Betamethasone
Betamethasone 0.1% cream in tubes, a potent corticosteroid for eczema, dermatitis and other inflamed, itchy skin, sold in packs of two, four or six.
- Category
- Skin Care
- Active ingredient
- Betamethasone
- Route
- Topical
- Form
- Cream, Ointment
- Strengths
- 0.1%
You will receive a quality generic, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Dermatitis · Eczema
- Therapeutic Class
- Corticosteroid
- Pharmacological Class
- Glucocorticoid
- Minor Side Effects
- Stinging, dryness
- Moderate Side Effects
- Redness, thinning skin
- Dosage Forms
- Cream, Ointment
- Administration Route
- Topical
- Originator
- Generic
- Onset Time
- Hours
- Duration
- 12–24 hours
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature.
What you will receive
Betamethasone is a generic medicine sold under the name of its active ingredient, Betamethasone.
- The manufacturer depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
- It contains the same active ingredient, at the same strength, as the brand-name versions.
FAQ
Which Betamethasone strength and pack sizes can I order?
Betamethasone comes as 0.1% tubes. Pack sizes are 2, 4 or 6 tubes. Larger packs cost less per tube.
What arrives when I order Betamethasone tubes to Hong Kong?
Every order ships in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing on the outside about the contents. Standard airmail takes 14 to 21 business days, or up to 30, and is untracked.
What are the other names for betamethasone?
Brand names for betamethasone include Betnovate, Celestone, Diprolene, Betacort, Betaderm and Celestoderm. Betamethasone tubes are a pure generic betamethasone product and are not any of those brands. Here, betamethasone can also be bought online as generic Betnovate.
Is Betnovate the same as betamethasone?
Yes. Betnovate contains betamethasone, and both are 0.1% creams. Betnovate is a brand name, while the tube sold simply as betamethasone is the same ingredient under a plain name. The strength is identical, so the choice comes down to the name on the box.
How long does betamethasone take to work?
Itching and redness usually begin to ease within the first two weeks of daily use. A patch that has not improved at all by then is unlikely to do much better with more of the same cream, and a different treatment is usually needed instead.
Can I use betamethasone on my face?
Face skin is thin and takes up a topical steroid faster than the arms or legs, so betamethasone is normally kept off the face, or used there only for a few days on a small patch. The eyelids, armpits, groin and skin folds behave much the same way.
Betamethasone or hydrocortisone, which is stronger?
Betamethasone is the stronger of the two. Hydrocortisone is a mild steroid, used for insect bites, mild eczema and other small irritated patches. Betamethasone is potent, so it is kept for thicker skin and rashes that a mild cream has not settled.
Should I cover the skin after applying betamethasone?
Leave the patch open to the air. A bandage, plaster or plastic film holds the cream against the skin, so more of the steroid gets through and the chance of thinning and other side effects rises. Loose clothing over the area is fine.
About Betamethasone
What betamethasone cream treats
A flare of eczema or a stubborn patch of dermatitis is what this cream is for. Betamethasone is a corticosteroid, a steroid that calms inflammation in the skin, and at 0.1% it is a potent one. It also settles psoriasis (red, scaly patches) and other areas of skin that are inflamed, itchy, dry, crusted or scaling. It comes as a cream in tubes.
What it does to inflamed skin
Rubbed into a rash, it soaks through the top layers of skin and switches on natural substances there that damp down swelling, redness and itch. It settles the inflammation rather than removing the cause of the rash, and it does nothing to a skin infection.
Applying it during a flare
A thin film over the affected patch, rubbed in gently, once or twice daily, is all that is needed; a thicker layer does not work faster. Most flares begin to settle within the first two weeks. Keep it away from the eyelids and the mouth, and wash your hands afterwards unless they are the patch being treated. Skin in the armpits, groin, face and folds is thinner and takes up more of the cream, so those areas are usually treated briefly or not at all. Keep the tube capped and store it somewhere cool.
Side effects worth knowing about
Most people notice nothing worse than burning, stinging, itching, dryness or redness where the cream goes on, and that often fades with continued use. Courses that run to weeks cause more trouble: the skin can thin and bruise easily, stretch marks and shiny patches can appear, colour can shift, and acne or small bumps may crop up around the mouth. Heavy use over wide areas lets enough steroid into the body to affect hormones, and children are more at risk of slowed growth. A patch that becomes more painful, swells or weeps pus has probably picked up an infection, which the cream will not clear.
Betnovate and other betamethasone creams
If you know the medicine as Betnovate, this is the same betamethasone 0.1% cream under its brand name, and only the name on the tube differs. The betamethasone page explains the ingredient, and Betnovate is the page for the branded tube.
Sources
- Betamethasone Topical: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / National Library of Medicine
- Eczema (contact dermatitis): Symptoms, causes, types & treatment — National Eczema Association