Hormone-dependent dermatitis is a local inflammatory skin disease caused by the long-term unregulated use or misuse of glucocorticosteroid (hormone) topical preparations or cosmetics containing hormones. Clinical manifestations include erythema, capillary dilatation, skin atrophy, sometimes accompanied by papules or papulopustular rash, and self-conscious itching, burning, and tightness of the affected skin, which gradually worsens with repeated use of hormones. It can be seen at any age, usually in young and middle-aged women, and the facial area is its preferred site. With the irregular or incorrect use of topical glucocorticosteroid preparations, the disease has become increasingly common in clinical practice. Although the topical use of hormones has only a history of several decades, from the perspective of its pathogenesis and clinical manifestations, it should be categorized under the category of “Chinese medicine toxicity” and “facial sores” as recorded in the literature of Chinese medicine. Wang Lijun of the Department of Dermatology, Wuxi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, diagnosed this disease as a result of long-term topical application of glucocorticosteroid preparations, resulting in skin dependence on them and local inflammatory skin reactions when the drug is discontinued or during use. The diagnosis should be considered from the following aspects: 1. Long-term topical use of glucocorticosteroid preparations (drugs or cosmetics that also have ingredients of such drugs). The specific duration of use should be determined by taking into account the patient’s skin type and the type of hormone, usually more than two weeks. 2. Erythema, capillary dilation, skin atrophy, and sometimes papules or papulopustules at the site of use when discontinued. 3. Self-perceived itching, burning, and tightness of the affected skin. 4. Symptoms are relieved when the preparation is used again or switched to a more potent type of hormone. The etiology and pathogenesis of hormone dependent dermatitis belongs to the category of “Chinese medicine toxicity” and “facial sores” in Chinese medicine. According to Chinese medicine, corticosteroid drugs are pungent, dry, sweet and warm products that help Yang, which can easily deplete Yin and scorch the flesh. When hormone drugs are used externally for a long time, the poisonous evil stays in the skin for a long time, attacking the skin couples and reducing the skin’s external function, resulting in susceptibility to external evil; the heat generates wind and infiltrates the blood vessels, resulting in erythema, burning sensation, itching, and capillary dilation on the face; if the heat and poisonous external evil are repeatedly felt, or if one eats things that spread and move the wind, or if one’s emotions are hurt and the five wills turn into fire, the heat can become even more intense, resulting in erythema, swelling, papules and pustules, distress, mouth, and constipation. If the heat is prolonged and injures yin, it leads to deficiency of liver and kidney yin, loss of skin glory, skin atrophy and flaking; or blood deficiency generates wind, wind becomes dry, which leads to dry, itchy and pigmented skin. The disease is dominated by heat at the beginning, and leads to yin deficiency and blood deficiency in the long run. The pathogenesis of the disease is not only wind, heat and poisonous evil obstructing and infiltrating the blood vessels, so the treatment is to remove wind, heat, detoxify and cool the blood in the early stage, and to nourish yin and benefit blood in the long term. The symptoms of wind-heat skin type are characterized by red lesions with red papules, itching and burning sensation, irritability, dry mouth, slightly yellow urine, red tongue, thin yellow fur and floating pulse. Treatment: Drain the wind and dissipate heat to relieve itching. If the itching is obvious, add Artemisia annua, Fanfeng and Dioscorea; for acne-like lesions, choose Loquat Clear Lung Drink; if the heart is troubled and the mouth is dry, add Scutellaria baicalensis, Gardenia jasminoides and Mai Dong. 2. Characteristics of heat toxin accumulation type symptoms: bright red skin lesions, sometimes swollen, red papules, pustules, with burning, itching and pain, irritability, constipation and other symptoms, red tongue, yellow or yellow greasy coating, smooth pulse. Treatment: Clearing heat, detoxifying and cooling the blood. Remedy: Cool the blood and detoxify the toxin. The skin lesion is bright red, add gypsum, water hyacinth, and daphyllum; swelling is obvious, add white foxglove, gentian grass, and plantain; more pustules can add wild chrysanthemum, dandelion, and white flowers and snake’s tongue. 3. Yin deficiency and internal heat symptoms: flushed, dry skin, thin epidermis, capillary dilation, or a feeling of baking heat and tightness, mostly accompanied by heart trouble, restless sleep at night, dry mouth and desire to drink, etc., red tongue with little coating, and thin pulse. Treatment: Nourishing Yin and clearing heat. Formula: Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan with Zeng Shui Tang plus or minus or Da Shen Yin Wan plus. For thin epidermis, add asparagus, dendrobium and wolfberry. For dilated capillaries and red color, add Sophora japonica and Comfrey. For restless sleep at night, add mother-of-pearl and helianthus bark. 4. Blood deficiency and wind dryness syndrome characteristics: chronic course, recurrent, dry skin, capillary dilation, pigmentation, may be accompanied by dizziness and tinnitus, palpitations and insomnia, hand and foot numbness, etc., light tongue with white fur, thin pulse. Treatment: Nourish blood, moisten dryness and dispel wind. Remedy: Sifeng Wu Feng Drink or Angelica Sinensis Drink. For insomnia, add sour date palm, cypress seed and dragon’s tooth; for capillary dilation, add salvia and safflower; for hyperpigmentation, add Radix Angelicae Sinensis and Angelicae Sinensis. Because the disease occurs in the face, the drugs used should have the nature of lightness and propagation, and flower medicine can rise and float, can propagate and penetrate, and can be used for all types of patients. Commonly used drugs are honeysuckle, wild chrysanthemum, lingxiao flower, cocklebur, acacia flower, safflower, etc. External treatment: Because the lesions of this disease are exposed outside, external treatment is the common treatment method for this disease. Commonly used to clear heat and dampness class of Chinese medicine decoction after cold wet compress, commonly used Chinese medicine are cypress, scutellaria, licorice, bitter ginseng, licorice, etc.; can also choose Chinese medicine decoction taken internally after the third decoction external cold wet compress; commercially available Qingpeng cream, dampness itch cream, compound cypress liquid and other proprietary drugs can also be used to treat this disease. In addition to wet compresses, external treatment can also be combined with nebulization, fumigation, cold spray and other drug delivery methods, which can significantly reduce the inflammatory state of the skin, combined with the use of moisturizers can alleviate the discomfort and rebound symptoms after the discontinuation of hormones, and accelerate the recovery of normal skin function.