Suppression of Corticosteroid-Induced Atrophy and Telangiectasia With Vitamin A

To the Editor.— Side effects of prolonged use of topical corticosteroids include atrophy, striae, telangiectasia, and linear ulcerations. A rat bioassay model has been developed to evaluate these side effects and similar work has been done by Rist et al (unpublished data, 1977). Vitamin A is known to suppress the inhibitory effects of glucocorticoids on wound repair. 2,3 With these facts, we undertook a blind study to see if topical vitamin A would suppress the atrophy and telangiectasia associated with long-term topical corticosteroids. Forty-one-week-old Sprague Dawley rats were separated into four groups, each with a 3-sq cm shaved area on their back. Group one was treated with 0.1 gm of 0.1% halcinonide daily. Group two was treated with 0.1 gm of 0.1% halcinonide plus 7,500 IU of vitamin A ester per milligram of anhydrous lanolin base daily. Group three was treated with 0.1% halcinonide cream daily plus 500 IU of