your good friend or beautician or chemist or some one might have told to use you a cream for whitening or to remove those pimples that are troubling you so long or glow.

Beware! This most probably contains one of the steroids mentioned above.

So do not use them without dermatologist's prescription!

and use for the duration for which these have been prescribed....

Some side effects of  unsupervised use of creams containing steroids:

1. Increased chance of infections:- it includes reactivation of cold sores, bacterial infections and demodicidosis (a type of parasite normally present on skin)

2. Excessive hair growth: steroids cause thickening of thin vellus hairs normally present on the face, also known as hypertrichosis.

3. Pimples ( temporarily you will find a 'Magic cure" if you are using them for pimples);

4. Dependence-'Topical steroid Damaged face'- as soon as you stop applying, you may feel itch, tightness , burning among other symptoms.

5. Striae - this is a permanent thinning of skin; though not common on face , on other areas, these can be very troubling as in picture..

Multiple thinned out areas on the thighs due to unsupervised use of cream containing steroids; this is irreversible damage

6. Redness : steroids dilate vessels causing redness on face which can be permanent after a time.

7. Thinning of skin and ecchymoses: steroid cause thinning of skin thus producing wrinkling and blood collection even on mild trauma.

this 56 yrs female was on Betamethasone cream from more than 10 years; complained of spontaneous bleeding
Dermoscopy (magnified view ) showed blood collection

This misuse and damage have a serious effect on the quality of life of the patients in general and the skin of the face in particular. Management is difficult and necessitates psychological counseling as well as physical soothing of the sensitive skin.

its not too late... if you are using any steroid cream without supervision , stop it and consult a dermatologist for solution....