Guest guest Posted March 19, 2002 Report Share Posted March 19, 2002 Dave, The dermatologist you saw sounds EXACTLY like the derm I have been seeing (And Trust me that is NOT a compliment) I even remember hearing the EXACT same line (This medicine is so safe, I prescribe it for babies with diaper rash) etc..In fact, come to think of it, he used the EXACT same line when trying to get me to try Protopic AND Desowen.. both of which were WAY WAY too harsh for my skin, and I find it hard to believe my skin is THAT much more sensitive than a baby's butt...(I wonder if thats just a line they were taught in Dermatology school or something?) The fact of the matter is, topical steroids are NOT safe, whether or not you have cea. Now, before I elaborate any further, allow me to clarify. Using a topical steroid on your face for a few days, will not have any long-term side effects... and if you want to try using it for three days or something to see if it will clear up your problem, then go ahead... Unfortunately, it probably will not clear things up that fast, and even if it did, your problem would most likely return the instant you discontinue using it. Topical steroids are Not safe for your skin. They do not just induce cea. Long-term topical steroid use will break down the epidermis. This worsens/induces cea because when the Epidermis is weaker, environmental insults/rosacea triggers are more able to penetrate the skin and cause irritation/inflammation (At least this is how I understand it to work). But even if you do not have cea, long-term steroid use will cause the epidermis to break down, which can cause a bunch of skin problems, and would probably even worsen your Seb derm in the long run by causing additional inflammation. Steroids may help in the short run, but in the long run they WILL damage your skin. This is true of ALL steroids, even the " mild " ones.. And if your derm is anything like mine, he will tell you ANY steroid he tries to prescribe is " mild " . For instance, my derm tried to get me to use Desowen, by giving me the same line your derm gave you, and I found out later Desowen is NOT all that mild, it is actually relatively potent, even when compared to other steroids. Even 0.5% hydrocortizone (the absolute weakest Steroid there is I believe, even available over the counter) will cause this problem. There is no such thing as a safe steroid (At least not for long-term use). Using topical steroids intermittently to control flares is debatable (Some people may be all for that, and others may be against even this, I'm not sure where I weigh in...) But depending on a steroid for long-term control will eventually lead to more problems. Now, this is all just my uninformed opinion. I am not a doctor, and I could be wrong. However, my well-respected, award-winning derm told me Desowen would not thin my skin at all, and I later read in probably half a dozen different places saying he was wrong. And when I tried to use Desowen, it DID cause me problems. (Luckily I wasnt on it for that long) Again, I am not a doctor, and maybe Dr. Lazoff (who has already offered alot of great insite on the website so far) would be able to give you more accurate information than me.. But this is all what I understand to be true. Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2002 Report Share Posted March 20, 2002 > Again, I am not a doctor, and maybe Dr. Lazoff (who has already > offered alot of great insite on the website so far) would be able > to give you more accurate information than me.. See, now, if you flatter me, Adam, then I'm going to have to say something. Seriously, it's understandable that members of this group are skittish about topical steroid use, after reading some of the horror stories here. Still, to put it in perspective, topical steroids are used by dermatologists for acute exacerbations, even chronic conditions. Here's my advice: unless you have more questions (for your doctor, not us) then you have to decide yourself whether or not to go with how he diagnoses and wants to treat your condition, at least for a while. Otherwise, ask him to recommend an alternative treatment that doesn't carry the risks you're concerned about; you may be more comfortable with other risks or drawbacks. Don't let your doctor intimidate you, but if he strikes you as competent don't underestimate his knowledge and experience. Who are the people most able to decide what's in your best interest? You and your doctor -- certainly not us, right? Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2002 Report Share Posted March 20, 2002 > Again, I am not a doctor, and maybe Dr. Lazoff (who has already > offered alot of great insite on the website so far) would be able > to give you more accurate information than me.. See, now, if you flatter me, Adam, then I'm going to have to say something. Seriously, it's understandable that members of this group are skittish about topical steroid use, after reading some of the horror stories here. Still, to put it in perspective, topical steroids are used by dermatologists for acute exacerbations, even chronic conditions. Here's my advice: unless you have more questions (for your doctor, not us) then you have to decide yourself whether or not to go with how he diagnoses and wants to treat your condition, at least for a while. Otherwise, ask him to recommend an alternative treatment that doesn't carry the risks you're concerned about; you may be more comfortable with other risks or drawbacks. Don't let your doctor intimidate you, but if he strikes you as competent don't underestimate his knowledge and experience. Who are the people most able to decide what's in your best interest? You and your doctor -- certainly not us, right? Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2002 Report Share Posted March 20, 2002 > Again, I am not a doctor, and maybe Dr. Lazoff (who has already > offered alot of great insite on the website so far) would be able > to give you more accurate information than me.. See, now, if you flatter me, Adam, then I'm going to have to say something. Seriously, it's understandable that members of this group are skittish about topical steroid use, after reading some of the horror stories here. Still, to put it in perspective, topical steroids are used by dermatologists for acute exacerbations, even chronic conditions. Here's my advice: unless you have more questions (for your doctor, not us) then you have to decide yourself whether or not to go with how he diagnoses and wants to treat your condition, at least for a while. Otherwise, ask him to recommend an alternative treatment that doesn't carry the risks you're concerned about; you may be more comfortable with other risks or drawbacks. Don't let your doctor intimidate you, but if he strikes you as competent don't underestimate his knowledge and experience. Who are the people most able to decide what's in your best interest? You and your doctor -- certainly not us, right? Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2002 Report Share Posted March 21, 2002 Dave, I have had several people email me about the side effects of DesOwen as I wasn't sure myself when prescribed it for my cea. Each of us are different in reactions. I still applied the DesOwen Lotion and in 2 days have seen a big difference in the redness and break outs. Do what you feel is in your best interest. Do you trust your Doctor? If not, ask to see someone for a second opinion. Good Luck! Dawn --- d9_2003 d9_2003@...> wrote: > Over a year ago I was told by a dermatologist that I > had rosacea. I > saw a different dermatologist this week and he > disagreed with the > diagnosis of rosacea. He said that my problem is > seborrheic > dermatitis. I told him that I do have symptoms of > rosacea such as > broken blood vessels on the bridge of my nose and I > flush > occasionally (mostly when under stress or after > drinking alcohol). > He said it might be possible that 5% of my problem > was rosacea > (don't know how he arrived at that conclusion), but > the broken > blood > vessels were caused by sun damage (even though I > told him I stay out > of the sun). It really seemed that he thought I > didn't have > rosacea > at all. > > He prescribed Aclovate for my face. That's a > topical steriod, > and I'm concerned that if I have rosacea it will > aggravate it. > If I > don't have rosacea I'm afraid it may induce it. > (I've > read that steroids can induce rosacea.) He assured > me that Aclovate > is safe and a very mild steroid that is used on > babies with > dermatitis. He also assured me that Aclovate would > not thin my skin. > (I have read that topical steroids do this and this > helps induce > rosacea.) He even said that in some cases topical > steroids were > indicated for rosacea such as for rosacea > dermatitis. > > I looked up Aclovate's potential side-effects and I > am concerned > about them. Aclovate is also an expensive > medication. > > I asked him about non-steroid treatments like > anti-fungal > medications. He said they wouldn't be very > effective and > Aclovate is what I should use. According to him > Aclovate could clear > up my skin in a few days. In my case he did not > seem to think that > Aclovate would cause rosacea (or adversely affect it > if I do actually > have it). > > I've noticed other people posting similar > experiences of > dermatologists prescribing topical steroids like Des > Owen. Is anyone > else concerned about this? I am confused and > concerned about using > topical steroids. > > So what am I supposed to do? Does anyone have > experience with > Aclovate? Can it really clear up seb derm in a few > days? Has it > caused or aggravated anyone's rosacea? Are there > any effective > treatments for seb derm besides topical steroids? > What would you do > if you were in my situation? > > I'd really appreciate it if anyone would share their > experience > or > knowledge in this area. Thanks. > > Dave > > > > > -- > Please read the list highlights before posting to > the whole group (http://rosacea.ii.net/toc.html). > Your post will be delayed if you don't give a > meaningful subject or trim your reply text. You must > change the subject when replying to a digest ! > > See http://www.drnase.com for info on his recently > published book. > > To leave the list send an email to > rosacea-support-unsubscribe > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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