I know how many of us do not approve of using steroids. I won’t lie – I use hydrocortisone cream on my face and body when my eczema is about to get bad. The thing is, when you are about to get a flare-up – nothing will really help you until you take care of the problem right away. If not, risk it getting worse and you scratch and bleed. So in my opinion, take measures to maitain your clear skin but if a flare-up occurs (and it will) then get it taken care of.
Hydrocortisone cream 1% is Over-The-Counter (OTC) in the U.S. but requires a prescription in Canada. If in CA, use hydrocortisone cream 0.5%. It is very low dose but it gets the job done (longer period of time required). This OTC cream is safe for use on the face and hence I use it. I use it twice a day when my skin breaks out and then reduce it to once (at night) and then every other day- and then discontinue and maintain with my usual regimen. This way, your skin is not addicted to it. I say no more than two weeks of applying – you should really use it 2x a day for about 2-3 days only – then reduce as above. Do not immediately stop – this will cause your skin to rebound and the problem will come back right away.
I recommend everyone keep HC cream in their house- you never know – and a rash is likely to happen for anything. Better to be safe. I also did some research on the safety o HC. HC cream 1% is relatively safe -you can use it everyday for a year and it will not cause skin atrophy as opposed to a strong steroid that you need an RX for. However, it does lose its ability to work as well if your skin gets used to it -requiring a stronger steroid. So play it safe and limit your use.
hihi ii saw yr post on the hydrocortisone cream and ii seen tat it is not advise to use it on face isit treat? i went to the pharmacy and the guy told me it can be applied on the face.. ii also saw tat it will thin the skin is it true abt such things?