Why Shouldn’t You Use Hydrocortisone On Your Face?

Dr. Andrea Suarez, dermatologist, explains:

Almost certainly not what your face needs

1% hydrocortisone cream, which is the strongest available without a prescription in the US, is a very weak topical steroid that can be helpful for localized problems such as insect bites.

There are some uses; topical steroids can be useful for certain facial skin conditions, including seborrheic dermatitis, but should only be used on a doctor’s recommendation and not long-term because facial skin is more susceptible to adverse effects.

As for what those adverse side effects are, starting with the most well-known: prolonged or inappropriate use can cause skin thinning, persistent redness, telangiectasia (visible small blood vessels), steroid acne, steroid rosacea, and periorificial dermatitis, which causes acne-like bumps around the mouth, eyes, and nose that can burn or tingle and be difficult to resolve.

Not only that, but ringworm (tinea) can resemble many other skin conditions, making self-diagnosis difficult; applying a topical steroid can suppress the inflammatory response, temporarily reducing redness and itching while allowing the fungus (yes, ringworm is a fungus, not a worm) to grow deeper and spread. And if that weren’t bad enough, when steroid treatment stops, the infection itself can return considerably worse, and become much more difficult to treat.

For more on all of this and some other Q&A from Dr. Suarez, enjoys:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

How To Heal Injuries More Quickly ← people often mistakenly try to use hydrocortisone as a healing cream when it’s in most situations pretty much the opposite of that (i.e. it actually delays healing), so here’s what to do instead

Take care!