I would like to know if others share Doktor's reticence to use hydrocortisone. I have been using it effectively to deal with my latest outbreak (see above post) and thought it did a good job of sealing the small cuts back up in a short amount of time. However I have noticed that some redness remains where the cuts are in the process of healing (one week from time of outbreak). In previous outbreaks (without the use of hydrocortisone), I have noticed that redness lasts a long time after the cuts have healed. But if use of the hydrocortisone leads to permanent redness, I certainly don't want to continue using it.