Can Cortisone Injections Cause Fat Atrophy?

Unfortunately corticosteroid injections can cause fat atrophy. In some cases, this is useful to help decrease swelling and scar formation after injury or surgery. In others, it can cause a depression in the skin as an unintended consequence of an injection. Fortunately, in most cases, the depression will resolve over time - though it can take months. Several techniques can be used to help move this along though. Injecting salt water under the skin daily for a week or two has been shown to... more

Yes, fat can become thinner with treatment of corticosteroid injections into the deep dermis or subcutaneous compartment dependent on concentration and dose and the patient's metabolism. There are treatments to improve the condition should it not improve spontaneously, such as fat injections, depending where on the body the atrophy is located. There are other causes of fat atrophy including acne cysts that get so inflamed that without the steroid injection, when the cyst goes away there is... more

Fat atrophy is common if the cortisone is injected in the subcutaneous tissue rather than intradermal (used for keloids and acne cysts) or intramuscular (for sinus problems, hives, allergic reactions, etc.). It resolves over several months. It will not be permanent.