When a condition impacts every part of your life, it’s easy to lose yourself in it.
Topical Steroid Withdrawal tore through everything in my life - my body, my confidence, my career, and my relationships.
But this isn’t just about skin, it’s about losing yourself and slowly learning how to come back.
Not everyone will turn their pain into purpose, and that’s okay.
But I will, and this is how I’ve started to take my power back - piece by piece, flare by flare 🫶
Sending love, strength and hope to anyone who needs it ✨ #tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #skinjourney #HealingJourney
2024 has been one of the hardest years of my life.
Living with Topical Steroid Withdrawal has been an all-consuming battle - physically, emotionally, and mentally. The pain, sleepless nights, and isolation were overwhelming, and it felt like my life was on hold. Everything revolved around managing my skin, and I had to let go of the plans and dreams I’d envisioned for myself including leaving Dubai.
But through the struggle, my perspective has completely shifted.
TSW has forced me to slow down, to listen to my body, and to find strength in vulnerability. It has taught me to appreciate small victories and to trust the unpredictable process of healing. It has also connected me with all of you and many people who understand this journey, reminding me that I am never alone.
Now, as the year comes to an end, I feel grateful - not for the pain, but for the lessons I’ve learnt. This year has reshaped me in ways I never expected, and it’s given me hope for what’s to come. Because if you can hold on to hope, you can believe in healing - and that belief is everything.
Sending love to all ❤️ thank you to everyone for all your support this year, I truly cannot express how much it means to me. Here’s to 2025 ✨
#tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #eczema #skincondition #skinconfidence #healing #dryskin #dupixent #grateful #2024
This is Topical Steroid Withdrawal 💔
A condition we were never warned about. A condition that destroys lives.
We were prescribed steroids for our skin conditions - in my case eczema - told they were safe, told they were our only option. But when the creams stop working, when our skin burns, oozes, flakes, and tears apart, we’re told it’s “just eczema.”
TSW is not rare - it’s just not recorded. Many doctors dismiss us. Many medical professionals gaslight us. We are sent home with more steroids and more excuses.
We lose jobs. We lose dreams. We lose years of our lives waiting for our bodies to heal. Some of us lose hope. Some of us don’t make it.
But we will be heard, and on TSW Awareness Day 2025, I want to say a few things:
To those suffering - you are NOT alone. To those in power - open your eyes. To the doctors who refuse to listen - do better.
We will not be ignored. We will keep fighting. Because TSW is real. And together, we will make a change. For more information & support on TSW, please visit @itsan.nonprofit ❤️
#TSWAwarenessDay #EndTSW #ListenToPatients #TopicalSteroidWithdrawal #Eczema #SteroidInducedEczema #TSW #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #iatrogeniccondition #skin #preventable
I remember taking this picture.
I felt so deflated because of my skin.
Just tired. Tired of everything that comes with living with skin that never really gives you a break.
“You’re so strong.”
People say it to me all the time.
And I know it comes from a good place…
but the truth is, I don’t really feel strong.
I feel like I adapted.
Because when you live with a skin condition or go through TSW, strength isn’t really a choice. You wake up every day and deal with it because you have to. Because this is your life.
People see strength.
They don’t always see the mental toll behind it.
The anxiety.
The isolation.
The exhaustion.
The overstimulation of being uncomfortable in your own skin every single day.
The pressure to keep functioning normally when mentally you’re struggling.
And with it being Mental Health Awareness Week, I think it’s important to say this:
You do not always have to be strong.
You are allowed to admit when things feel heavy.
You are allowed to ask for help.
You are allowed to struggle.
But please don’t suffer alone.
Living with chronic skin conditions can impact mental health so deeply, and so many people suffer quietly because they think they should just “deal with it.”
Talk to someone you trust.
Reach out to a friend.
Speak to a professional.
Lean on community.
There is strength in asking for support too 🤍
And if nobody has asked you recently:
How are you really doing?
Sending love to all those who need it today and always ❤️ #mentalhealthawarenessweek #mentalhealth #tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #skin
ad The life of a flarey girly = trying and testing about a million products for your skin 🥲😅
There’s no feeling like finding a product that genuinely works for you though - and I’ve been LOVING @moogooskincareuk ’s Pink Eczema Cream and MSM Moisturiser recently 😍 both of them are super soothing, hydrating, and kind on my skin - what more could I want!!!
What makes MooGoo even more amazing is that they are HUGE advocates for the Topical Steroid Withdrawal and wider skin condition community, and if you know me, you’ll know how important this is 💙
If you fancy giving them a go, you can use CHLOET20 at the checkout for 20% off ✨
*this is an ad, but I’d never share anything my skin didn’t actually get along with… trust me, it would humble me VERY quickly😆🤭*
#TSW #TopicalSteroidWithdrawal #MooGooSkincare #Eczema #SkinFlare
Okay be honest, does anyone else feel like this or is it just me? 🥲
Whenever there’s an event or occasion coming up, I want to be excited SO bad.
But instead my brain goes straight to:
“what if my skin flares?”
And then it’s like I can’t fully relax into the excitement because I’m already thinking about the heat, my makeup, how my skin’s going to look in photos… everything 😭
Sometimes it feels like everyone else can just enjoy things and I’m here doing risk assessments in my head, and it’s sooo draining I swear.
It’s not that I’m not excited… I am.
It just feels a bit muted sometimes because I’m always in “just in case” and “what if” mode.
And I don’t know… there’s something a bit sad about wishing you could just get ready and feel carefree like it seems everyone else does. That literally used to be me pre-TSW and I think that makes it even harder for me. 💔
I’m trying to tell myself it doesn’t have to be all or nothing though. I know I don’t need to feel 100% confident, just comfortable enough to enjoy parts of it.
Anyway… if you get this, please tell me I’m not the only one 🫠❤️ #tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #eczema #skin #flareup
This is what my skin looked like on a night out on holiday last week…
I’m not even joking when I say if old me saw this, she would’ve had a full meltdown. Like fully cancelled the plans, stayed in, overthought everything kinda meltdown.
She 100% would’ve been like, “how are you actually going out when your face is flaring like that?!”
And it got me thinking, because it’s something you lot ask me quite regularly: how do I actually manage to go out while my skin is flaring?
Well, honestly? Sometimes I really don’t want to.
There are still moments where I’m getting ready and thinking “I can’t do this tonight.” Where I feel uncomfortable, self-conscious, and just not like myself at all.
But then I kind of have a word with myself…
I remind myself that everyone else is way too busy thinking about how they look to be analysing me the way I think they are.
I remind myself that if I keep waiting for my skin to calm down before I live my life… I could be waiting forever.
And I remind myself that I deserve to go out, have fun, make memories - even if I don’t feel 100% confident.
So I went.
And yeah, I didn’t feel amazing the whole time… but I laughed, I made memories, and I didn’t let my skin take that away from me.
It’s not about suddenly loving how it looks - it’s just me learning to accept where I’m at and not put my life on hold because of it.
So if you’re sat there debating cancelling plans because your skin’s flaring… this is me, as your flarey friend, telling you to still go 🤍 and as Queen @oliviadeano says: ‘baby steps’ 🥰✨ #tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #skinflare #skin #eczema
This is the face of someone who feels let down by her own body.
My skin has started to flare less than 48hours into my holiday, and I won’t lie… it’s really knocked me. 💔
There’s something so disheartening about finally getting away, wanting to feel free, confident, present - and then your own body feels like it’s working against you.
I had to take some time out because of it. Just an hour or so to sit with it, feel it properly, and be honest with myself about how much it affects me. Because it does affect me as much as I do put on a brave face.
It impacts how I show up, how I feel in my clothes, how much I want to be seen. And pretending it doesn’t would be a lie.
Sometimes I feel like my skin dictates my experiences in life these days. Even in the most beautiful places, there’s this quiet overshadowing in the background and sometimes, I feel guilty about it to be honest.
But I have to remind myself this: I’m allowed to have those down moments. I’m allowed to feel let down. And I’m also allowed to pick myself back up, get ready, and still try to enjoy what I can.
Healing isn’t linear. Confidence isn’t constant. And being “strong” doesn’t mean not feeling it and putting on a brave face all the time - it means feeling it and still stepping back out into the world anyway.
If you’re going through something similar, just know you’re not alone in that feeling ❤️🩹 #tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #faceflare #skin #dupixentface
Cardiff: we LOVED yesterday 🥹🤍
There’s something so powerful about being in a room where no one has to explain themselves. Where “how’s your skin?” isn’t a loaded question, where sleeves, stares, flares, and healing are all understood without a word.
Some of you walked in alone. Some of you came with someone by your side. Some of you are in the depths of TSW, some of you are finding your way out of it, and some of you are there purely to support someone you love… but for a few hours, none of that mattered. Because we were all just people, connecting, laughing, opening up - and leaving with a little more light than we came in with.
That’s what TSW Together is all about.
Thank you to every single person who showed up, shared space, and made it what it was. You were all incredible.
And a huge thank you once again to @balmonds_skincare for sponsoring this event and allowing us to keep these meet-ups accessible - so anyone who needs this kind of space can be in the room. 💚✨
If you want to be the first to hear about where’s next, join our mailing list via the link in our bio 💌
👀 now tell us… where should we bring TSW Together next? 👇#tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #tswtogether #community #strongertogether
One of the hardest things about living with a condition that affects your skin is grieving the things other people get to do without even thinking.
Like exercise.
This was my face after a 15 minute incline walk.
Yes - you read that right. A WALK.
Not even an intense workout.
Just enough movement to trigger the heat, the redness, the soreness, the stinging.
And that’s the part people don’t always see.
For some of us, exercise isn’t just “good for you” - it can come with pain, discomfort, flares, and anxiety about what your skin is going to do next.
So when people say things like:
“just go to the gym”
“just get a workout in”
“you’ll feel better after”
…it’s not always that simple.
Sometimes moving your body feels empowering.
And sometimes it feels like your body turns against you for trying.
That’s such a hard thing to carry, especially when all you want is to feel normal and free in your own skin.
But I’m trying not to let this convince me to disconnect from my body completely.
I still want to move.
I still want to feel strong.
I still want to find a way of exercising that works with my skin, not against it.
And I will.
It might look different for me right now, and that’s okay. But I’m learning that movement doesn’t have to be perfect to still be meaningful. ❤️
Do you struggle with exercising too when it comes to your skin? Let me know in the comments how you cope with it - I’d love some tips! #skin #skincondition #exercise #hardskintruth #flareup
I always need a little time to gather my thoughts after days like yesterday, because the emotion can feel so overwhelming.
Not in a bad way - but in the kind of way where your heart feels heavy. Heavy with pride. Heavy with passion. Heavy with love for a community that continues to show up, stand tall, and fight for something bigger than themselves.
The TSW March in March 2026 was, once again, such a powerful reminder of the strength, resilience, and unity within this community.
A huge thank you to Nic @topicaldebate , Graham @graham.griffiths.399 , and Sean @seandillnutt_vs_tsw for the time, effort, care, and determination it takes to organise something like this and bring people together year after year. Plus everyone else behind the scenes doing their bit including @xeczema for the countdown! It does not go unnoticed.
But if I’m honest, there’s also a deep sadness that sits alongside that pride.
Because while it is incredible to see awareness growing, it is also heartbreaking that the crowds keep getting bigger.
More people are learning about TSW… because more people are living through it.
More people are speaking out… because more people have been failed.
And that’s the bittersweet reality of all of this.
Still, yesterday reminded me of something so important:
we are not alone.
Not in the pain.
Not in the anger.
Not in the grief.
And not in the fight.
I am so unbelievably proud of every single person who showed up, who shared their story, who held a sign, who stood there in their truth, and who continues to keep going through something so brutal and so misunderstood.
Please keep raising your voice.
Please keep telling the truth.
Please keep standing together.
Because one day, every single one of us will be heard.
I truly believe that with my whole heart ❤️✨ #tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #skin #tswmarch
Topical Steroid Withdrawal is horrific in ways that are hard to explain unless you’ve lived it.
It’s not just the physical pain - the burning skin, the sleepless nights, the feeling of being trapped in a body that doesn’t feel like your own.
It’s the emotional weight too. The uncertainty. The fear that it might never end.
There have been moments where I’ve grieved the life I had before TSW.
I miss the simplicity of living in a body that felt predictable. Waking up and not thinking about my skin, my pain, or how I’m going to get through the day. When you’re deep in TSW, time feels strange. Days can feel endless and the future can feel impossible to imagine.
At my lowest points, I genuinely believed my life and my skin was going to be like that forever.
But something else has slowly grown alongside this journey - a deeper appreciation for the moments where my body does feel okay.
A full night’s sleep. Wearing clothes that don’t hurt your skin. Going outside without worrying how your body will react.
Things that once felt ordinary suddenly feel extraordinary.
In the strangest way, this experience has given me a completely different perspective on life. It’s made me want to make the most of the time and health I do have. To appreciate the good days. To say yes to experiences. To make memories with the people I love.
Because when you’ve lived through a time where simply existing feels like the hardest thing in the world, being able to truly live - even in the small moments - feels like the greatest gift.
TSW has taken a lot from me.
But it has also given me something I never expected: a much deeper appreciation for life itself. And for that, I’m grateful. ❤️💔
If you’re deep in it now and struggling, please hold onto that tiny bit of hope I know you have. I promise you that it gets better ✨🫂 #tsw #topicalsteroidwithdrawal #skin #skinconfidence #life
