A TikToker puzzled over a nasty weeping eczema scab says people on the app 'saved' her after bungling medics prescribed her steroid cream
Josie North had lived her whole with the skin condition without major issues, but her suffering was ramped up after a dermatologist prescribed her hydrocortisone cream following a flare up in 2021.
The cream, which the 25-year-old was told to initially apply twice a day for two weeks, caused Josie's condition to gain "a life of its own" spreading across her body.
Concerned she was experiencing TSW (Topical Steroid Withdrawal), Josie, from Shropshire, shared her fears with the doctor who told her ‘TSW doesn’t exist’.
Instead, Josie turned to the video sharing platform where she begged others out there facing similar struggles for help.
Steroid withdrawal can cause adverse reactions when tapering the medication off - as Josie was advised to do - causing symptoms like intense redness and oozing open sores.
“The eczema spread all over my body to places I’d never seen eczema on before,” she said.
“I went back to the dermatologist, explaining the situation and he told me it was normal for eczema to be temperamental like that and reassured me that with stronger steroids for my body, I would be sorted out.
“I aired my fears of developing TSW as I’d seen it on TikTok. He said ‘it doesn’t exist’.”
Josie was continually treated with steroids even though her ‘eczema’ was worsening and says she spent all her savings trying to make the pain stop.
When a white weeping scab appeared on her face, she was devastated.
“It started slowly, my hair touched my face, I can't have my hair down because I got allergic to it, from my hair touching my face it went red and hivey to start with,” she said.
“People would look at my face, probably thinking 'what's wrong with her'.
“So mentally, this was hard to deal with, but regardless, I pushed myself to go out and face the world.”
Josie said her condition became so painful it felt like "rubbing glass into my skin", and after multiple A&E trips she ditched the steroids and turned to social media last summer as a final resort.
“I created a video where I put pictures of my skin and explained what I had been going through, begging for someone to help me and tell me what my condition was," she said.
“The response was overwhelming and the amount of people that wrote TSW was crazy.
"Even then I kind of dismissed these comments until I really looked into people suffering with TSW and realised it was like looking in the mirror.
“These people were the same as me. After one-and-a-half years I’d found what I’d been looking for, all thanks to TikTok and the amazing people on it.
“Since then I’ve been working on healing, looking into different methods that have helped people heal from TSW in the past, but most importantly, staying positive and excited about my future, now I have the knowledge it will come to an end.
“In terms of treatment, there is no treatment as such, however I’m currently using Dead Sea salts to wash my face on a daily basis and it’s really shocked me how much it’s cleared my skin. I’ve never seen my skin so glowing.”
“I definitely haven’t healed yet, and if it’s to be anything similar to the rest of my journey, healing will not be linear."
Josie said anybody going through TSW should "try washing their face with Dead Sea salts and warm water daily" which she claims helped her "immensely".
“Going forward I would like to use my TSW experience and turn it into something positive.
“I'd like to use my TikTok page to provide strength and encouragement to other people going through the same condition as me.
"I feel like trying to stay as positive as possible has been one of the main things that's helped me on my painful journey of TSW, so to be able to pass that mindset onto others would be amazing.”
