A mum revealed she has to vacuum her bed every morning as her skin sheds 'like a snake' in her sleep. Nicky Higgs, 54, believes her skin has become “addicted to steroid creams” and decided to stop using them altogether after 44 years of relying on them.
The secondary school teacher was first prescribed corticosteroid creams when she was around 10 for “small patches of eczema” on her elbows, knees and hands. But she went cold turkey in January 2021, because if she stopped and started her symptoms flared up uncontrollably.
She began to suspect the creams were no longer working for her and she would feel unwell when not using them. She then read up on topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) and was alarmed to see reported symptoms including everything from burning, weeping and peeling skin to insomnia, fatigue and depression.
