worried about protopic side effect

[cantThinkOfAName]

Hi I'm 15 and I went to the dermatologist about a month ago because I have had eczema on my face for around 2 years (I think it was steroid cream induced as I used steroid creams longer than I should have) and the dermatologist prescribed eumovate to use twice daily for a month then to switch to protopic twice dailu. I've been using protooc for a week now and it does work but I noticed a potential side effect may be cancer. I know the likelihood of it is slim but my dermatologist never said how long to use it for, she just said to start lowering the usage to once a day and then a couple a week. How long should I use the cream for and is cancer actually linked?

[Marcie Mom]

Hi there!
The cancer effect is not so much of a concern among dermatologist now because since the start of protopic, there isn't evidence of increased cancer. The link is due to its immunosuppressant property.. let me extract from a blog post I've written on this.
Protopic is not to be used with wet wraps, lest there’s over-absorption into the body. Protopic should also not be used on eczema that is infected as there’s no study relating to its safety in infected eczema. Going outdoors in the sun and tanning beds are also to be avoided because of shorter time to tumor formation when applying Protopic, as disclosed on their website. Hands ought to be washed after applying Protopic. The long-term use of Protopic has not been studied and thus, its application as a maintenance topical treatment to prevent flare-ups need to be advised by doctors. It is also not recommended for nursing moms or moms who are trying to be pregnant.
Take care,
Mei

[sunny81]

Protopic seems to be the easy go-to answer from most dermatologists to move away from topical steroids. Its essentially swapping one immunosuppressant to another.

Like topical steroids, Protopic will only suppress the condition.

I wont knock dermatologists, they want a quick-effective solution for you.

I used many steroids over the years and even Protopic towards the last few years as a "way out" but since then I have stopped using anything like. As a result I have a pretty bad flare up, which lasted a few weeks and now has calmed down alot. My skin feels more resilient than it did before. Im not healed by any means, but I am confident Im on my way to good skin.

Plenty of information out there, just google "topical steroid addiction".
Good luck