India fails to restrict use of harmful skin creams and lotions: expert

The use of ''harmful'' skin creams and lotions containing steroids was out of control in India, according to an expert.

Corticosteroids, also called steroids, are anti-inflammatory medicines indicated for a range of conditions, but their use could lead to substantial and irreversible damage, especially on thin skin, such as on the face and groin.

The side effects of such use indiscriminate use include breakdown of the skin, small and widened blood vessels on the skin, and bacterial and fungal infections. Misuse could lead to resistance to infections that could make these difficult to diagnose and treat.

According to Shyam B Verma, a consultant dermatologist based in Gujarat, Indian doctors were witnessing a pandemic of adverse effects induced by topical corticosteroids.

A study conducted in 2013, involving 2,926 dermatology patients, found 433 were using topical steroids and 392 reported harmful effects.

Indian laws require strong steroids to be sold only with a registered medical practitioner's prescription. However, topical steroids were exempt and could be purchased over the counter, which needed urgent revision, Verma said.

Another problem leading to the inappropriate use of topical steroids was that too few specialist dermatologists were available. The majority of India's some 8,500 dermatologists, practise in cities, while most of India's population is dispersed in villages.

''Indian doctors are witnessing a pandemic of adverse effects induced by topical corticosteroids,'' Verma noted in an article published in the journal The BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal.

The inappropriate use of topical steroids was also due to low availability of specialist dermatologists.

He said many patients were forced to seek treatment for skin disease from primary care providers, including thousands of ayurvedic and homeopathic practitioners and even unqualified charlatans.