Note the side effects of topical ointments containing corticosteroids

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Topical ointments containing corticosteroids are indicated for the treatment of conditions such as inflammatory skin diseases, skin proliferative disorders, skin infiltrative disorders and many other conditions. However, the use of this drug can leave some side effects when not used correctly. So patients should pay attention to the side effects of topical ointments containing corticosteroids like?

1. How to identify topical ointments containing Corticoid

Topical drugs containing corticosteroids are indicated for the treatment of a number of diseases such as inflammatory skin diseases (eczema), skin proliferative disorders (psoriasis), skin infection disorders (sarcoidosis)... and many other diseases. For other diseases, however, whether the use of drugs brings good treatment results depends on the disease as well as the patient's adherence to drug use.
In fact, topical creams and ointments containing corticosteroids have different anti-inflammatory strengths, so the success or failure in the treatment of the disease depends a lot on the choice of topical drug with strong strength. suitable for pathological nature as well as skin lesions, disease location, age ... For example, people with plaque psoriasis and hand eczema need to use a type with strong anti-inflammatory effect, but Oily dermatitis or dermatitis around the eyelids, you only need to use the type that has a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, when using the drug, you should follow the instructions of the doctor in terms of dosage, usage, and duration of use, which not only increases the effectiveness of the treatment but also minimizes complications. danger may occur.

Although there are many types of topical ointments containing Corticoids, you can easily recognize them because most of this group of drugs often have the ending "sone" ("son") or "olone" ("olon") eg: hydrocortisone, betamethasone, dexamethasone fluocinolone, triamcinolone... Topical ointments containing corticosteroids can be produced as a single ingredient (an active ingredient is a corticosteroid) or in combination with other ingredients such as: antibiotics, antifungals, salicylic acid... to increase the effectiveness of the drug's treatment. Because these products have many different brand names, so when buying medicine, you need to check the ingredients of the medicine and read the instructions for use carefully, or you can ask the pharmacist who sells the medicine if it is a drug. corticosteroids or not?

2. Note the side effects of topical ointments containing Corticoid

Although topical ointments containing corticosteroids have a good anti-inflammatory effect, if used for a long time or used improperly, they can cause unwanted side effects for users. Some side effects when using topical ointments containing corticosteroids such as allergies, skin irritation causing itching, dryness, hirsutism, stretch marks, hypopigmentation on the skin, folliculitis, skin atrophy, inflammation allergic contact skin and hemorrhagic capillary dilation. In addition, this topical ointment also makes skin wounds difficult to heal, increasing the risk of infection, dangerous fungal, viral, and parasitic infections. Therefore, patients should pay close attention to the side effects of topical ointments containing corticosteroids.

Accordingly, topical ointments should be treated properly, if in the case of skin ulcers or the skin is infected with bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, the patient should not use topical corticosteroid ointments. because this only makes the wounds have deep ulcers, leading to more serious fungal infections, bacterial infections, etc. Especially those who are allergic to the drug used, the disease becomes even more dangerous. Therefore, these subjects are often not prescribed by doctors to use topical ointments containing corticosteroids. In addition, if the patient applies topical ointments containing corticosteroids on a large scale and the amount of the drug is not controlled, these ingredients will be absorbed, causing side effects not inferior to those taken orally. Dangerous side effects can include: headache, cataracts, peptic ulcers, cushing's syndrome, suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis... especially in children, by subjects often more sensitive to drugs containing corticosteroids.
Most topical ointments have different anti-inflammatory levels, depending on the dosage composition, so it is difficult for patients to recognize. Overdosing or too little is not only unable to bring about effective treatment, but also has the risk of unwanted effects that make it difficult to control and re-examine the patient at the next time. Therefore, to minimize unwanted complications, you should carefully read the instructions before use or use under the advice of a doctor.
To improve the effectiveness of treatment, before using topical corticosteroid ointment, you should clean the skin, wait until the lesion is completely dry before applying the medicine, you should only apply a thin layer of medicine, then massage Gently let the medicine absorb into the skin, do not cover the bandage to avoid the risk of festering, infection. For thick skin areas such as hands, feet or diseases such as keratosis pilaris, chronic eczema... can be covered with a bandage after applying the medicine to increase drug absorption and increase the effectiveness of treatment, but you should be covered at night, at bedtime. However, the use of this closed bandage also needs to be prescribed and guided by a doctor, patients should not arbitrarily use it, which can be harmful to health.

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