theprintindia ‘I have treated patients from all sections of society, and their quest remains to make sure their skin is perfect, come hell or high water. Enter the rampant use of topical steroids.

I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I called it an abuse of steroids, similar to the abuse of antibiotics. A 2011 paper published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology quantifies the use of topical steroids to treat dermatoses- an umbrella term that refers to any disease of the skin. The causes of dermatoses can be anything-ranging from bacterial to fungal, and each cause requires a specific treatment. But by the time a patient comes to a specialist, 15 per cent of them are already on topical steroids. And as many as 29 per cent use it as fairness cream or aftershave.!’