Calamine
Cream or lotion for treating skin conditions
Calamine, also known as calamine lotion, is a medication made from a combination of powdered zinc oxide and 0.5% ferric oxide (Fe2O3) that is used to treat mild itching. It benefits sunburn, insect bites, allergenic irritation, and other mild skin conditions, and may also help dry out secretions resulting from skin irritation. Calamine has also been used as a treatment for acne and acne scars, although it may damage the barrier of sensitive skin. Its name comes from calamine, a historic name for the zinc ores smithsonite and hemimorphite.
Calamine is applied to the skin as a cream or lotion. The lotion has been in use since 1500 BC and is now produced with additional ingredients such as phenol and calcium hydroxide.
Calamine is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is sold over the counter as a generic medication. Side effects may include skin irritation. It is considered to be safe in pregnancy.
01Medical uses
Calamine is used to treat itch, as from sunburn, insect bite, poison ivy, poison oak, and other skin irritants. The FDA recommends applying topical over-the-counter skin products such as calamine to absorb skin weeping caused by poisonous plants such as poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, although the FDA advises a cold water compress and topical corticosteroids to treat pain and itch they cause.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Calamine”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Calamine lotion.png by WhatamIdoing, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.