Sami Jaynewas diagnosed with eczema as a baby, at the age of just 10 months old.
Her skin has been “up and down,” her whole life.
According to her, that’s when things went wrong.
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She was seeing raised red lumps on her face, which seemed like hives at first.
Her doctor recommended Eumovate, another topical steroid.
There is no bonafide cure for the condition, but there are a number of treatments.
TSW can occur when people have developeda dependency on topical steroidsand decrease or stop usage.
Doctors typically like to wean people off of oral and topical steroids slowly to avoid flare-ups.
Sedi Khumalo, who is in her 20s and based in Manchester, England, currently lives with TSW.
These flares usually seemed like the result of seasonal changes, she explains.
“The potency of my prescriptions became stronger and stronger over the years,” Khumalo says.
During her withdrawals, she noticed that her eczema and keratosis pilaris would act up.
“My nipples [would stick to] my bra,” she adds.
“I was experiencing insomnia, hair loss, depression, and chills,” she says.
Dr. King confirms that some common TSW symptoms include red, burning skin, rosacea, or perioral dermatitis.
Severe itchiness, burning, redness, and peeling can also occur, says Dr. Engelman.
Jayne cites similar symptoms of TSW.
I have also suffered a lot from edema, especially in my face and around my eyes."
But that point is moot for anyone who is already actively experiencing TSW.
Dr. King suggests using cold compresses and moisturizing skin periodically for relief.
Dr. Engelman notes that the recovery period for TSW can take well over three months.
Khumalo says that she has found relief from TSW in cryotherapy.
They also focus on limiting their intake of inflammatory foods.
Unfortunately, Dr. King cannot recommend any of these treatments as a miracle cure.
At times the mental aspects of TSW are harder to deal with than the physical ones.
I have had to quit client-facing jobs and drop out of university, Khumalo says.
I avoided seeing anyone for a long time because I was ashamed of how I looked."
Jayne adds that meditation and positive affirmations have also helped her get through the worst of TSW.
