A man with severe eczema said his condition is so bad that water feels like acid burning his skin.
Connor Simpson, 23, said his eczema is ruining his life and has often left him bedridden over the past 18 months.
His skin is often cracked, bleeding and extremely itchy causing him to feel permanently burnt.
Constant shedding and difficulty getting out of bed has led to a breakdown in his relationship with his mum, who had to clean his skin off the furniture and the floors at her home.
"It's like having open wounds all over my body. It's like a burning sensation," he told My London.
"Washing myself is so difficult because the water burns my skin. It feels like acid on my skin.
"I don't really do much other than stay at home because even just a gust of wind can make me really itchy.
"If I sleep for three hours, I consider that to be a good night's sleep."
Connor, from Elephant and Castle, south London, explained how he cannot simply leave his house because of his constant need to rub his body with cream.
"At its worst, my skin would smell. It smelt like something was dying on me," he added.
Last year, Connor ditched the steroid skin cream he was prescribed for his eczema, which he has had since he was born.
He believes the cream has thinned his skin over time because and claims doctors did not tell him how strong it was.
Now opting not to use the cream, his skin has flared up, a condition known as Topical Steroid Withdrawal.
He also opened up about how his skin has affected his ability to work and fully take part in society.
Connor used to work at a gym and later studied carpentry at college, but he dropped out because the chemicals and dust made his skin worse.
While he tries to remain productive at home, he is struggling and not eligible for disability allowance, surviving on £70 weekly Universal Credit payments which he uses to rent a small studio flat.
He recently moved out of his mum's house because his shedding skin drove a wedge between them.
"It has really affected my relationships with my family. We have had so many disagreements," he said.
"It's pretty much ruined my relationship with my mum. She doesn't understand it. She tells me to stop doing nothing and get a job but I'm just in a lot of pain."
Connor is trying to remain positive and insists he is using his time productively so that he can "make up for lost time".
He wants to compete professionally in martial arts, which he was previously doing to a high level before being forced to give up due to his itchy skin.
He has also been researching how changing his diet might improve his skin, something he wishes doctors had mentioned to him sooner.
"I stopped using the steroid cream about two years ago but every time I stopped, it would get 10 times worse," he said.
"It was like my skin became addicted to the cream. Doctors never told me how powerful the creams are, so maybe I was using too much of it, I don't know.
"But I feel that the lifestyle changes that people with eczema can make should be emphasised, before we load up on steroids.
"I'm now trying to detox my skin by only using a moisturiser and avoid processed food."
The National Eczema Society said Topical Steroid Withdrawal is a complex condition and called for more research to be done, as it is not well understood.
As with changes to medications, it advised speaking to your doctor before stopping steroid creams.
Dr Mark Hudson-Peacock, a consultant dermatologist, said the condition should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
"I always urge those with eczema to moisturise significantly before applying steroids at least half an hour beforehand. And to apply steroids to affected, symptomatic areas," he said previously.
"And then as it comes under control, you can reduce how often you put it on, or step down to a weaker cream."
Conor is also fundraising for private treatment in a bid to access further advice about his painful skin.
