Hydrocortisones are not good for use on the face. This is the third concept you need to be aware of. You should avoid using them near your mouth, or lips and in the immediate areas around the eyes. Hydrocortisone should also not be applied to the genital areas or the armpits. The skin in these places is thinner than the other more durable parts of the body, and hydrocortisone use can irritate them. If hydrocortisone gets into the face, you should wash it off with plain water.
If the skin is already damaged by sun or wind burn, or is broken, or open, or irritated do not apply hydrocortisone to it.
Another thing you should be aware of is hydrocortisones may be harmful to a fetus. If you are pregnant and need to use them, the healthcare providers overseeing your case should be advised of this. Whether or not topical hydrocortisone gets into breast milk and into a nursing baby is unknown. Here again is another case that you should make your medical health advisors aware of.
Before you use a topical hydrocortisone on a child you should have the recommendation of a doctor. Children respond differently than adults do to the effects of these medicines.
Application
When applying hydrocortisone, be sure that you wash your hands before and after applying. You will want to only use a small amount of the cream or ointment and gently rub it into the affected parts of the skin. Do not exert a lot of pressure as you apply it.
Unless you have been directed to by your doctors you should not cover the areas that have been treated with hydrocortisone. If hydrocortisones are applied to the diaper area of babies you should not put a diaper on him that will not allow the area to breathe. When the areas are covered, the possibilities of side effects are increased. This is because the skin absorbs more of the drug when it is covered than when it is open.
