Topical steroids are an umbrella of prescription only medications that are administered by doctors and dermatologists. The application of such steroids are often broad, and include various skin disorders and diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, acne, dermatitis, and rashes. The question is, are they safe to use?

One of the greatest misconceptions are that topical steroids are harmless due to the fact that they are taken off the back of doctor recommendations. Doctors often hand such medication out on a regular basis due to the fact they can quickly alter the state of skin problems.

Topical steroids work as they are easily absorbed into the patient's skin cells. Once absorbed they are able to cease an array of inflammation-causing chemicals that are normally released when the skin reacts to allergens or irritation.

Left untreated, the inflammation-causing chemicals widen blood vessels causing redness and swelling. Therefore, by preventing this release within the skin, inflammation is reduced and relief is provided for any previous symptoms such as itchiness. However, the application of such steroids often produces far greater side effects, both internal and on the skin.

WHY TOPICAL TREATMENTS ARE NOT THE BEST TREATMENT FOR ACNE

There are a long list of internal side effects some of them far worse than others. These include:

- Adrenal gland suppression - Crushing's Syndrome - Fluid retention - Raised blood pressure - Diabetes - Increased aggression - Anaphylactic shock - Birth defects - Blood clotting - Cancer - Cardiovascular disease - Depression - Gynecomastia - Hair loss - Kidney and liver problems - Prostate enlargement and testicular atrophy

In reference to the side effects to the skin, the conditions are just as dangerous. Of the more alarming are:

- Skin thinning (atrophy) and stretch marks (striae). - Easy bruising and tearing of the skin. - Perioral dermatitis (rash around the mouth). - Enlarged blood vessels (telangiectasia). - Susceptibility to skin infections. - Disguising infection e.g. tinea incognito. - Allergy to the steroid cream.

The irony is that the original conditions in which the topical steroids are designed to reduce are far less harmful than the side effects they can induce. However, there are other solutions to skin problems such as natural acne treatment cream that avoid all such severe side effects, therefore rendering topical treatments impractical and illogical to recommend.