Struggling With Eczema? According To A Derm, This Steroid-Free Treatment Can Help

Just as the colder weather means breaking out the cashmere sweaters and teddy bear coats, it also requires a more layered approach to your skin care routine. That skin care switch becomes even more important when you’re dealing with an inflammatory skin condition like eczema, as the colder temperature can trigger a flare-up. “Atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis notoriously waxes and wanes, often quite unpredictably,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Noah Levit, M.D., P.h.D. “[But] winter is a particularly tough time of year,” he continues, explaining, “With colder temperatures, the air holds less moisture and humidity drops. Turning on or up the radiant or forced heating systems can then steal more moisture from your skin.”

If you’re anticipating a flare-up or you’re already in the midst of one, Dr. Levit says to stick with gentle, moisturizing products that don’t contain any fragrances or botanical ingredients. For cleansers, that often means opting for a creamy consistency, and for moisturizers, Dr. Levit says to choose something thicker and packaged in a tub as opposed to thinner lotions in pump bottles. “An additional useful strategy can be to use an evaporative humidifier, at least for the sleeping environment,” he shares.

One more way to combat the dryness and itching of eczema is to work with your dermatologist. “As a dermatology community, we are increasingly focused on eczema management strategies that lean on prescription medications that are suitable for proactive use,” says Dr. Levit, who specifies that ZORYVE (roflumilast) cream has become an increasingly popular option. The daily cream was formulated to decrease inflammation to relieve symptoms like itching, redness, and flaking that accompany mild to moderate eczema. The catch? You can only get ZORYVE with a prescription, so you’ll need to schedule an appointment with your health care provider to determine if you’re a candidate. Ahead, we’re taking a closer look at the topical treatment, including some before and after results from clinical trial patients.

Fast Facts:

• Key benefits: Relieves symptoms of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis
• Key ingredient: Roflumilast
• Steroid-free
• Alcohol-free
• Fragrance-free

While they might be enough to keep eczema under control for some people, moisturizers alone don’t always get the job done (and they especially might not hold up during a flare-up). Not only does this lead to discomfort, but the itchiness that accompanies an eczema flare-up can actually make things worse as continuous scratching can lead to cracks in the skin that leave you vulnerable to infection. Additionally, the over-the-counter and more potent prescription steroid creams that are typically used to treat eczema can potentially damage the skin barrier and cause skin thinning when used too often over a long period of time.

The Science Behind The Treatment

This is where ZORYVE comes in. The prescription-only cream doesn’t contain steroids, but it has still been clinically proven to reduce symptoms like redness, itching, and flaking in mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (the most common type of eczema). So, how exactly does it work? A 0.15% concentration of roflumilast is behind the FDA-approved treatment’s efficacy. “The active ingredient, called roflumilast, has a targeted anti-inflammatory action to get at the source of eczema and rebalance and normalize components of the immune system in the skin that are out of whack,” explains Dr. Levit. Because it was formulated for eczema, ZORYVE is also free from irritants like alcohol and fragrance, which are commonly found in other skin care products. “The cream base is intended to have moisturizing properties without being greasy or sticky or uncomfortable,” he says, adding, “ZORYVE can be used reactively to address eczema rashes and itch when they are bothersome, but it is also suitable for proactive use to try to stay ahead of flares.”

To put the cream to the test, ZORYVE conducted two clinical trials in patients aged six and older with mild to moderate eczema. After four weeks of daily use, 92% of the participants using ZORYVE reported an improvement in their condition, with 31% noting that they had clear or almost clear skin. Some individuals reported itch relief after the first application of ZORYVE, with 32% of participants sharing that they experienced significant itch relief after the four-week mark.

How To Use The Treatment

Because ZORYVE is a steroid-free cream, you can use it every day without the risk of skin thinning. And Dr. Levit shares that it can be used by any skin type or tone. The fast-absorbing cream was designed to be applied directly onto the areas affected by eczema, including the face, eyelids, torso, hands, and feet, and it only needs to be applied once each day. “ZORYVE should be applied to the skin before any other products, such as extra moisturizer,” Dr. Levit says, recommending that you apply it to the skin after bathing, while it’s still damp.

However, as mentioned earlier, it’s important to note that ZORYVE is only available via prescription. In addition to discussing all of your medical conditions and medications (including any vitamins and herbal supplements that you’re taking) with your health care provider before determining if ZORYVE is right for you, you may also want to ask about any concerns you have regarding the most common side effects of the cream.