The Use of Topical Clobetasol among the Women in Hail Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study on Knowledge and Practice

Abstract

Aims: The current study aimed to evaluate female consumers’ knowledge and practice about harmful effects of topical clobetasol applied on the face for cosmetic purposes. 
 Study Design: Cross-sectional study. 
 Place and Duration of Study: Randomly selected community pharmacies, well known cosmetic shops and shopping malls of Hail region, Saudi Arabia from March 2018 to June 2018.
 Methodology: We included 391 participants who only used ‘clobetasol’ as a topical steroid at the time of interview, responses were collected as per the study tool and analyzed using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0. Chicago, SPSS Inc..
 Results: Relatives (28.1%), friends (25.6%) and community pharmacists (15.6%) contributed significantly towards using topical clobetasol cream. In 86.2% of the cases, the pharmacists who dispensed clobetasol did not inform the consumer about the harmful effects. Purchasing the cream without prescription (P = 0.025) was significantly associated with age. In the study, 41.9 % of the females experienced adverse effects, with the commonest one being hair growth on face (23%) followed by dermatrophy (14.8%); with a significant association with frequency of use (p<0.001).
 Conclusion: There was haphazard use of topical clobetasol by females and they were unaware of the adverse effects. Over-the-counter availability of topical clobetasol, lack of knowledge about harmful effects, and lack of counseling on its safety profile by community pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are mainly responsible for its misuse and harmful consequences.

Topical Steroid Damaged Face: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia

“…This matched the results of another study: 44% of women who used the topical steroids received the prescription from a doctor [ 10 ]. Among those who used unprescribed topical steroids, family and friends were the main sources of advice, similar to the other local study, which revealed that the leading inspirations toward the usage of facial TCs were relatives and friends [ 3 , 5 ].…”

“…In 1951, topical corticosteroids (TCs) were used for the first time by American dermatologist Marion Baldur Sulzberger [ 2 ]. In modern dermatological practice, TCs have become one of the most widely used treatment methods [ 3 ].…”

“…In a similar study conducted in India, the most common indication of topical steroids was skin lightening (70.6%), followed by treating acne (12.9%) [ 6 ]. Locally, the study conducted in Hail, Saudi Arabia, had shown that the most common reason for using topical steroids was skin lightening [ 3 ].…”

“…Because the nature of facial skin is thinner than other parts of the body, with a high transcutaneous absorption rate, side effects are more common on the face [ 3 ]. Nevertheless, only 16.5% of the participants of this study report any side effects of using TCs.…”

“…Topical corticosteroid is the synthetic form of natural corticosteroid which is synthesized in the adrenal cortex [ 3 ]. Topical corticosteroids are widely used by dermatologists and are highly effective in treating a variety of dermatological disorders.…”