I had several pimples, one cystic and two smaller injected with hydrocortisone at my dermatologist. It is a week later and I am starting to get some atrophy at two of the spots. Is this likely to get worse as time goes on? Do fillers always work to correct the problem? And is there anything else to do other than fillers and time which will correct the issue? Thankyou
June 21, 2020
Answer: Steroid Atrophy You are correct, steroid injections can cause atrophy of both the skin and the fat that lies beneath the skin. We can see this with cystic acne and acne scar steroid injections as well as steroid injections for tendonitis and scalp nerve blocks. Typically it takes longer than a week to develop atrophy from a steroid injection. I'm wondering if you are actually seeing the acne cyst shrink and possibly leave a slight depression. In my experience, fat atrophy may improve over time but it can take months. Atrophy of the skin is more difficult to treat but may resolve if there are no further injections in that area. Depending on type of atrophy, a filler may help, but I would not try this until waiting 6-12 months to see how much this resolves on its own. In the future, I would recommend using a laser to treat your cystic acne or photodynamic therapy. Neither of these two treatment modatlities cause atrophy. I hope this helps.
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June 21, 2020
Answer: Steroid Atrophy You are correct, steroid injections can cause atrophy of both the skin and the fat that lies beneath the skin. We can see this with cystic acne and acne scar steroid injections as well as steroid injections for tendonitis and scalp nerve blocks. Typically it takes longer than a week to develop atrophy from a steroid injection. I'm wondering if you are actually seeing the acne cyst shrink and possibly leave a slight depression. In my experience, fat atrophy may improve over time but it can take months. Atrophy of the skin is more difficult to treat but may resolve if there are no further injections in that area. Depending on type of atrophy, a filler may help, but I would not try this until waiting 6-12 months to see how much this resolves on its own. In the future, I would recommend using a laser to treat your cystic acne or photodynamic therapy. Neither of these two treatment modatlities cause atrophy. I hope this helps.
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Answer: Atrophy from steroid Hello it sounds unlikely this is from the steroid injection as you describe. I would leave this for a while to see how it progresses. Filler can be used in these areas but is short lived and laser would actually be a better option. Best wishes
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
Answer: Atrophy from steroid Hello it sounds unlikely this is from the steroid injection as you describe. I would leave this for a while to see how it progresses. Filler can be used in these areas but is short lived and laser would actually be a better option. Best wishes
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
