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Hydrocortisone 1% on cyst

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(@dysic)

Posted : 08/06/2010 3:25 pm

Hello everyone,

 

On Tuesday...I woke up with a cyst on my cheek the size of a dime. No joke.....this is hands down the biggest cyst I ever had.

 

It became really red,swollen, and inflammed the next couple days so I searched online and decided to buy and use Hydrocortisone 1% (the Rite Aid brand). I applied it liberally....keeping it on all day.

 

After a day and a half of use....my cyst has gone down tremendously. It has shrunk in size and has also become less red.

 

Hydrocortisone is suppose to be for itchyness, etc....but it works well with cysts because it's an anti-inflammatory.

 

I am very happy and impressed with the results i got with treating cysts with hydrocortisone. Just wanted to share with everyone.

 

Please comment or make suggestions!

 

PS: I also use aloe vera 100% gel to help sooth my skin. I don't see tremendous results but I feel that it is helping by soothing my skin. IMO, it helps keep my skin from breaking out. Comments on this are appreciated as well :)

 

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(@soxfan24)

Posted : 08/06/2010 3:42 pm

I am so interested in this, what brand did you use? How often did you put it on? I have had cortisone shots before and they worked well but It is very hard to make an emergency appointment with my derm. I have wondered if there was a topical form of cortisone that would work. What exactly is hydro cortisone? Is it similar to regular cortisone? I would be so happy if this works for me.

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(@asburypark101)

Posted : 08/08/2010 1:02 am

Yes hydrocortisone cream on the face can get rid of some inflammatory acne, but if you use too much of it for too long your face will get used to it and you will get a form of pseudoacne that can be much worse. Look up perioral dermamatitis and you will know what I mean. This is just a friendly precaution, good luck everyone!

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(@dykim90)

Posted : 08/08/2010 1:15 am

yah its not recommended to use it for more than a week because then it can get into your system especially if you have thin skin.

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(@greentiger87)

Posted : 08/08/2010 1:29 am

Using hydrocortisone on the face will result in permanently thinned skin and local immune system depression that can cause long term complications. Corticosteroid induced immune system depression is linked to scar formation, as inflammation is a necessary stimulator of normal healing. Ie, this is a bad idea.

 

The solution injected into cysts by dermatologists is extremely dilute and targeted, and not comparable to putting hydrocortisone cream on an open wound.

 

Kthx.

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(@hexie)

Posted : 08/08/2010 4:53 am

Years ago I used this on my face for eczema, it hasnt left me damaged in anyway, just don't use it regular. There is also a 0.5%.

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(@lamarr1986)

Posted : 08/08/2010 11:18 am

Using hydrocortisone on the face will result in permanently thinned skin and local immune system depression that can cause long term complications. Corticosteroid induced immune system depression is linked to scar formation, as inflammation is a necessary stimulator of normal healing. Ie, this is a bad idea.

 

The solution injected into cysts by dermatologists is extremely dilute and targeted, and not comparable to putting hydrocortisone cream on an open wound.

 

Kthx.

 

Absolute rubbish, i don't see why people have such a fear of topical steroids....yes used in the wrong areas the mid to super potent steroids can cause some nasty sides.....but come on hydrocortisone?!

 

Firstly it won't cause ANY immunosupression......kenalog injected by a derm is actually far more of an immunosupressant and far more likely to cause damage.

 

 

Professor Anthony Chu of the hammersmith hospital in london actually uses hydrocortisone mixed with salacytic acid for facial dermatitis....with some patients having used it for over 5 years now.

 

 

You can't always rely on litrature you read on the internet, sometimes it is real life experience of these products is what you need.

 

 

Using hydro like the original poster describes is 100% fine.

 

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(@greentiger87)

Posted : 08/08/2010 12:52 pm

:: rolls eyes ::

 

I said local immune system depression. Read more carefully.

 

I've seen the side effects multiple times in person, and they're not fun. I don't just run around trying to scare people for no reason.

 

 

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(@q_p)

Posted : 08/08/2010 5:54 pm

Using hydrocortisone on the face will result in permanently thinned skin and local immune system depression that can cause long term complications. Corticosteroid induced immune system depression is linked to scar formation, as inflammation is a necessary stimulator of normal healing. Ie, this is a bad idea.

 

The solution injected into cysts by dermatologists is extremely dilute and targeted, and not comparable to putting hydrocortisone cream on an open wound.

 

Kthx.

If inflammation is necessary for healing I can see how stopping it is bad, but excessive inflammation leads to scarring too, doesn't it?

 

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(@greentiger87)

Posted : 08/08/2010 6:00 pm

True, but people tend to flood wounds with hydrocortisone when they see that it works a little (like the OP apparently is suggesting). Especially on an open wound, or damaged skin, this can end badly. It's a different story when its an ant or mosquito bite on the body.

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(@lamarr1986)

Posted : 08/08/2010 6:23 pm

:: rolls eyes ::

 

I said local immune system depression. Read more carefully.

 

I've seen the side effects multiple times in person, and they're not fun. I don't just run around trying to scare people for no reason.

 

 

It doesn't cause any immunosupression, be it local or otherwise. It acts pretty much soley as an anti inflammatory, despite what you may read online...

 

Tell me what you have seen from hydrocortisone.... i'm interested to hear because i have been using a mid potency steroid for 3 years now and like i said prof Chu has talked with me at length about topical steroids.

 

Yes the higher potency ones demand respect and hydro for 20 years on the face may cause some negligible skin thinning (this thinning would not be visible to the eye, however), but a tiny amount of hydro even for a few weeks will do NOTHING like you are describing.

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(@greentiger87)

Posted : 08/10/2010 3:44 am

:: rolls eyes ::

 

I said local immune system depression. Read more carefully.

 

I've seen the side effects multiple times in person, and they're not fun. I don't just run around trying to scare people for no reason.

 

 

It doesn't cause any immunosupression, be it local or otherwise. It acts pretty much soley as an anti inflammatory, despite what you may read online...

 

Tell me what you have seen from hydrocortisone.... i'm interested to hear because i have been using a mid potency steroid for 3 years now and like i said prof Chu has talked with me at length about topical steroids.

 

Yes the higher potency ones demand respect and hydro for 20 years on the face may cause some negligible skin thinning (this thinning would not be visible to the eye, however), but a tiny amount of hydro even for a few weeks will do NOTHING like you are describing.

 

 

I'm happy that topical steroids have worked for you with minimal side effects. However, side effects are common and a real risk.

 

With regards to what I have seen personally: marked, irreversible skin atrophy; severe telangiectasia (dilated, very visible blood vessels at the surface of the skin); and most troubling, bizarrely patterned/hard to detect fungal and bacterial infections caused by local immunosuppression.

 

I'm not particularly risk averse when it comes to using medications, but I wouldn't use a hydrocortisone cream on the face more than sparingly once or twice a month. Applying liberally to a cyst multiple times a day? Not a chance.

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(@wynne)

Posted : 08/10/2010 4:01 am

I think I'd trust the Mayo Clinic's precautions regarding topical steroid use. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR600075

 

Steroid-induced rosacea is also a real concern. Thinning of the skin, too. Immune suppression does happen. I'm in healthcare as well and know these as facts. Systemic absorption happens as well. Even though cortisol is produced by the body naturally, excessive amounts internally WILL lead to generalized immune suppression. Covering the topical steroid with an impermeable dressing will also increase absorption. Using it on the face, armpit, groin excessively WILL lead to thinned skin. It's not supposition, it's fact.

 

Excessive local use will lead to depressed immune functioning locally.

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(@ciscokidd)

Posted : 03/31/2013 12:57 am

Please disregard my reply. Thanks.

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(@amcguill)

Posted : 03/31/2013 12:10 pm

All of you have shared--at the very least--some accurate and important information about the pros and cons of topical corticosteroid use.

Given that acne is NOT (omg, but but, I want to feel "pretty!!") a life-threatening disease (unless, perhaps, you're competing for the "Miss Universe" title and really would respond with "world peace!" to that ever-so difficult question), I would encourage you to avoid any and all use of a topical corticosteroid like hydrocortisone (brand name: Cortizone or Cortizone 10) or another, more potent, topical corticosteroid such as triamcinolone acetonide (brand name: Kenalog), which (I now see) one of you described earlier.

Why? Well, there are treatment options that have been specifically designed, formulated, and targetted to treat chronic acne, oily skin or dry skin, and acute acne "attacks"; plus, these meds which are specifically formulated to treat acne (both localized acne and, well, omg-dots-all-over-me-Halp!-type acne) do not carry the risks and the--at least potentially--very nasty **and irreversible** side effects of long-term use of topical steroid creams and ointments. In fact, because American teenagers and their adoring parents are shamefully obsessed with self-image, the super-massive pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. offer literally COUNTLESS options--very effective options--in order to take advantage of consumer demand and make billions of dollars in the process!

The question you need to ask yourself is this: "Even though many years from now my skin and appearance will look like that of a burn victim's (but worse and with zero chance of improvement)--completely transparent and showing dark blue veins and blood-red arterioles all over my hands and feet (even my forearms and my lower legs too), in other words, my extremities will appear purplish-blue, AND though the super-wrinkled crackling plastic-wrap skin wrapping the core of my body will have dark and light red splotches all over, complete with dark blue and purple spider veins, bulging veins, and no pigment, AND even though the slightest paper cut might cause me to lose pints of blood because my skin is thinner than that of an anorexic girl's whose biggest (and only) meal for the day--as always for the past 5 years--is the tips of her acrylic nails which she bites off while strung out and starving (by choice), at least, for now, *I* can hide my acne "well enough" for my senior yearbook pictures and prom date (who, in reality, almost certainly is neither bothered by your acne nor has given any thought to the size, color, or number of bumps on your face)!"

Creams such as triamcinolone acetonide and hydrocortisone are excellent tools for doctors to provide to their patients to treat immune system disorders affecting the skin, rashes like eczema, insect bites, and so on (in other words, things that itch!). While I have no doubt that some doctors would gladly write you a prescription for Kenalog (triamcinolone acetonide, 0.025% to 0.500%) or tell you to use Cortizone Max-Strength cream as much as you want all over your face, good doctors that really do care about your wellbeing (and they are quickly becoming more rare) will tell you that these products should not be used long-term for treating any form of acne. Period.

End of Story

Francisco F.

Pre-med graduate of Emory University

Honestly, I think you're losing a lot of credibility by mocking people with acne as a stupid, vain issue because:

1. Whether people like to admit it or not, people are judged by their appearance

2. Acne can be PAINFUL!

And what's with mocking anorexia ("by choice"?!)? I hope they teach you more compassion in med school.

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(@jackie1978)

Posted : 03/09/2014 11:10 am

I know this is an old discussion but I just wanted to thank AMcguill .

 

I am not vain at all. I have cysts that randomly pop up on my chin. They are painful and embarrassing, especially when I am at work in meetings with clients. It effects my self esteem and my career.

 

I would just like to be normal not perfect. But when I have a cyst that is so huge it looks like a deformity and is painful it is hard to be taken seriously.

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