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Betamethasone

Medication potent topical corticosteroid skin
Aka: Betnovate, Diprosone
Brands seen in Singapore: Betnovate, Diprosone, Dermasone, Uniflex, Temprosone
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Eczema, contact dermatitis and psoriasis (NHS)
When to take
SG label: two or three times daily until it improves
Take with
NHS: about 30 minutes apart from other skin products
Pros & cons
Pros
  • SG label: eczema, psoriasis, insect bites, prickly heat
  • NHS: safe to use on the skin during pregnancy
  • SG label: once a day may hold the improvement
Cons
  • NHS: long use can thin skin or cause stretch marks
  • SG label: not for rosacea, acne or perioral dermatitis
  • SG label: contraindicated under one year of age
Sources
  1. HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg open dataset, 5,511 rows, cached in full and filtered locally) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “All 54 registered betamethasone rows read 'Prescription Only' — 26 single-ingredient (SIN08247P BETNOVATE CREAM, SIN04025P DIPROSONE, SIN08791P DERMASONE, SIN03849P UNIFLEX, SIN08516P TEMPROSONE) and 28 combinations (FUCICORT, GENTRISONE, DAIVOBET, BEPROSALIC)”
  2. NHS Medicines A-Z — About betamethasone for skin · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Betamethasone skin treatments are used to treat itching, swollen and irritated skin. They can help with conditions such as eczema, contact dermatitis and psoriasis … stronger than some other skin treatments such as hydrocortisone.”
  3. NHS Medicines A-Z — Betamethasone cream and ointment: how much and how long · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “You'll usually use betamethasone skin cream or ointment once or twice a day … Do not use the skin cream, ointment or lotion for more than 4 weeks without talking to your doctor”
  4. NHS Medicines A-Z — Betamethasone for skin: dressings and bandages · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “If you need to use a dressing, like a bandage or plaster, wait at least 10 minutes after putting betamethasone on … If you're treating a child, do not cover the cream or ointment with dressings or bandages.”
  5. NHS Medicines A-Z — Who can use betamethasone for skin · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “tell your doctor or a pharmacist if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to betamethasone … have impetigo, acne, rosacea … or a type of psoriasis called plaque psoriasis; have a skin infection; have broken skin, cuts”
  6. NHS Medicines A-Z — Side effects of betamethasone for skin · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Using betamethasone for a long time can make your skin thinner or cause stretch marks … serious side effects, such as adrenal gland problems, high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia), or problems with your eyesight”
  7. NHS Medicines A-Z — Betamethasone for skin and pregnancy · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Betamethasone skin treatments are safe to use during pregnancy. Because it's applied to your skin, very little medicine gets into your blood and almost none gets to your baby.”
  8. NHS Medicines A-Z — Cautions with other medicines: betamethasone for skin · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “If you're also using any other skin treatment, make sure you wait about 30 minutes … Tell a pharmacist or doctor if you're taking: medicines used to treat HIV, such as ritonavir or cobicistat … such as itraconazole”
  9. National Drug Formulary (SG, MOH) — BETNOVATE CREAM 0.1% w/w [SIN08247P]: approved indications · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Eczema including atopic, infantile, and discoid eczemas; Prurigo nodularis; Psoriasis (excluding widespread plaque psoriasis); Neurodermatoses including lichen simplex, lichen planus; Seborrhoeic dermatitis … Insect bite reactions; Prickly heat”
  10. National Drug Formulary (SG, MOH) — BETNOVATE CREAM 0.1% w/w [SIN08247P]: dosage and administration · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “A small quantity should be applied to the affected area two or three times daily until improvement occurs. It may then be possible to maintain improvement by applying once a day, or even less often.”
  11. National Drug Formulary (SG, MOH) — BETNOVATE CREAM 0.1% w/w [SIN08247P]: occlusion in resistant lesions · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “In the more resistant lesions, such as the thickened plaques of psoriasis on elbows and knees, the effect of BETNOVATE can be enhanced, if necessary, by occluding the treatment area with polythene film.”
  12. National Drug Formulary (SG, MOH) — BETNOVATE CREAM [SIN08247P]: prescription-only medicine with exemption for supply without prescription · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “As a topical preparation (as valerate or dipropionate salt) as a single agent not exceeding 0.1% … Maximum Daily Dose: Apply to the affected areas twice daily. Maximum Supply: 15g for cream/ointment/gel, 30ml for topical solution. Minimum age: 18 years”
  13. National Drug Formulary (SG, MOH) — BETNOVATE CREAM 0.1% w/w [SIN08247P]: contraindications · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The following conditions should not be treated with BETNOVATE: Rosacea, Acne vulgaris, Perioral dermatitis, Perianal and genital pruritus … BETNOVATE is contraindicated in dermatoses in infants under one year of age.”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.