Eczema sufferers call for alternative treatments to topical steroids as young woman details withdrawal hell

Eczema sufferers are calling for more research into treatments for the painful skin condition, raising the alarm about the long-term use of steroid creams. Most common in children and adolescents, eczema advocates have in recent years increased calls for a national strategy to deal with the condition, which according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics affects 1.6 per cent of all Australians. Eczema Support Australia claims that puts it in the top 10 chronic conditions, affecting 2.8 million people. The condition not only impacts people’s skin, but adult sufferers are three times more likely to experience depression and one in five report they’ve contemplated suicide. Once the mainstay of eczema treatment, steroid creams can lead to a severe and often debilitating condition called topical steroid withdrawal for some people. For Tyrah Spencer, who was born with eczema, her skin flared up in 2020 when her body suddenly stopped responding to the steroid creams she had depended on for most of her life. The 24-year-old said it felt like there was “no light at the end of the tunnel” when her skin worsened. “Over time, I kept being prescribed stronger steroids. I would have to do these horrible wet wraps where you would put steroid creams on, then put a layer of Dermeze on and then cover myself like a mummy, head to toe in hot bandages,” she said. “It was eight months of pure hell every single day. My skin would shed top to bottom, I would wake up and my eyes were almost completely closed because they were that swollen. “I’m a very confident, extroverted person but I completely lost sense of who I was during that experience.” The only relief came when her dermatologist prescribed Cyclosporin, a short-term immunosuppressant, and later Dupixent, an injectable biologic medication. She now takes the medication Rinvoq to calm her eczema. Ms Spencer said she was happy to take medications to ease her symptoms but called for dermatologists and doctors to take a more holistic approach to healing the painful condition. “My experience wasn’t acknowledged. It was just like this medicine is not working let’s give you another one and really not addressing the root cause,” she said. “I would love my dermatologist to take a more holistic approach to my well-being. “If I’m going to be a regular customer I want to know how to heal rather than just put a bandaid over it.” Melody Livingstone, Australian skin care brand MooGoo chief executive, said topical steroid withdrawal was increasingly being discussed among her customers. “Sufferers say symptoms include redness, itching, flaking and dryness that just won’t seem to go away, even when using the topical steroids,” she said. “They tell us it can be frustrating, debilitating and disheartening for those experiencing it, as the symptoms can sometimes be even worse than the eczema itself.” Calls for more doctors to be aware of topical steroid withdrawal comes off the back of a recent report revealing more than 88 per cent of UK dermatologists agree withdrawal needs urgent study. But Australian dermatology and doctors groups have urged that topical steroid withdrawal was a very rare reaction and patients suffering from eczema should not be scared to try topical steroids. Dermatologist and Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists Li Chuen Wong said topical steroids were still an effective mainstay treatment for most people with eczema. “Steroid creams are safe and effective when used until the eczema has resolved, and re-started when there is a flare,” she said. “If however your condition is severe and not improving with just topical treatments, discuss this with your dermatologist as there are a range of treatments available that are customised to the patient.” Lifeline: 13 11 14