Is erythromycin a universal skin medicine?

Not really

Erythromycin is widely used in clinical practice, but it is not accurate to call it a "universal skin medicine."

Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic that inhibits bacterial protein synthesis, thereby killing the bacteria or inhibiting their growth. It is mainly used to treat various infections caused by sensitive bacteria, such as bacterial folliculitis, acne and other problems.

Even when treating these diseases, it should be noted that erythromycin is not suitable for long-term or repeated use, because this will increase the risk of drug resistance. Once drug resistance occurs, the effect will be worse if used again in the future. In addition, even for the same disease, the specific treatment plan varies from person to person, and erythromycin is not necessarily the best choice.

In fact, many applications of erythromycin are irrational and not worth promoting. For example, the causes of diseases such as eczema, psoriasis, fungal infections and viral infections have nothing to do with bacterial infections. For these diseases, the use of erythromycin is not only ineffective, but may also lead to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment.

In addition, many people are used to using erythromycin to prevent infection of wounds such as abrasions, or use erythromycin for even a slight skin break. In fact, this is somewhat inappropriate. Antibiotics are mainly used to treat infections, not to prevent them. The key to preventing infections lies in local cleaning, disinfection and protection, such as washing with clean water, disinfecting with iodine tincture and chlorhexidine, and protecting with vaseline, gauze, etc.

In short, don't exaggerate the effect of erythromycin, and don't mythify any products or medicines including erythromycin. To be safe, before using erythromycin to treat skin diseases, it is best to get a doctor's diagnosis and advice to ensure whether it is suitable.

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, MD, attending physician of dermatology

Review | Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital