Source: www.self.com
Steroids are used for a variety of skin conditions, oral steroids as well as topical steroids. Steroid creams are widely used in several skin diseases and they are also very effective but when you use the steroid cream for a long time on your face unsupervised without a prescription or without consulting a dermatologist just then it can lead to side effects.
There are a variety of creams that contain steroids before using them, check the content of your fairness cream. If that ingredient is there in the cream that you are using on your face, then avoid using that cream. Commonly used brands are Betnovate-GM, Betnovate-N, SkinLite Cream, Lobate cream, and Tenovate Cream.
Skin light cream is a triple combination Cream, it contains hydroquinone and tretinoin, and momentus, it is used for Melasma but it has to be used for a maximum period of about 8 weeks not longer than that.
If you use it regularly for more than 2 months then it can cause thinning of the skin and also lead to rebound darkening of the skin.
So make sure that whenever you use skin lightening cream or any kind of triple combination cream for Melasma always consult your Dermatologists and understand how you’re supposed to use it; for how long you are supposed to use it and just strictly adhere to the instructions and do not use it on your own without the proper education in consultation with the Dermatologist.
What Are The Side Effects Of “Fairness” or Steroid Creams?
Whenever you use these topical steroids on your face you will notice that your skin has become thin, there will be increased visibility of blood vessels from under the skin, and it'll also appear red in your cheeks, which tend to appear more red than usual.
It also leads to skin lightening and then it can also lead to increased facial hair, you start noticing the size of the face where you never had hair and you start to notice thin fine hair in that area.
Also, it can lead to a lot of acne eruptions, you get a lot of white heads and red bumps on your cheeks when you use topical steroid creams for a long time and when you stop using the screen suddenly, you will notice that your skin tends to look much darker then what it was when before you started.
This just gives a temporary fairness so when you stop using the cream it will make it darker and also make it very itchy and you have a lot of burning sensation on your face.
So that’s why again you tend to go back to using the cream so make sure that once you stop the cream you buy it sticks through the entire process. It is very difficult initially, but it does get better with time.
If you have severe reactions then it's better to visit dermatologists. They will be able to guide you exactly on how to go about it and what tablets you can take to reduce the side effects.
How Long Do Side Effects Last?
It depends upon how long you have used the cream and also what side effects have developed. Usually, it takes about 3 months to one year for your skin to come back to normal, the process is very slow.
To come back to normal, you have to be very diligent and religious with treatment; it is not something that you can see easily, and also it is not a very quick response and also because once you stop using the cream it will start looking dull and darker.
People always are very tempted to go back to using the cream but remember that it is just going to ruin your skin in the long run, you have to stick to the regime that has been given to you and don’t go back to using the steroid cream again.
How To Reduce Side Effects?
First and foremost you have to stop using the cream and secondly, you have to start using a plain, bland, fragrance-free, colorless moisturiser that is least likely to irritate your skin. Then you have to use a plain zinc oxide sunscreen to make sure that this sunscreen does not have any chemical components.
It should be pure physical sunscreen that has either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide in it. No other ingredients should be there because they can also again irritate your skin and make it appear red.
Despite applying sunscreen regularly, remember to stay away from the sun as much as possible; you are supposed to use sunscreen even when you are indoors and cover your face or take an umbrella whenever you are out in the sun.
The more you stay away from the sun; the faster recovery will be and the lesser the rebound darkening will be. Vitamin C as an antioxidant also helps in lightening the skin so take that every day for a period of about 3 to 6 months.
Take zinc supplements twice a day for about 3 to 6 months. Zinc improves immunity because you are applying topical steroids on your face.
You have a higher tendency to develop a bacterial infection, fungal infection, and even mite infestation, so zinc helps boost immunity by taking zinc tablets twice a day.
If after doing all this you do not see any improvement then it’s best to visit your dermatologist.
Written By- Madhumitha. R
Edited By- Rumela Gupta
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