Calamine


Calamine, also known as calamine lotion, is a medication used to treat mild itchiness. This includes from sunburn, insect bites, poison ivy, poison oak, or other mild skin conditions. It may also help dry out skin irritation. It is applied on the skin as a cream or lotion.
Side effects may include skin irritation. It is considered to be safe in pregnancy. Calamine is a combination of zinc oxide and 0.5% ferric oxide. The lotion is produced with additional ingredients such as phenol and calcium hydroxide.
Calamine lotion has been used as far back as 1500 BC. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Calamine is available over the counter as a generic medication.

Medical uses

Calamine is used to treat itchiness. This includes sunburn, insect bite, or other mild skin conditions.

FDA

In a 1992 press release, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that no proof had been submitted showing calamine to be effective in treating the irritation of insect bites or stings, or the rashes from poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac.
In a September 2, 2008, document, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended applying some topical over-the-counter skin products, such as calamine, to absorb the weeping of the skin caused by poisonous plants such as poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. For relieving the pain or itching caused by these plants, the same document recommends a cold water compress and topical corticosteroids.