Callum Hobson, 25, said he developed a condition after using steroid cream prescribed for blemishes on his arms and claims he wasn’t warned it shouldn’t be for more than five days
06:30, 18 Mar 2026Updated 21:44, 22 Mar 2026
Callum Hobson said he developed a condition after he stopped using a cream(Image: SWNS)
A young father was left “screaming in agony” and “lost three years” of his life after enduring a severe reaction when he stopped using a steroid cream.
Callum Hobson, 25, said his inflamed skin oozed and peeled during his battle with Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), also known as Red Skin Syndrome (RSS). Callum from Hull, East Yorkshire, said his condition worsened to the extent where he missed the birth of his baby daughter, Maddy, in April last year. The dad said he was unable to hold his baby girl for six months, which he described as “heart-breaking”.
The dad said: “My life fell to bits, I couldn’t get out of bed never mind walk. It was so preventable which is the thing that hurts the most. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
Callum says he has spent £10,000 on treatment(Image: SWNS)
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He was prescribed steroid cream in December 2022 to help treat blemishes on his arms caused by fibreglass insulation, whilst he was working as an electrician. Callum applied the cream for a year, and claimed he was unaware it shouldn’t be used beyond five days.
He alleged that he wasn’t warned by doctors about the complications of overuse, reports the Express. When he stopped using the steroid cream in November 2023, oozing sores emerged all over his body. Callum said he has spent £10,000 on treatments so far and is currently fundraising for £5,000 so he can “get over the finish line”.
Callum said: “I was so ill and my skin was so bad I couldn’t open my mouth without severe pain. At my worst I was only eating every couple of days, and because of it I dropped six stone in weight from 11 stone to seven stone.” Callum is sharing his experience to raise awareness and prevent others from finding themselves in a similar predicament.
Callum Hobson was left screaming in agony by Red Skin Syndrome(Image: SWNS)
He recalled that prior to TSW, his skin was “nice and smooth”, and he didn’t struggle with acne during his teenage years. However, in 2022, he began to develop itchy, eczema -like rashes on the insides of his arms, prompting him to seek medical help.
Doctors prescribed a steroid cream to control the rashes but Callum claimed he remembers a GP advising him to use the cream “as and when” necessary to relieve the itching and discomfort. The 25-year-old said he applied the cream “every other week” to the rashes on his arms and face.
Callum missed the birth of his baby daughter because of the pain he was in(Image: SWNS)
He also claimed that whenever he ran out of cream or if it stopped working, he would contact the doctors who would either re-prescribe the same cream or provide one with a higher dosage. Callum stated: “It all came out of the blue, my skin was reacting to the fibreglass. The cream would work for a week causing the blemish to go away and before I knew it a week later it was back.
“The doctors were just happy to prescribe me more and more, this went on for a year. At the time, I had no idea of the consequences of long-term use, but the doctors must have, yet they never pulled me in for a review or consultation to change the treatment.” In November 2023, Callum’s partner Olivia Tweddell, 25, was pursuing a Biomedical Science degree at Hull University when the dangers of extended steroid cream usage came up during a lecture.
Callum used the cream for a year, not realising it wasn’t meant to be used more than five days(Image: SWNS)
Callum stopped using the cream without much concern, but just a month later he said his skin went into “melt down”. His face, chest, arms, and legs became covered in itchy, painful, flaky and weeping lesions. Olivia rushed him to hospital in February 2024 fearing sepsis after his leg turned a “strange purple colour”.
He remained at Hull Royal Infirmary for a week where medics administered oral steroids, antibiotics, and immunosuppressants to settle his skin. Callum was sent home with fresh treatments, but he said none proved effective, resulting in his skin flaring up once more.
Callum said his health drastically declined and was forced to quit his electrician job in October, and subsequently became confined to bed for the following six months. The father explained: “Missing my daughter’s birth was tough. I had to keep coming and going from the hospital to wipe cream off of my skin, wash it, get dressed and head back.
Callum remembers a GP advising him to use the cream ‘as and when'(Image: SWNS)
“On one of those occasions Maddy was born. I have missed events due to my skin, but this was by far the biggest. Then not being able to hold her because of how painful it would have been, it was just heart-breaking.” He added that his partner had to wash and feed him, while looking after their baby.
Callum started an Instagram page to raise awareness of the issue. He has undergone cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) therapy to treat his skin. According to the NHS, CAP is a non-invasive treatment that works by reducing inflammation, killing bacteria, healing wounds and improving the skin barrier. Callum receives his treatment – which lasts 35 to 45 minutes – privately at a cost of £500 per session.
He has already had 20 sessions, totalling £10,000. The father said he is currently 80% healed, but needs further therapy on his hands and face, which he said are “struggling” the most. He is currently crowdfunding to raise an additional £5,000 with hopes to get 10 more sessions which he said should “push him over the finish line”. To donate visit the GoFundMe page here.