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<\/p>\nA woman has shared how her life was turned upside down after what looked like a small rash turned into unbearable full-body pain and says it’s down to Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), a condition she says is still misunderstood in the UK.<\/p>\n
Francesca Tebbutt, 33, from Clunderwen in Wales, first noticed some itchy red patches on her arm in early 2023.<\/p>\n
When the irritation didn\u2019t clear, she went to her GP, who prescribed a topical steroid cream, a standard treatment for common skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.<\/p>\n
Initially, the rash faded. But it soon came back, worse than before and spread even further. Over a year, she was prescribed increasingly strong steroid creams and each time, she was stuck in a cycle: a temporary fix followed by an even more aggressive flare-up.<\/p>\n
“I was trapped in this vicious cycle: steroid cream, temporary relief, then a flare worse than before,” she says.<\/p>\n
‘It felt like my face had been in a fire’<\/p>\n
After months of recurring skin problems, Francesca decided to stop using steroid creams in January 2024, hoping her skin might settle down. Instead, things got worse.<\/p>\n
She was hit by what she describes as intense burning, flaking, swelling and unbearable itching so much so that basic movements became impossible.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wrist and elbow swelled, and I couldn\u2019t fully straighten my arms,\u201d she says. “I couldn\u2019t wear sleeves, even in winter. I was so cold all the time.”<\/p>\n
At this point, she even went to A&E, where doctors still couldn’t detect a cause. “It was actually refreshing to hear a doctor say, \u2018I don\u2019t know what this is,\u2019 but then they prescribed even stronger steroids,” she says.<\/p>\n
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She says her skin became so painful, even clothes touching the skin would make it intolerable. (Francesca Tebbutt\/SWNS)<\/p>\n
Soon after using those creams, Francesca\u2019s symptoms escalated. Her face began to tighten and swell, and she could not move her lips or eat properly.<\/p>\n
“It felt like my face had been in a fire,” she says. “I couldn\u2019t even open my mouth wide enough to eat an apple. I couldn\u2019t move my lips.”<\/p>\n
She describes waking up each morning with her lips “crusted together”, saying, “It was painful just to yawn or to brush my teeth.”<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t even open my mouth wide enough to eat an apple. I couldn\u2019t move my lips.<\/p>\n
‘The itching was constant; I\u2019d be up at 3am’<\/p>\n
As her skin flared repeatedly, Francesca says daily life became a nightmare. “I couldn\u2019t use a pen for two months,” she says. “Driving home from work, I\u2019d be crying, unbearably scratching. My car was covered in skin flakes.”<\/p>\n
Some mornings, she says she would wake up and feel like she hadn\u2019t slept at all. “The itching was constant; I\u2019d be up at 3am, pacing around the house, just scratching.”<\/p>\n
Despite regular visits to doctors and dermatologists, she says no one mentioned the possibility of Topical Steroid Withdrawal<\/a> \u2013 a condition she only discovered after a year and a half of desperate Googling and scrolling to find anything similar to her symptoms.<\/p>\n “I just hid away, I was so embarrassed,” she says. “I couldn\u2019t believe no one had even mentioned TSW<\/a> as a possibility when I discovered it.”<\/p>\n A turning point<\/p>\n Francesca was eventually diagnosed with Topical Steroid Withdrawal by a private clinic. She began Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) therapy, a non-invasive treatment that helps reduce inflammation and rebuild the skin\u2019s barrier.<\/p>\n But with the therapy only available privately, she launched a GoFundMe<\/a> to help cover the cost of treatment and bandages and to start rebuilding her life.<\/p>\n “I was so nervous to put my story out there,” she says. “But I had hit rock bottom. I just knew I needed to try.”<\/p>\n The response was immediate. In just a few days, Francesca raised enough for her first few CAP therapy sessions and says she\u2019s already noticed improvements.<\/p>\n She says she hid away because she was so embarrassed about how her skin looked. (Francesca Tebbutt\/SWNS)<\/p>\n “People have been so generous, I\u2019m lost for words,” she says. “I\u2019m still bandaging myself every night, but things are starting to change.”<\/p>\n Now, she hopes her story can raise awareness for others stuck in the same steroid-use cycle with no answers.<\/p>\n “I had no idea this even existed,” she says. “But now people know what\u2019s happening \u2013 and I\u2019m not hiding anymore.”<\/p>\n She says one of the hardest parts is that TSW still isn\u2019t widely recognised. “I\u2019ve spoken to many doctors who had never heard of it. I just want people to be informed, to know what this might be before it gets so bad.”<\/p>\n Francesca still has difficult days but is determined to keep speaking up. “In this hell I’ve been living, the support has been a light for me.”<\/p>\n Eventually, she discovered Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), which she says changed her life. (Francesca Tebbutt\/SWNS)<\/p>\n What is Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW)?<\/p>\n Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), sometimes called Red Skin syndrome (RSS), is a condition that can develop after using strong steroid creams for a long time, especially over large areas of the body or on a daily basis.<\/p>\n The National Eczema Society says people going through TSW<\/a> may notice symptoms like:<\/p>\n It can feel incredibly painful and make even simple tasks difficult.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/c0dade51-5c00-11f0-ae36-6cd7b1471d87.jpeg\"\/)
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