Acne Steroids

July 6th, 2009

I remember, I first heard of steroids as these horrible things that would give you pimples and shrink men’s testicles among other things.  Of course, being a girl I didn’t care so much about certain parts, but hated the idea of other parts.  So when my doctor gave me my first asthma inhaler and told me it used steroids, I was turned off to say the least.  But as I grew up, of course I wasn’t going to not use it all things considered, and I learned that not all steroids are of the types used for those purposes.  For example, they do have estrogen instead of testosterone based steroids.  But the kind used in asthma devices are obviously quite different than either of those immediately working to open the airways, reduce constriction, etc.

Then I found that there were other steroids more commonly used for the treatment of acne.  Imagine my surprise when I found this out.  But of course it makes more sense now that I learn more about it.  They are generally taken internally and can therefore get to any area of acne.  But they can also be used externally.  It is generally used when other options have failed, and it can clear up acne in part by reducing inflammation among other things.  That is however its main mechanism of action keep in mind.  However, acne steroids it should be noted have some of the same liver problems and other side effects as the steroids you remember from sports memorabilia among other things.  So they should be taken with caution.  They do not produce side effects or results in every patient.  It just varies.

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