Topical Steroids (Part 1) - The Lowdown

“…we’ve been using topical steroids now for over 70 years, which means they've been around longer than paracetamol.  So, we know how to get the best results from them, and we know what to expect from them.” Dr George Moncrieff  Or do we?  Join our hosts as they unravel the essentials of prescribing topical steroids. Dr George Moncrieff and Dr Roger Henderson explore key topics, including:  The anti-inflammatory action of topical steroids and how they work  The topical steroids that are available to us, their various forms and their potencies  Advice on how to effectively communicate with your patients to dispel misconceptions including careful use of ambiguous terms like "sparingly" and "cautiously."  Working out how much topical steroid to prescribe by utilising the universal 5mm nozzle, combined with the fingertip unit measure  Advising patients on frequency of application, the all-important question, what comes first, emollient or steroid?  and the importance of tapering down topical steroids   Tune in to enhance your knowledge of topical steroids; achieving better outcomes for your patients and efficiencies for our healthcare system.  Thank you to our kind sponsor AproDerm, who provide a comprehensive range of quality emollients designed for the management of dry skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis and ichthyosis.  To simplify the process of finding the most suitable emollient for each patient, they have developed a remarkable solution: the AproDerm Emollient Starter Pack. This pack conveniently combines all four of their emollients in a single prescription, enabling patients to identify their ideal emollient more efficiently, aiding both compliance and adherence.  Find out more: https://aproderm.com/aproderm-emollient-starter-pack/    TW: https://twitter.com/AproDerm  LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fontus-health-ltd/  Thank you for listening. We hope you find this podcast interesting and helpful, please leave us a review or email [email protected] with any feedback on this episode or suggestions for what you would like to hear about in future podcasts.  The views expressed in this podcast are of Dr George Moncrieff and Dr Roger Henderson and Fontus Health has not influenced, participated, or been involved in the programme, materials, or delivery of educational content.