Pharmaceutical advisers to primary care groups are inappropriately recommending aqueous cream as the emollient of choice "because it is cheap" - advice which should be rejected, according to the Skin Care Campaign.
The campaign, which is an alliance of groups, including UK national dermatology patient organisations and health professionals, wrote to chief executives of PCGs on August 16 to express its increasing concern about the advice to give aqueous cream, saying that it "strongly recommends that GPs should reject such advice."
In the letter, the Skin Care Campaign says that aqueous cream can be useful as a soap substitute but that most people find it unsatisfactory as an emollient both because of its consistency and because "substantial" numbers of people, especially children, are sensitised to it.
The campaign says that GPs should be prepared to give patients the opportunity to try a range of emollients to find those that suit them the best.
It adds that emollients need to be applied liberally (in the region of 500-750g per week in adults) and that this should be reflected in the amount prescribed.