Intralesional therapy is the injection of a higher concentration of a drug directly into skin lesions without significant systemic absorption. The rationale for this technique is the establishment of a subepidermal depot which bypasses the superficial barrier zone.

What is intralesional steroid therapy?

This is a procedure involving the injection of a steroid solution into abnormal skin, with the aim of improving its appearance or reducing symptoms such as itch or pain. The steroid preparation most frequently used in this procedure is called triamcinolone acetonide, and you may hear the procedure referred to as “intralesional triamcinolone”.

What is a steroid?

Steroids are naturally-occurring chemicals, produced mainly by the adrenal glands in the abdomen. There are different types of steroids, and the type most commonly used to treat skin problems is known as a “corticosteroid”. Corticosteroids work in several different ways, but it is their effects on suppressing inflammation and on reducing the amount of collagen in the skin that are particularly useful in the treatment of skin conditions.

The injection of a steroid into the skin has two advantages over topical and oral steroid treatment; firstly, it will often be more effective in treating deepseated conditions than a steroid cream or ointment, and secondly, it will only affect the area in which it is injected rather than have the general effects of a steroid taken by mouth.