Clobetasone is a medicince used on the skin to treat swelling, itching and irritation.

It can help with skin problems such as:
- eczema, including contact dermatitis
- psoriasis
- prickly heat rash
- insect bites and stings
- nappy rash

Clobetasone comes as cream or ointment. You can buy it from pharmacies or supermarkets.

It may also be used to help keep your condition under control between courses of a stronger steroid – this is known as "maintenance therapy".

There is a also a cream called clobetasol, which sounds similar to clobetasone. This is a much stronger steroid cream and is only available on prescription.

• Clobetasone butyrate is a type of medicine known as a corticosteroid or steroid. Corticosteroids are not the same as anabolic steroids.
• Do not put clobetasone on your face unless your doctor has prescribed it. It can make some skin problems of the face worse.
• If you buy clobetasone from a pharmacy or supermarket, do not use it for longer than a week without talking to a pharmacist or doctor.
• Clobetasone cream or ointment may be called by the brand names Eumovate and Clobavate.
• When clobetasone is combined with an antibiotic (oxytetracycline) and an antifungal (nystatin) it's called by the brand name Trimovate.

Most adults and children over 12 years old can use clobetasone.

Do not use clobetasone on children under 12 years old unless their doctor has prescribed it.

Clobetasone may not be suitable for some people. Tell your pharmacist or doctor before starting the medicine if you:

• have ever had an allergic reaction to clobetasone, cetostearyl alcohol or chlorocresol (ingredients in the cream)
• have ever had an allergic reaction to any other medicine
• have a skin infection, broken skin or cuts, itchy skin that is not inflamed or red - using clobetasone can make a skin infection worse or cause it to spread
• have acne or rosacea
• have an eye infection

Always follow the instructions from your pharmacist, doctor or the leaflet in the medicine packet.

Most people only need to use clobetasone once or twice a day for a week. If your doctor has prescribed it, they may suggest that you use it for longer than a week.

If you use it twice a day, try to leave a gap of 8 to 12 hours after using it.

Clobetasone comes in a strength of 0.05%, with 5mg of clobetasone butyrate in each 10g of cream.

Cream or ointment?

You can buy clobetasone cream or ointment from a pharmacy or supermarket. If you have clobetasone on prescription, your doctor will recommend either cream or ointment depending on your symptoms.

As a general rule:

• clobetasone cream is better for skin that is moist or weepy
• clobetasone ointment is thicker and greasier and is better for dry or flaky areas of skin

How to apply cream or ointment

Sometimes, the amount of cream or ointment you're told to use is measured in fingertip units. This is the amount of cream or ointment you can squeeze onto your fingertip (the top of your finger down to the first bend in your finger).

As a general rule, a fingertip unit of cream should be enough to treat an area of skin that is double the size of the palm of your hand.

For babies and children, the right amount of cream depends on their age. Your doctor or pharmacist can advise you.

1. Spread the cream or ointment in a thin layer over the area of irritated skin.
2. Carefully smooth it into your skin in the direction that your hair grows.
3. Be careful not to get it into broken skin or cuts.
4. Use the cream or ointment on all the irritated skin, not just the worst areas.
5. Wash your hands afterwards (unless it's your hands that you're treating).

Do not use clobetasone at the same time as other creams or ointments such as a moisturiser. Wait at least 30 minutes between using clobetasone and any other product.

If you need to use a dressing like a bandage or plaster, wait at least 10 minutes after putting clobetasone on.

When using clobetasone on babies with nappy rash, do not put the nappy on straight away. This helps to prevent side effects from the clobetasone.

What if I forget to put it on?

If you forget to use either the cream or ointment, do not worry, do it as soon as you remember.

If you do not remember until it's within a few hours of your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your normal routine.

Some people get a burning or stinging feeling for a few minutes when they put the cream or ointment on their skin. This stops happening after you've been using it for a few days.

Clobetasone cream contains cetostearyl alcohol and chlorocresol, which may cause local skin reactions or allergic reactions.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects happen to 1 in 10,000 people who use clobetasone. You're more likely to have a serious side effect if you use clobetasone over a large patch of skin for a long time.

Using clobetasone for a long time can make your skin thinner or give you stretch marks. Stretch marks are likely to be permanent, but they usually fade over time.

Stop using clobetasone and tell your doctor straight away if:

• your skin becomes red or swollen, you get white patches on your skin or yellow fluid is weeping from your skin - these could be signs of a new skin infection or an exisiting one getting worse
• you are using clobetasone for psoriasis and you get raised bumps filled with pus (pustules) under the skin
• you have a very upset stomach or vomiting, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, you feel dizzy, faint or very tired, or your mood changes - these can be signs of adrenal gland problems
• you feel confused, sleepy, more thirsty, more hungry, pee more often, have hot flushes, start breathing quickly or your breath smells of fruit - these can be signs of high blood sugar
• you have any new problems with your eyesight after starting to use clobetasone

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, clobetasone can cause a allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

Children and teenagers

In very rare cases, using clobetasone for a long time can slow down the normal growth of children and teenagers. This is beacuse it is a steroid.

Your child's doctor will monitor their height and weight carefully while they are taking this medicine. This way, any issues with their growth can be spotted quickly and their treatment changed if needed.

Talk to your doctor if you're worried. They will be able to explain the benefits and risks of your child using clobetasone.

These are not all the side effects of clobetasone. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

There's not enough research into clobetasone to say whether it's safe to use in pregnancy.

If you're pregnant, or trying for a baby, talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of using clobetasone.

For more information about how clobetasone can affect you and your baby during pregnancy, read the leaflet about the best use of medicines in pregnancy (BUMPS).

Clobetasone and breastfeeding

Clobetasone is generally OK to use when breastfeeding.

If you are using clobetasone on your breasts, wash off any cream from your breasts before feeding your baby. Then wash your hands before you touch your nipple to your baby's mouth.

It's usually better to use cream rather than ointment when breastfeeding, as it's easier to wash off.

It's very unlikely that other medicines will interfere with the way clobetasone works. This applies to prescription medicines as well as the ones you buy from a pharmacy or shop.

However, tell your pharmacist or doctor if you're taking:

• ritonavir (for HIV infection)
• itraconazole (for a fungal infection)

These medicines can increase the chances of side effects in the rest of your body.

Mixing clobetasone with herbal remedies and supplements

There's very little information about taking herbal remedies and supplements while taking or using clobetasone.