, what does "harsh" mean?

The word "harsh" would fit when something harms the body, wouldn't it~?

For example, damaging the function of the liver or kidneys,

such as leaving behind a fatal side effect, would qualify.

In the past it was true that they were harsh, but not anymore

It is said that as recently as the 1980s and 1990s, dermatology drugs were indeed often used in heavy doses.

Isotretinoin (Roaccutane, Isotinon), which we commonly use as a sebum regulator in acne treatment, is said to have caused liver strain in some cases when it was first used at high doses, but nowadays we get sufficient effects without using such large amounts.

If a sebum regulator works too strongly, it is natural for the skin to become severely dry and for the lips, arms, and legs to crack and chap. Since it is a medication used on the skin, the fear tends to feel bigger because the effects are visible.

Oral antifungal medication for athlete's foot is also known to be toxic to the liver, but compared with its notoriety(?), the number of cases that actually affect liver enzyme levels is relatively small.

It isn't that it's harsh, it's just that it makes you sleepy

Let's look at antihistamines, the itch medication most commonly used in dermatology.

It is literally a drug that suppresses histamine release, and

In this process, it has a calming effect and makes you drowsy.

Antihistamines have also evolved over time to remove the drowsy effect as much as possible, but

Because of the mechanism by which the drug produces its effect, some patients still complain of drowsiness.

Harsh and drowsy are absolutely not the same thing.

It's not that the drug is so harsh that the body can't tolerate it and gets sleepy..

The medicine just makes you a little drowsy.....

On the contrary, in the case of antihistamines, I explain that there is no problem even if you take them for a lifetime. There is already ample research to support this!!!

Therefore, the perception that dermatology medication is harsh

There were cases in the past where it was actually used at high doses, and

When the skin changes because of a drug, it is visible to the eye unlike changes in the internal organs, so it feels much more significant,

I think it happens because the drowsy feeling from taking the medication is added on top.

In fact, nowadays

Because of that perception alone,

the trend is to use as little medication as possible, for as short a time as possible.

When I worked at a university hospital, I saw that internal medicine often uses much higher doses for long periods.

Absolutely not. Dermatology medication is never especially harsh, and taking it will not harm your body, so

Regarding the medication your doctor prescribed after judging it necessary, please do not stop taking it on your own.

if we prescribed patients a drug that was poison to them,

Would that doctor be able to keep practicing medicine?..^^

Out of my sincere hope that you never end up suffering from a skin disease because you stopped your medication on your own,

so I tried writing today's post~~

I hope you all get through the sweltering heat well and stay healthy!