Calamine Lotion is one of the items my mother kept in her medicine box. It always seemed to be there so I now wonder for how long she kept the same bottle! Well, like mother like daughter, and I often realise that I need to chuck a few medicines away.

I remember having chicken pox, although i was only three at the time. It was awful, and just thinking about it now is beginning to make me itch. I can remember my mother soaking the cotton wool with the calamine lotion and dabbing it onto the itchy red spots. It felt so cold. It did soothe and relieve the itchiness for a while, but what a horrible feeling when the lotion started to dry on the skin.

So what actually is calamine lotion? Well it's a runny pink liquid which dries on the skin, turning white. The lotion is a mild astringent used to relieve minor skin rashes, especially those that irritate or itch. it can be used on sunburnt skin to give some relief.

It is safe to use in pregnancy and for nursing mothers but medical advice should still be sought.

As it is gentle, it's very rare for calamine lotion to cause adverse reactions but, in the unlikely event that it does it will probably take the effect of causing redness or irritation to the skin. This is a little difficult to judge, I think, as you are probably using it in the first place as you have a skin irritation.

I used this on my own children when they, along with most of their primary school, indeed the locality, had chickenpox. A lot of Calamine lotion was purchased then, I'm sure. I used to give them cool bath and then apply the calamine lotion. I don't think it did that much, and I bought some children's Piriton syrup as well.

I have used this for prickly heat rash and other minor skin irritations on all of my four at some point. None of them liked the feel of it or the smell. I personally quite like the smell when first applied, or is that just because it evokes memories of childhood?

I have found calamine lotion useful to dry up spots. If put on the face though it does feel awful when trying to remove it.

Calamine lotion is useful to use on sunburn. i think this is one of the things hat it is most effective for. It cools the skin well and definitely soothes. I will say though that I have now tried the calamine cream and think calamine in a cream form is much nicer and more pleasant to use than the runny lotion. It dries quicker and is much less messy to use. Remember the feel as a child when pyjamas were put on and the calamine wasn't quite dry. The lotion would feel horrible when dry too.

This is a useful medicine and it is easy to use and cheap to buy.

PRICES FOR 200 ml BOTTLE:

Lloyds Pharmacy-£1.35

Boots-£0.99

Sainsbury's Pharmacy- £0.85

Calamine Lotion is available at chemists, larger pharmacies stocking their own name brand.


*Keep all medicines out of sight and reach of children.


INGREDIENTS (Taken from www.boots.com):


Active Ingredients: Contains: Calamine B.P. 15% w/v, Zinc Oxide Ph. Eur. 5% w/v.
Also contains: Purified Water, Glycerol, Bentonite, Sodium Citrate, Phenol.

Active ingredients
Calamine, Zinc oxide