Calamine
You don't need to be Editor-In-Chief to add or edit content to WikiDoc. You can begin to add to or edit text on this WikiDoc page by clicking on the edit button at the top of this page. Next enter or edit the information that you would like to appear here. Once you are done editing, scroll down and click the Save page button at the bottom of the page.
- For the mineral, see calamine (mineral), for other uses of the word, see calamine (disambiguation).
Calamine is a mixture of zinc oxide (ZnO) with about 0.5% iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3). It is the main ingredient in calamine lotion and is used as an antipruritic to treat sunburn, eczema, rashes, poison ivy, chickenpox, insect bites and stings. It is used as a mild antiseptic to prevent infections that can be caused by scratching the affected area. It is also used to dry weeping or oozing blisters and acne abscesses.
In 1992 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised that there was no proof the main ingredients in calamine (zinc oxide and ferric oxide) had any real therapeutic effect on rashes and itching, and predicted that calamine was destined to become the "dinosaur" of dermatology. However, many sources continue to recommend Calamine lotion:
- California Polytechnic State University
- University of Arizona
- University of Illinois at Urbana
- University of Houston
- Columbia University
- University of West Georgia
- University of Virginia
See also
- Calamine (mineral), or hemimorphite, an ore of zinc
External links
 | This antimicrobial-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
fr:Calamine (minéral) he:קלמיןfi:Galmeija
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
