How can I differentiate symptoms of eczema from the side effects of Betamethasone and Mometasone creams?

Thank you for the question. It must be frustrating to be having recurrent folliculitis on the chest and back. The are a few possible causes of recurrent red bumps on the chest and back, including folliculitis, truncal acne and pityrosporom folliculitis (a type of folliculitis caused by a fungal infection). Sometimes, it can be a combination of the above which can make treatment tricky as treatment for one condtion can aggravate the other eg. truncal acne treatment can aggravate pityrosporum folliculitis. Pityrosporom folliculitis is also aggravated by heat and sweat.

Thanks for the question. If you have a diagnosis of psoriasis, there is a possibility that certain treatments can aggravate it. With psoriasis, damage or injury to the skin can cause psoriasis to develop at the site of the injury. This is know as the Koebner phenomenon. Therefore, you do have to take care that the treatment is gentle and does not cause any trauma or damage to the skin. Likewise, for eczema, the skin is sensitive and more prone to external insults, so you should avoid treatment if the facial skin is still red or irritated as this can be more easily aggravate by treatment.