By Rachael Robertson

When photos on Monday revealed a red splotchy patch on President Donald Trump's neck, his physician issued a statement that the rash was due to a medicated cream he was using as a preventive treatment for a skin condition.

Sean Barbabella, DO, didn't say what the cream or the condition was. However, Trump's 2025 physical exam listed mometasone cream as one of his current medications to be taken "as needed" for an unspecified skin condition.

It's not clear if the neck redness is connected to that aforementioned skin condition; nor is it clear that Trump is using mometasone cream in this specific instance. But in general, the corticosteroid cream is used to treat inflammatory rashes like eczema, psoriasis, or even poison ivy.

Mometasone helps with "almost anything where you're getting itching or something that's causing redness on your skin," said Raman Madan, MD, a dermatologist with Northwell Health in Glen Cove, New York.

It's an extremely common, medium-strength topical steroid that Madan prescribes several times a day, he said. "It helps with a lot of different conditions in dermatology, mainly some type of dermatitis, like rashes on the face and body. It can decrease inflammation quickly, so it has a lot of uses for us."

Madan explained it works by decreasing the inflammatory molecules in the affected area, preventing further inflammation, and in doing so, decreasing redness and itchiness. In general, he recommends that people use it twice a day everyday for up to 2 weeks, but that can vary based on different parts of the body and the type of inflammation.

Skin thickness is one aspect dermatologists consider when determining the strength of a topical steroid most appropriate for a patient. The face, for example, often can't handle a high-potency topical steroid. Higher potency topical steroids include clobetasol and betamethasone, while the low-potency hydrocortisone is available over-the-counter. Triamcinolone is a medium-potency steroid similar to mometasone.

Skin thickness also impacts the risk of side effects. "The thinner the skin is, the more likely you are to get side effects with prolonged use," Madan said. "So we're a little bit more conservative in areas that have thinner skin."

These side effects include skin lightening, stretch marks, and thinning of the skin, which can cause some redness or pinkness. The skin near the eyes, genitals, and nipples are very thin and more sensitive, while skin on the hands and feet is thicker and more hearty.

"If you're using it appropriately, you won't get these side effects," Madan said. "Having thin skin by itself doesn't preclude you from being able to use it. ... Just don't use it for too long."

If mometasone is used for longer than recommended, the risk of side effects goes up, he said. Whether or not those side effects go away depends on how early after symptom onset the cream is discontinued. If the skin showed signs of lightening or thinning and a patient continued using the cream daily for a long time, that damage may be permanent. Plus, if topical steroids like mometasone are used for a long time, there is increased risk that they become ineffective.

Overall, Madan said mometasone is a treatment that most people could use, if needed, and the way it's prescribed has been standardized for a long time.