Dr Harshdeep Kamble, Maharashtra FDA commissioner

You may no longer be able to buy fairness creams over the counter without a doctor's prescription, and with good reason. Taking note of the excessive abuse of steroid-rich fairness creams, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and doctors have written to the Central Drug Control Authority to ask that these creams be made a prescription-only item.

Dermatologists in the city are concerned about the rising number of patients who have reported skin problems after using steroid-based fairness creams. In most cases, they buy the cream over the counter without consulting a doctor, leading to sometimes irreversible skin conditions.