Be careful with brightening creams and products! Many contain potent steroids, dermatologists have warned, concerned at the rising number of patients with serious side effects due to usage of such creams.
They say that gullible consumers have been at the receiving end in the absence of any awareness and stringent regulation norms for such products. The doctors have also strongly favoured a ban on Over the Counter (OTC) sale of such cosmetic items to prevent their misuse.
“Steroid abuse has become very prevalent these days. “Steroids in the form of cream on our face can trigger problems which include redness and hair on faces, thin skin of the face and a burning sensation. The biggest cause of the rise of side effects of these steroids is their availability over the counter. I request everyone to not use steroid cream without consulting doctors,” said Dr Manish Jangra, a dermatologist at Delhi-based Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, In fact, the doctors at the RML Hospital’s Dermatology department have taken up a cudgel on behalf of the patients, launching a campaign against the skin creams containing steroids that are being sold as an OTC drug. They have also demanded a ban on steroids in skin creams.
According to them, most of the patients who come to the outpatient department (OPD) are those who have been continuously using creams containing steroids which often results in various side effects, such as serious skin infections, leaving the skin damaged for years even after prolonged treatments. “A unique meeting of top researchers of IADVL (Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists) and allied sciences working on dermatophytosis was held in Delhi on October 16.
India is facing a huge problem of an almost epidemic-like spread of superficial fungal infection of the skin also called ringworm.
A common problem that is faced is the self-use of steroid creams by patients that make the infection worse and even more difficult to treat.
Such steroid creams are freely available without prescriptions in the country despite repeated attempts by IADVL to ban their over-the-counter availability,” said Dr Kabir Sardana, professor of dermatology at RML Hospital. He explained that the organism causing the infection has changed, and a new species has emerged which has been named Trichophyton indotineae.
This new species, which emerged in India and has now spread to many parts of the world, causes infections that are more difficult to treat.
According to a recent white paper published in Endocrine Abstracts (2020), men and women who abuse corticosteroid creams for skin lightening might be at risk of developing lower baseline cortisol levels, a sign of weakened cortisol function.
In addition, it has been reported these steroid-based creams are being wrongly used to treat fungal infections in the groin area.
Since the skin in the genitals is already sensitive, using steroid creams or ointments over that area can lead to severe damage even though they might temporarily mask the infection and give relief, says a report quoting dermatologist Dr Nishita Ranka Bagmar.
She said that while, in India, most topical steroids are only available on prescriptions. Unfortunately, most of these restricted creams can still be bought over-the-counter country-wide.
We require strict regulations to avoid entirely selling these strong steroids over the counter. Only then can this abuse be controlled, she added.
