Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jan;56(1):30-2.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.77547.

Steroid-induced rosacea: a clinical study of 200 patients

Yasmeen J Bhat  1 , Sheikh Manzoor, Seema Qayoom
Affiliations

Steroid-induced rosacea: a clinical study of 200 patients

Yasmeen J Bhat et al. Indian J Dermatol. 2011 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Topical corticosteroids were first introduced for use in 1951. Since then uncontrolled use (abuse) has caused many different reactions resembling rosacea - steroid dermatitis or iatrosacea. Multiple pathways including rebound vasodilatation and proinflammatory cytokine release have been proposed as the mechanism for such reactions.

Aim: The aim was to study the adverse effects of topical steroid abuse and the response to various treatment modalities.

Materials and methods: Two hundred patients with a history of topical steroid use on face for more than 1 month were studied clinically and various treatments tried.

Results: The duration of topical corticosteroid use varied from 1 month to 20 years with an average of 19.76 months. Majority of patients were using potent (class II) topical steroids for trivial facial dermatoses. The common adverse effects were erythema, telangiectasia, xerosis, hyperpigmentation, photosensitivity, and rebound phenomenon. No significant change in laboratory investigations was seen.

Conclusion: A combination of oral antibiotics and topical tacrolimus is the treatment of choice for steroid-induced rosacea.

Keywords: Topical corticosteroids; rebound phenomenon; rosacea.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Nil.

References

    1. Ljubojeviae S, Basta JA, Lipozeneiae J. Steroid dermatitis resembling rosacea: aetiopathogenesis and treatment. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venerol. 2002;16:121–6. - PubMed
    1. Hornstein OP. Perioral (rosaceiform) dermatitis - a ‘modern’ problem disease. Internist. 1975;16:27–8. - PubMed
    1. Litt JZ. Steroid-induced rosacea. Am Fam Physician. 1993;48:67–71. - PubMed
    1. Frumes GM, Lewis HM. Light sensitive seborrheid. Arch Dermatol. 1957;75:245–8. - PubMed
    1. Mihan R, Ayres S. Perioral dermatosis. Arch Dermatol. 1964;89:803–5. - PubMed