Ask the Doctor: Inhaled medicines help to deliver drugs directly to lungs

Inhaled corticosteroid therapy (ICT) is the cornerstone of asthma management. For the effectiveness and safety of any treatment modality, optimal drug delivery is crucial. In the case of ICT, the drug reaches the inflamed airways directly in small doses, limiting the potential side effects. Inhaled medicines help to deliver the drugs directly to the lungs. But we need patients to adopt the treatment as they are prescribed in order to get the full benefit. Inhalation therapy works to control asthma by preventing & relieving symptoms and reducing flare-ups, but they will work if patients work in partnership with their GP and take them in the way they are prescribed.

Fragrances are the most common cause of allergic contact dermatitis. Stinging is a fairly common reaction to the application of cosmetics and skincare products. Some individuals experience a stinging or burning sensation within several minutes after applying a facial product and the sensation intensifies over 5 to 10 minutes and resolves after 15 minutes. These patients known as “stingers” do not tolerate certain cosmetics and skin care products even though the patch testing for allergic contact dermatitis yield negative results. Light induced reactions to cosmetics and skin care products known as photo toxic and photo allergic eczema are extraordinarily rare with present day formulations and usually appear as a sun burn which may be followed by hyperpigmentation and scaling.