Day 33 Dr Koushik Lahiri Article on Steroid Damaged Face

Since I stopped using topical steroids, I have been actively searching the internet for stories, articles and reports about steroid cream addiction. The information is out there, but it can be rather hard to find, and sometimes I feel a little bit like Sherlock Holmes, looking for clues and information to complete the whole picture. Yesterday, I found an interesting article from the Times of India Newspaper from April 6 2011.

The article states that:

"These medicines have a high steroid content that may turn the skin thinner, give rise to steroid dependence, increase the pimples or rashes for which you might have been using them. Other serious complications like hirsutism (unwanted hair growth on face in women), perioral dermatitis, or rosacea can also develop. The side-effects could even be systemic. Unfortunately, these creams and ointments are available over the counter without a prescription, which is not the case anywhere else in the world," said Koushik Lahiri, consultant dermatologist and a senior member of the IADVL, who was associated with the study.

In India, they call the condition TSDF, ot Topical Steroid Damaged Face. In the West, it is known as Red Skin Syndrome. It is shocking that the article estimates that indiscriminate use of these potent steroid creams have resulted in over 30,000 people suffering from the condition in Kolkata. Obviously, this gives an indication of how big the problem is worldwide and why more need to be done to control the use of these potent steroid creams.

*Update  The original article link is no longer available online so here is an updated medical article by Dr Lahiri