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"Protopic" or tacrolimas is a recent topical (i.e put locally on the skin, not taken as a tablet or injection) treatment of eczema, particularly atopic eczema. It suppresses inflammation in a similar way to steroids, but is not as powerful. It has few advantages over local steroids and has gained ground mainly because of undue fear of topical steroids, particularly in USA. It does have one important advantage, that it can be used directly on the face, where topical steroids cannot, as they thin the skin dramatically there. It has one major disadvantage, that if used over a wide area, it causes an intolerable burning sensation on the first one or two applications.
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