Several types of remedies are available for people who have rashes. Steroid hormones can treat many rashes. Others can be treated with antibiotics. And some medications work by interfering with enzymes.
Topical Corticosteroids
Natural corticosteroids are made in the adrenal gland, in the zona fasciculata layer of the adrenal cortex. Synthetic topical corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone and prednisolone work just like the natural ones. They soothe the inflammation of psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, stasis dermatitis, pruritis ani and lichen simplex chronicus.
Topical Antivirals
Topical acyclovir is an ointment for treating the rashes of herpes simplex, herpes zoster, chickenpox and cold sores.
Mupirocin
Mupirocin is an antibiotic used as an ointment to treat impetigo. This remedy is made by a bacterium called Pseudomonas fluorescens, and it thwarts the staphylococcal and streptococcal bacteria that cause impetigo. It interferes with their ability to make protein.
Doxycycline
Like mupirocin, doxycycline is an antibiotic that interferes with the ability of bacteria to make proteins. But doxycycline is a pill, not an ointment. It is a remedy for the rash of rickettsia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis, William Petri Jr., Ph.D., chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, writes in “The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals.”
Methotrexate
Methotrexate, used to treat psoriasis, inhibits the production of skin cells. The build-up of skin cells is a hallmark of psoriasis. Methotrexate stops the skin cells from changing folic acid to the form that they need to make proteins, RNA and DNA, Dr. Bruce Chabner, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, explains in "The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics." Protein, RNA and DNA are needed for skin-cell production.
References
- “Basic & Clinical Pharmacology”; Bertram Katzung, M.D., Ph.D., Susan Masters, Ph.D., Anthony Trevor, Ph.D.; 2009
- “Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics”; Laurence Brunton, Ph.D.; 2006
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Impetigo and Ecthyma
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Eastern Tick-Borne Rickettsioses
