My skin flaked off, and the oozing blisters made it feel like acid.

A WOMAN has revealed how stunned she was when she realized that her oozing blisters that made the water feel acidic on her face were the result of steroid cream withdrawal.

Brittany Stephens (27), from Ottawa, Canada, was the first to be prescribed the cream for treating childhood eczema. Her skin had become sensitive to food allergies, including dairy and eggs.

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She stopped using it after two years to prevent mild skin reactions from winter.

However, after her skin had become sensitive to mould in her apartment, she noticed that her eczema returned with a vengeance.

Her skin changed from being dry and red to having mild reddish patches. “burning red” and spreading down her arms, legs and face – which she describes as turning “red like a tomato”.

“It was the worst flare-up of my life,”Brittany, an officer of supply, said.

“My skin turned red hot – it felt like I was on fire, despite having a bone-deep chill inside.

“I would shake constantly, had trouble with my vision and water felt like acid on my skin.

“Then the flaking started and my skin was coming off in piles.

“It hurt to move, and I started to get oozing skin and thin cuts that felt like paper cuts around my eyes and lips, which made it hard to eat.

“I was barely sleeping four hours a night because of the itch and needing to scratch – it was unbearable.”

Brittany became concerned and started to search Instagram for other steroid cream users who were suffering similar side effects.

The condition involves severe symptoms experienced by long-term users of steroid creams after they stop using them – including dry, red and flaky skin which can be extremely painful.

Brittany decided to go through the uncomfortable process – hoping her skin would eventually heal and not be reliant on the steroids.

She knew that her skin would get worse before it got better but nothing could have prepared for the pain and suffering she was about to endure.

During this time, Brittany’s self-esteem took a huge dip – but she had plenty of support from her family and her partner Sam, who she had met just two months before her eczema returned.

STEROID CREAM – WITHDRAWAL

She said: “It was a struggle to look at myself in the mirror. It was hard to feel beautiful. My partner, however, was supportive and said that I looked beautiful regardless.

“I knew that it would get worse before it got better.

“I needed a lot of support and moved back in with my parents to help support me – some days I needed assistance getting in and out of bed, the bath, my clothes, to eat.

“I wanted it to be over in a few months and I was hopeful I’d heal quickly, but when month three then month six rolled around I knew it would be longer.”

Brittany claims that she was not warned about the potential dangers of the steroid cream, even though she was informed by the TSW community online.

She said: “I was unaware of the side effects of steroids other than thinning skin and to reduce sun exposure to minimize any impacts of the steroid creams.

“It took me a year for my skin to heal from less than three months of using steroid cream.

“My skin would go through cycles of redness, flaking, oozing, scabbing – over and over, until the skin underneath finally started to heal.”

Finally, by July 2020, Brittany’s skin had calmed down and she was free of the painful condition.

She said: “I now have very mild eczema on my eyes and neck in the winter, but it doesn’t itch. My skin can be a little flaky but overall I hardly notice it and it doesn’t impact my daily life.

“Every other part of my body is clear, soft, smooth skin – something I wasn’t sure I would have again.”

Despite everything she’s been through, it has taught her a new respect for her body.

She said: “I am incredibly proud of my body, for all it has been through, healing and its resilience to support me through life. I learned a lot about body neutrality and how to not care what my body looks like.

“I hope for the day there is more research on TSW so there is less confusion, feeling alone and unsupported by the medical field.

“The people that go through this for years or with minimal support are true warriors. It is hard to describe the true pain it is to suffer this condition.

“But I am so grateful for the connection it has brought me with my body and with those around me.”

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