Skin Concerns
Having Skin Trouble?
Eczema, psoriasis, and acne are not just visually unappealing, they are signs of ill health. To the trained eyes of a naturopathic doctor, subtle signs and symptoms may be already be sounding alarm bells. At Bayview Naturopathic Wellness, we will show you why you can judge a person’s health by his/her skin. Sometimes, treating the skin alone will decrease flaking, scaling, blackheads, white heads, cysts, and/or vesicles. However, these treatments do not bring back the natural glow and tone of healthy skin.
Have you already seen a dermatologist in Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, or Bradford? If you are still unhappy with your skin after trying prescription medication, or if you are just concerned about the side effects of these medications, know that naturopathic medicine can help. The best part is, Dr. Shang will be treating your whole person, so you can look and feel better.
Here are some common medications prescribed for skin concerns and their associated Side Effects:
| ACNE | Potential Side Effects |
|---|---|
|
Benzoyl peroxide (Benzagel) Alpha-hydroxy acid (Neostrata) Salicylic acid |
Skin irritation, allergenic |
|
Tretinoin (Retin A) Adpalene (Differin) Tazarotene (Tazorac) |
Birth defect, sensitivity to sun |
| Topical Antibiotic: clindamycin, erythromycin | Antibiotic resistance |
| Oral Antibiotics: tetracycline, erythromycin, trimethoprim | Antibiotic resistance, digestive irriation/diarrhea, trimethoprim can cause skin necrosis and decreased blood cell production, tetracycline can increase pressure on the brain |
| Birth Control Pill (Diane-35, Yasmin, Yaz, Alesse, etc) | Blood clot, stroke, heart attack, gall stones, high blood pressure, weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness, depression, headaches, nausea/vomiting |
| Isotretinoin (Accutane) | Birth defect, dry skin, potential increased risk of suicide, elevated blood lipid, skin necrosis, sensitivity to sun, increased pressure on the brain |
| ECZEMA | Potential Side Effects |
|
Hydrocortisone 1%-2.5% (Topiderm, Emo-Cort, etc) Betamethasone valerate 0.05%-0.1% (Betaderm, Celestoderm, etc) |
Skin striae, dilated capillaries, easy bruising, thinning of skin, recurrence of atopic dermatitis after discontinuing |
|
Tacrolimus (Protopic) Pimecrolimus (Elidel) |
Suppressed immune reaction, only short term safety data available, some concerns for cancer with long term use, not for children less than 2 yr old, burning and itching at the site of application |
| PSORIASIS | Potential Side Effects |
| See Eczema, same medications are used in mild psoriasis | |
| Topical Coal Tar (Liquor Carbonis Detergen, Targel, etc) | Irritation to surrounding normal skin. Stains skin and fabric, dermatitis, folliculitis, sensitivity to sun, bad odor |
| Methotrexate | Bone marrow suppression, liver toxicity, digestive effects, lung toxicity, blood cell disorder, cannot mix with alcohol, immune suppression |
| Cyclosporin (Neoral) | Increases blood pressure, increases cholesterol, kidney disfunction, headache, interact with other drugs, immune suppression |
|
Adalimumab (Humira) Etanercept (Enbrel) Infliximab (Remicade) Ustekinumab (Stelara) |
Immune suppression, serious infection, cancer risk, nerve damage, allergic reaction, headaches, must not be given live vaccines. |
| Acitretin (Soriatane) | Joint and muscle pain, dry lips and mouth, hair loss, liver toxicity, birth defect, do not consume any alcohol, use high dose birth control pills, may increase pressure on the brain. |
