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To the Editor.—
Fluorinated corticosteroids are used to treat and prevent a wide variety of dermatologic conditions even though many of them respond favorably to less potent topical preparations. Some patients continue to use their medications long after the primary condition has cleared. Many adverse side-effects have been reported with the use of topical fluorinated corticosteroids, and these agents can aggravate superficial fungus infections, acne vulgaris, acne rosacea, and other conditions.We examined eight patients who developed localized atrophy, telangiectasia, and purpura limited to areas where topical corticosteroids had been used. Four of the patients had psoriasis, two seborrheic dermatitis, one subacute systemic lupus erythematosus, and one chronic hand dermatitis. The period of treatment, ranging from ten months to five years, produced appreciable cosmetic deficits (Fig 1 and 2), and the skin was easily bruised and lacerated following minor trauma. Two patients used occlusion with plastic film in order