OCR Text |
Show Your Bottor Says . . . The following is one of a series of articles written by members of the Utah State Medical Association and published in cooperation with your local newspaper. These articles are scheduled to appear every other week throughout the year in an effort to better acquaint you with problems of healih, and designed to improve the well-being of the people of Utah. OVER-TREATMENT DERMATITIS It is a natural inclination for every individual to self-treat a skin affliction. These inflammations inflamma-tions seem mild and not too serious; seri-ous; they are out in the open and are easily accessible for treat-medications treat-medications are mild. Some ma" family ointment or a talve recom-mendec recom-mendec by some friend! Well and Rood, as lonjj as the medications are mild. Some may be soothing- to a mild dermatitis and at least may do no harm even if not beneficial. However, self-medications self-medications are not limited to these harmless preparations but usually are Irritants to many skins and almost inevitably make the original dermatitis worse. More than half the patients seen by derniatolon-.ts h a e previously tried sonif form of local preparations prepara-tions and these self-medications have aggravated their dematitis. The doctor must first control this superimposed ''nf.ammation produced pro-duced by the self-treatment before he can actually begin to treat the underlying, original complaint. Fortunately, a mui over-treatment dematitis usually only adds to the discomfort of the patient and prolongs, the time for cure. Sometimes, however, patients apply strong medications or use the wrong preparation for the degree of inflammation or they may be sensitive or allergic to the ointment, oint-ment, lotion or liquid and then they are in real trouble. Physicians Physi-cians frequently see, and even have to hospitalize, patients who develop de-velop a gem-ralized dermatitis from the injudicious treatment of a small area of dermatitis, as a fungus infection of the toes. Self-treatment Self-treatment can be dangerous. If a skin affliction does not respond re-spond to soothing management within a reasonable time, it is always al-ways best to seek medical advice. Self-treatment with your own ointments, oint-ments, or those recommended by a friend or patented-medicines bought across the drug-counter usually prolong the time for subsidence sub-sidence of the dermatitis and frequently fre-quently make the condition worse. Your M.D. will be able to make a correct diagnosis and will know how to adjust management. |