The NHS has given the green light to a new eczema treatment that has been found to clear people’s skin in just one week.
The new medication comes in the form of a tablet and has been recommended for use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to help pateints who have struggled to find a successful eczema treatment.
Doctors will be able to provide the pills to patients aged 12 and over who have been diagnosed with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (eczema), which means that the condition affects at least 10 per cent of the body.
Dr Padma Mohandas, a consultant dermatologist at Barts Health NHS Trust, has described the new treatment as “life-changing”.
“Eczema is a common problem but in some cases it’s not easy to treat. In the worst cases it’s a debilitating disease that leaves patients feeling embarrassed, socially isolated and, in extreme circumstances, suicidal,” she told The Daily Mail.
“With these new drugs we can offer them hope that their skin will get better, which is life-changing.”
The NHS describes eczema as a “condition that causes the skin to become itchy, dry and cracked”.
The most common form, atopic eczema, is more often found in children, usually developing before their first birthday. But it may also develop for the first time in adults.
The NHS states that it’s usually a long-term (chronic) condition, although it can improve significantly, or even clear completely, in some children as they get older.
Symptoms may include inflamed skin, small patches of dry skin, or dry and cracked skin.
It can affect any part of the body but is most frequently found on hands, backs of knees and the insides of elbows.
You can read more about eczema here.
