Topical Steroids (Part 2) - Everything you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask!

“Somebody with moderate atopic eczema has nine flares a year, each of those flares, perhaps needing topical steroids for two to five weeks at least. So, they're barely stopping the topical steroids.” Dr George Moncrieff 

Already you can see how patients can very easily, and unintentionally, be prescribed topical steroids long-term, which they are neither intended for, nor licensed for. The impact of this is discussed in this episode, by your hosts Dr George Moncrieff and Dr Roger Henderson. They will also guide you through incidences where topical steroids can be a cause for concern and how to overcome these. Our learned colleagues will cover: 

• How topical steroids affect the skin, including the impact of their pH on our all-important acid mantle. They then dive deeper below the surface to look at how topical steroids compromise the granular activity in the stratum granulosa and the impact of this on our skin barrier. In addition, they look at how topical steroids can thin the skin along with their potential systemic effects, including suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the immune system 
• Where you absolutely would not want to be using a topical steroid 
• The impact of long-term topical steroid use and tips on how to prevent this, from a simple patient audit to looking at alternatives 
• How in the short-term, topical steroids might seem to be the most cost-effective option, but in the longer term, how alternative solutions reduce real costs. 

Thank you to our kind sponsor AproDerm, who provide a comprehensive range of quality emollients designed for the management of dry skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis and ichthyosis. 

To simplify the process of finding the most suitable emollient for each patient, they have developed a remarkable solution: the AproDerm Emollient Starter Pack. This pack conveniently combines all four of their emollients in a single prescription, enabling patients to identify their ideal emollient more efficiently, aiding both compliance and adherence. 

Find out more: https://aproderm.com/aproderm-emollient-starter-pack/ 

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fontus-health-ltd/ 

Thank you for listening. We hope you find this podcast interesting and helpful, please leave us a review or email info@aproderm.com with any feedback on this episode or suggestions for what you would like to hear about in future podcasts. 

The views expressed in this podcast are of Dr George Moncrieff and Dr Roger Henderson and Fontus Health has not influenced, participated, or been involved in the programme, materials, or delivery of educational content.