Why is applying a steroid cream without an antifungal agent potentially hazardous when treating a suspected skin fungus?
Answer
The fungus can flourish, leading to a worse rash faster
Topical corticosteroids, commonly used to suppress inflammation and reduce itching associated with conditions like eczema or psoriasis, have the opposite effect on active fungal infections. Steroids suppress the local immune response that might otherwise contain the fungal overgrowth. By inhibiting the body's natural defense mechanisms, applying steroids alone effectively removes a barrier to fungal proliferation, allowing the infection to spread and intensify rapidly, resulting in a much more severe rash than the original condition.
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