IRRATIONAL USE OF TOPICAL STEROIDS FOR FACIAL DERMATOSES- A PROSPECTIVE STUDY.

Abstract

Background: Topical corticosteroids (TCs) are potent anti-inammatory medications that provide rapid symptomatic relief. Over-the-counter (OTC) availability of TCs and their unsupervised usage are responsible for various cutaneous adverse effects like rosacea, acneiform eruptions, demodicosis, etc. These are more pronounced over the face as the skin is relatively thin and sensitive. They are more difcult to treat and cause much more distress to patients than the primary conditions for which TCs were used. To ascertain the demographics, frequency, duration, Aim: underlying conditions, and the cutaneous adverse effects of misuse of TCs over face in a tertiary care center in Krishna district. Materials & Methods: This was a prospective, observational, cross-sectional study done in a tertiary care center over a span of three months. Data was obtained from a self-constructed questionnaire, entered using MS Excel, and analyzed. A tot Results: al of 72 patients with cutaneous adverse effects following TCs abuse over the face were included in a span of three months. Most of them were females (80.56%) and the common age group was 19-28 years (47.22%). The commonest source of recommendation for TCs was- OTC without prescription (70.83%) and the average duration of usage was 1-6 months. The common underlying condition for which TCs were misused was complexion improvement (38.89%), followed by infection, and acne. The commonest adverse effects were pruritus (90.28%) and acneiform eruption (63.89%). The other adverse effects include irritation, spread of infection, topical steroid-dependent face (TSDF), altered morphology of existing lesions, etc. TCs misuse over Conclusion: face is being increasingly recognized as the cause for difcult-to-treat facial dermatoses. It can be addressed by increasing awareness about their adverse effects and by giving specic treatment based on the underlying condition