I don't know the medical definition of "addicted" so I put it in quotes.

I am not asking about cleanliness, or showering habits, etc. Let us assume the person below has above average hygiene.

This someone gets a rash habitually, and uses Cortizone10 (or similar) on the rash, and it knocks out the rash in a day or two.

Would this person's skin become otherwise dependent on the Cortizone10? Maybe not the medical definition of "addicted" or dependent, but the skin would be softer, more prone to rash, etc than if he just sucked it up and let the body heal the rash on its own, or just use peroxide to kill any germs, etc.

I guess I am asking if regularly using Cortizone10 (within the limits on the box) can make that skin more susceptible to whatever it was that the Cortizone10 was curing.

I've used topical steroids all my life for severe eczema. I've never heard of any kind of dependence as you're describing. I have heard of possible thinning of the skin, which could be a problem, but this would be with prolonged, heavy use, and is usually reversible anyway with discontinued useage.

Yes. Read up on topical steroid withdrawals for eczema. Viscous circle.

Long term use of steroid creams (like Cortizone10) can cause a variety of skin problems, like skin thinning/softening and stretch marks, but I think it’s usually more of a concern with stronger prescription steroid creams.

This is really a question for a doctor.

For one thing, a number of docs I’ve had in the past have preferred a few days of a stronger prescription steroid cream to knock the problem out quickly rather than longer term use of a weaker cream that may have trouble fully resolving the problem.

For another thing, it might be a problem that a steroid cream just isn’t an effective treatment for. E.g. there are some fungal infections where a steroid cream may temporarily relieve the symptoms of the infection but actually make the infection worse.

It seems that the Patient is self diagnosing and self medicating and this is not correcting the skin issue.

Patient needs to see a Dermatologist (not a Family General Practioner) and get a Diagnosis and a Treatment Plan, follow it exactly, and have a follow up visit.

Best wishes to the Patient.
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Yep.

Just wait until we get onto the hemorrhoids….

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
It seems that the Patient is self diagnosing and self medicating and this is not correcting the skin issue.

Patient needs to see a Dermatologist (not a Family General Practioner) and get a Diagnosis and a Treatment Plan, follow it exactly, and have a follow up visit.

Best wishes to the Patient.
.

Yeah, stop seeing Dr. Google and go see a real doctor. I undestand folks not wanting to go see a doc, but why keep throwing darts at a moving board?

I had never had eczema or dermatitis until the summer of 2021. It struck with a vengeance on my arms, and to a lesser degree, my torso. I was going through a tube of cortisone 10, and topical benadryl a week. Went to the doc, and he prescribed Triamcinolone. It helped. Eventually, I tried topical vitamin D. It has eliminated 95% of the issues.

When I got diagnosed with cataracts at an age way younger than normal, the doctor asked, "Do you use any cortisone?" I said no. She had me name the medicines I took. When I got to the topical medicine I used for my psoriasis, she said, that's cortisone and that explains the cataracts.

I asked, "Should I stop taking it then?"

She said, "What for? You already got the cataracts."

Thankfully, the psoriasis abated to just about nothing. My wife said it had to do with stress.

Thanks for the replies.

I was having a converation with the person in question and I thought I had heard that it had repercussions, but they said that was an old wives tale.

Long term use of cortisone creams like that can cause symptoms of Cushing's Syndrome, aka hypercortisolism.

I have minor eczema and I've had good luck with the green working hands using that everyday. The occasional flare requires a cortisone but I'd say that's only 10% of the time.