Post by @chlotats

This is something I’ve been wanting to chat about for a while, because I see a LOT of confusion and misinformation online around stopping topical steroids and TSW. Stopping topical steroids does not automatically mean you’re going to go through Topical Steroid Withdrawal. And equally, experiencing a flare when you stop using them doesn’t automatically mean that flare is TSW. I think this distinction is SO important. As someone who has actually been through TSW, for me it was completely different to the eczema I’d experienced my entire life. It wasn’t just that my skin got worse. The burning, shedding, oozing, swelling, inability to regulate my temperature, insomnia… my whole body felt different. But there’s still so much we don’t understand. We need more research to understand who may be at risk, why some people develop TSW and others don’t, and how we can more confidently distinguish it from eczema or a rebound flare. Talking about this isn’t about dismissing TSW - quite the opposite. I think accurate information and informed conversations are incredibly important, both for those considering using topical steroids AND those considering stopping them. Not every flare is TSW. Not everyone who stops topical steroids will experience TSW. And we need to be able to talk about both of those things while continuing to advocate for better research and understanding 🤝 *Information for the symptoms discussed in this video was referenced from the Scratch That TSW FAQs, alongside my own lived experience of TSW. Photos are my own* #TopicalSteroidWithdrawal #TSW #Eczema #EczemaAwareness #TopicalSteroids