Skip to main content

Can you use hydrocortisone cream on babies?

Medically reviewed by Sally Chao, MD. Last updated on May 30, 2022.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

No. It’s not recommended to apply hydrocortisone cream to children under 2 years of age. Children may absorb larger amounts of topical hydrocortisone than adults.

References
  1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Locoid (hydrocortisone butyrate) 0.1%. October 2014. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2014/018514s013lbl.pdf. [Accessed April 30, 2022].
  2. U.S. National Library of Medicine DailyMed. Cortizone 10 sensitive skin anti-itch creme. December 29, 2021. Available at: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/getFile.cfm?setid=4cdd7d97-1120-4905-9416-b8a9f8c403b4&type=pdf. [Accessed April 30, 2022].

Read next

Hydrocortisone cream is not recommended to put on a shingles rash and there is no evidence that hydrocortisone cream will help treat the pain of a shingles rash. The preferred treatment for shingles are antiviral medicines that you take by mouth, such as acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir. Continue reading

Steroid injections (corticosteroid injections/cortisone shots) are injections given by a healthcare professional directly into joints or other areas of the body to relieve symptoms such as pain, inflammation, or restricted movement. They are commonly used to treat shoulder and other joint pain, tendonitis, bursitis, back pain, or arthritis or to manage conditions such as sciatica, inflammatory bowel disease, and skin conditions such as psoriasis. Examples include hydrocortisone, triamcinolone, and methylprednisolone. Continue reading

Related medical questions

Drug information

Related support groups

Medical Disclaimer