Corticoid-infected skin is damage to the skin caused by long-term use of products containing high concentrations of corticosteroids. This can cause skin redness, tingling, stinging, redness and dilatation of capillaries. In severe cases, the skin barrier can completely break down causing severe red inflammation and massive acne breakouts.
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What is corticoid infection?
Corticosteroids (corticosteroids) are synthetic active substances with anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and immunosuppressive effects. This active substance has the same effect as the hormone cortisol excreted by the adrenal glands. Currently, Corticoid derivatives are used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, dermatology and respiratory diseases. Although providing quick symptom relief, this active ingredient can cause risks and serious side effects if overused.
Corticosteroids are often added to topical creams or ointments to treat common dermatological diseases such as contact dermatitis , eczema, atopic dermatitis, etc. With its strong anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties, the drug can Reduces itching, swelling and constriction of capillaries in the dermis. In addition, with its immunosuppressive properties, topical corticosteroids also help reduce inflammation caused by acne and maintain smooth, smooth skin.
For this reason, products on the market (mixed ice cream) are often fortified with high concentrations of corticosteroids. Using these products helps to remove acne, whiten skin and reduce dark spots in just a short time. However, using high concentrations of corticosteroids can cause a number of complications such as loss of immunity completely, skin atrophy, stretch marks, dry skin, peeling, … After a while, the skin may become dilated. vasculature and massive acne breakouts due to completely broken protective barriers.
Corticosteroids (corticosteroids) are skin damage caused by long-term use of products containing high concentrations of corticosteroids. The degree of damage depends on the time of use, the corticoid concentration and the location of each person.
Recognize skin corticoid infection through each level
Corticoid-infected skin manifestations differ in each level. In mild grades, skin damage is usually negligible and can be completely relieved with proper care. Conversely, in severe stages, skin cells and structures can be severely damaged, skin rashes and acne are massively damaged.
Identify skin corticosteroids through each level:
– Level 1:
- Reddish, itchy skin surface tingling
- It feels slightly bumpy and slightly flaky to the touch
– Level 2:
- Small, large-sized blisters
- Fragile blisters cause burning pain, itching and pustules if superinfected
- Then, the blisters dry, causing the skin to become rough, itchy
– Level 3:
- Level 3 usually occurs in cases of long-term use of high concentrations of corticosteroids (6 months or more).
- Skin is always in a state of reddening, tingling and itchy easily
- Skin surface edema due to water retention
- Vasodilation is present (especially on the cheeks and chin)
- May be accompanied by stinging and tingling
– Level 4:
- Skin is unusually heavy
- Swollen, red, and inflamed bumps
- The pimples are massively raised and can spread to the entire face
- Itchy, stinging, and painful skin
– Level 5:
- There is always pain and burning sensation
- Skin thinning, redness, and extensive capillary dilatation
- The skin’s surface is dry, flaky, and itchy
- Massive acne , large size acne, red inflammation and much pain
Corticoid infected skin dangerous?
Corticoid infection is a fairly common dermatological condition today. In mild stages, the condition causes only damage to the epidermis, to a negligible extent and can go into remission after home care. However, if these products are not corrected in time and continued to be used, the surface and structure of the skin may be severely damaged and seriously affect the skin health.
In addition, overuse of corticosteroids for a long time also causes the skin barrier to be broken. These are favorable conditions for yeasts (Malassezia, Candida, …), parasites (Demodex) and bacteria (mainly Staphylococcus aureus) to develop and cause skin infections.
In rare cases, corticosteroids can penetrate into the bloodstream and cause serious side effects such as slowing the healing process, causing easy bruising, hyperglycemia, high blood pressure and causing Osteoporosis.
Therefore, as soon as abnormal symptoms appear, you should stop using corticoid products and intervene in timely treatment measures. If handled early, this condition can be relieved and the skin fully restored in just a short time.
Corticoid-infected skin treatments
Treatment for corticosteroids depends on the severity of the damage. In addition, the method and duration of treatment are also influenced by local factors and age. In fact, people with high age and sensitive terrain often take longer to treat and the recovery rate is slower than normal.
Here are some treatments for skin steroids:
1. Stop using products containing corticosteroids
As soon as any unusual symptoms appear, you should review the ingredients of the skin care products and discontinue use of this product. In case the product does not provide the ingredients table (usually a floating product), use should be proactively discontinued to avoid irritation and damage to the skin.
However, if you use corticosteroid creams for a long time, do not stop the product suddenly. Instead, the dose should be reduced slowly before stopping completely to avoid skin irritation and massive acne.
If you are using many new products at the same time and cannot identify products containing corticosteroids, you should consult your doctor for advice. Your doctor can determine the ingredients in the product and detect that the product contains excess corticoid levels.
2. Restoring Corticoid infected skin with the scientific care regimen
If your skin condition with corticosteroids is not so severe, you can improve it at home with a well-known care regimen. These remedies help restore damaged skin cells, regenerate lipid membranes (skin barrier) and improve red, itchy acne spots.
Scientific care regimen to help restore skin infected with corticosteroids:
- Do not continue to use products containing corticosteroids and should exclude cosmetics containing irritating ingredients such as perfume, parabens, mineral oil, …
- Cleanse your face with a mild, soap-free cleanser with a balanced pH. When washing your face, you should work gently to avoid redness and irritation.
- Then, need to use toner (water balance) that works to soothe and moisturize the skin. To restore irritated skin caused by Corticoid infection, should prioritize the use of natural toners such as green tea, aloe vera, tea tree, cheeks, cactus, …
- Apply moisturizer right after the toner step. Focus on creams with a light texture and safe formulations such as Panthenol (vitamin B5), Glycerin, Niacinamide, Zinc, Allatoin, … These ingredients work to moisturize, restore and regenerate the skin. It also helps reduce inflammation and itching.
- The effects of UV rays can cause severe skin damage, sunburn, flaking and severe itching. Therefore, you should use sunscreen, wear a mask and protect your skin when traveling outdoors.
- When skin is infected with Corticoid, should limit use of special treatment products (containing BHA, AHA, Retinoid, …). Instead, it is important to minimize the skincare routine to avoid irritation and redness.
- Do not touch your face, absolutely do not squeeze pimples and avoid contact with the surface with lots of dirt and bacteria.
- Absolutely no makeup during treatment. Lead and the ingredients in these products can cause skin irritation, redness, and itchiness.
- In addition, you can also steam and apply natural masks (yogurt, honey, aloe vera, coconut oil, …) from 2-3 times / week to clear toxins, restore and regenerate skin tissue. damaged. These measures help to speed up recovery and significantly shorten the treatment time.
With the scientific care regimen, skin symptoms can be relieved after just a few weeks to a month. However, if the extent of skin damage is severe, it should be coordinated with the use of topical medications and creams as directed by a doctor.
3. Use medication as directed by your doctor
For severe cortiocid infections, topical medications + oral medications should be used as directed by a doctor to restore the skin, reduce acne and improve red inflammation.
Some topical creams are commonly used to treat skin with corticosteroids:
- Bioderma Cicabio: Cicabio is a line of products to restore and regenerate damaged skin of the French cosmetic brand Bioderma – France. This product is recommended by dermatologists for people with sensitive skin, corticoid-infected skin, recovery after needling, laser and after pimples. Bioderma Cicabio contains the main ingredients Resveratrol, Asiaticoside, Hyaluronic acid, Zinc sulfate, … These ingredients have the ability to restore, soothe the skin, promote wound healing, reduce itching and anti-inflammation.
- Tolerance Cream Avene: Tolerance Cream is a product of Avene – a French cosmetic pharmaceutical brand. Products whose main action is anti-irritation, soothing, moisturizing and protecting the skin. In addition, this product also helps to restore damaged, dry cells caused by the use of high concentrations of corticosteroids or the impact of the environment. The main ingredients of the product are Avene mineral water, Glycerin, rose seed oil, Squalane, …
- A-Derma Exomega Cream : Exomega Cream is a product of A-Derma brand. The product contains the main ingredients of organic oat extracts, Niacinamide, Omega 6 and Glycerin. These ingredients work to moisturize, restore the skin barrier, reduce itching, red inflammation and regenerate damaged cells.
Topical creams are usually used at a frequency of 2-4 times / day. Regular use of these products can reduce dry, flaky, red, itchy skin and restore the skin’s immune function. After the skin has stabilized, the doctor can prescribe a number of topical medications to treat red acne and inflammatory acne caused by Corticoid infections such as Duo Effaclar la Roche posay, Tee tree oil The body shop, …
In addition to topical medications, a dermatologist may also prescribe some oral medications such as:
- Multivitamins : Multivitamins such as Vitamin B2, vitamin C and Zinc are used for mild corticosteroid infections (itching, red inflammation and peeling). These oral pills work to strengthen resistance, regulate oil production, fight inflammation and prevent acne.
- Antibiotics : For severely damaged, highly acne-prone skin and inflammatory red spots, a broad-spectrum antibiotic may be prescribed to prevent superinfection. In the case of a Demodex infection, a doctor can replace it with Metronidazole – an antibiotic that has antibacterial, yeast and parasitic properties.
4. Supporting treatment with a scientific, healthy lifestyle
In addition to using the right medications and skin care, you should develop a scientific lifestyle to speed the recovery of skin and strengthen resistance.
Build a scientific lifestyle to support treatment of corticosteroid skin at home:
- Should supplement from 2 to 2.5 liters of water / day. Besides filtered water, you can use yogurt to drink, juice from fresh vegetables and fruits to maintain moisture and strengthen the skin’s resistance.
- Abstain from foods high in starches, spices, grease, hot spicy foods and preservatives. Also avoid coffee, tobacco and alcohol.
- Should sleep before 23 hours and ensure adequate sleep 8 hours / day. Not only helps restore the state, adequate sleep also speeds up the regeneration of the skin and helps shorten the treatment time.
- Include green vegetables, fruits, fish and yogurt in your diet. These foods provide healthy bacteria, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids to the body, while helping to regenerate damaged skin cells and structures.
5. Natural corticoid-contaminated skin detox mask
To aid recovery of corticoid-infected skin, you can also follow natural detox mask recipes. In fact, these mask formulations can soothe irritation, improve flaking, itching and speed up skin regeneration.
The masks that detoxify the skin infected with corticosteroids are simple and can be done at home:
Mask of oatmeal and fresh milk:
The oatmeal and milk-based mask formula is extremely suitable for corticosteroids, skin hives or people with thin, sensitive skin. Ferulic acid and avenanthramides in oats have been shown to have natural anti-inflammatory, itchy and anti-allergic effects. Meanwhile, vitamin D and lactic acid in raw milk have moisturizing and soothing effects.
Implementation of this formula from 2-3 times / week can support the recovery of corticoid-infected skin, improve skin surface, reduce dryness, peeling and itching significantly. In addition, the zinc present in oats also has anti-inflammatory effects and prevents acne.
Implementation Guide:
- Mix 1 teaspoon of oatmeal with 100 ml of fresh milk
- Then cleanse your face and apply the mixture to the skin’s surface
- Use gentle hand massage to exfoliate and remove sebum
- Finally, wash off the mask with warm water and dry with a clean towel
– Honey yogurt mask supports the treatment of corticoid infected skin at home:
The yogurt and honey mask has a moisturizing effect, reduces inflammation and soothes the damaged skin. In addition, the lactic acid in yogurt also helps to exfoliate dead cells, clear toxins and reduce the amount of oil in the nose and cheeks. Honey not only moisturizes but also has anti-inflammatory properties, nourishes the skin and inhibits the bacteria P. acnes – the main cause of acne.
With the above uses, a formula made from honey and yogurt can restore, soothe irritated skin and improve acne caused by corticosteroids. In addition, this mask also helps to protect and strengthen the skin’s immune function.
Implementation Guide:
- Mix 2 teaspoons of yogurt with 1 teaspoon of raw honey
- Clean your face with warm water and apply the mixture to your skin
- Leave for 15 – 20 minutes, then massage with your hands so that the essence is easily absorbed into the inside
- Finally, wash off the mask with warm water, pat dry and continue with the normal skincare steps
– Support recovery of corticoid infected skin with cucumber mask:
Cucumber mask is suitable for sensitive skin, post-acne skin and corticoid-infected skin. Cucumbers contain more than 90% water along with abundant minerals and vitamins. The ingredients in these ingredients work to soothe, hydrate, and improve dry, flaky skin.
In addition, masking cucumber also helps to cool the skin, improve the stinging, burning and discomfort caused by using high concentration corticosteroids for a long time. Applying this mask formulation with the use of topical + oral medications and proper care can completely restore the skin in just a short time.
Implementation Guide:
- Soak 1 cucumber in salt water
- Then use a knife to thin it and apply it to the skin
- Leave for 10-15 minutes and rinse with clean water
- Cucumber mask is relatively mild and safe, so it can be applied 3-4 times / week
How to prevent corticosteroid infection?
After treating skin with corticosteroids, you should take the following precautions:
- Absolutely do not use products to treat melasma, freckles treatment, whitening care … that are floating on the market. Only use products of major brands that are transparent about their uses and ingredients.
- When using topical corticosteroids to treat dermatological problems on the face, use as directed by your doctor. Absolutely do not abuse or arbitrarily increase the dosage of these products.
- It is necessary to distinguish cosmetic allergy from corticoid infection.
- People with sensitive and easily irritated skin should talk to your doctor about suitable skin care products.
Corticoid infected skin can be in remission if detected and handled properly. However, if the skin damage is severe, you should see a dermatologist to be examined, assessed the skin condition and advised on appropriate treatment.
