a day ago
I thought I found the answer to my chronic eczema but the 'cure' from doctors gave me an even worse condition
A woman struggling with eczema has lashed out at the doctors who prescribed her strong medications that left her with a worse condition.
Lucy McDermott, a 32-year-old dance teacher, has been in a 'constant battle' with her skin due to chronic eczema flare ups.
'Even as a baby, my skin was red, inflamed, and itchy,' she said.
'By the time I reached primary school, it seemed to settle, and we thought I was growing out of it. But during university, it came roaring back.
'I was studying dance full time which was an incredibly high-pressured time, and my eczema started to flare again. First in the usual places, like the inside of my elbows, but it kept getting worse.'
While eczema is a physical condition, it can take an emotional toll on patients.
Eczema is among Australia's top 10 chronic health conditions affecting 2.8million people, including one in three children under six.
Adult sufferers are three times more likely to experience depression with one in five reporting they have contemplated suicide.
So, when Ms McDermott was offered a solution to her problems, she jumped at it.
What she didn't know at the time was the 'cure' would leave her with an even more debilitating condition - topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).
'My doctor gave me steroid cream and at first, they worked. But what no one told me, what I wish someone had screamed from the rooftops, was how dangerous long-term use could be,' Ms McDermott said.
'Every time I stopped using it, the eczema came back worse, more painful and more debilitating than ever. No one explained you need to wean off steroids slowly.
'My skin would clear, then flare even worse when I stopped.'
Ms McDermott described topical steroid use as an 'endless cycle' that continued for several years until she was prescribed oral steroids.
'I lived on them for most of my twenties,' she said.
'At my worst, I couldn't leave the house without relying on strong medication. I was in my 20s - the years you're meant to be enjoying life. Instead, I was trapped by my skin.'
During that time, Ms McDermott was 'hospitalised multiple times, smothered in steroid creams and wrapped in wet bandages like a mummy'.
'Then one night, everything changed. I stumbled across a woman on Instagram whose skin looked just like mine - same red, inflamed skin, same desperation in her eyes,' she said.
'She'd tagged something called Topical Steroid Withdrawal.
'That night I went deep into research mode and followed the hashtag #TopicalSteroidWithdrawal.
'Every symptom, every picture, every experience – it was like reading my own story.'
Ms McDermott decided to take advantage of the lockdowns during Covid and hid at home as she completely stopped using all her steroid medications.
'The first six months were absolute hell. I was bedridden, covered in raw, weeping skin,' she said.
'The photos from that time are hard to look at.
'I knew if I could just hang on, things would eventually get better as I'd seen others come out the other side stronger.'
The one product Ms McDermott continues to use is MooGoo Full Cream Intensive Daily Moisturiser.
'It's the only thing I can tolerate and doesn't sting. It doesn't make things worse,' she said.
'It's the most gentle and effective moisturiser I've found - trust me, I've tried everything.'
Melody Livingstone, CEO of MooGoo, said more of her customers are becoming aware of TSW.
'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 report TSW recovery can be a challenging journey, marked by intense itching, burning, and skin that feels raw and sensitive.
'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.'
A recent report shows 88.4 per cent of dermatologists agree TSW needs urgent study including Dr Adriene Lee, President of the Australasian College of Dermatologists.
'Looking back, I feel like I lost a decade of my life. My 20s were spent surviving, not living. I relied on medication just to function,' Ms McDermott said.
'None of the doctors I saw warned me about the long-term risks of steroid use. I wasn't told to wean off. I wasn't told what could happen.
'It took over a decade before anyone even hinted that I shouldn't be on them long-term.'
Ms McDermott called for dermatologists to begin researching the causes, effects and treatment of TSW as soon as possible.
'We need research and accountability on topical steroid withdrawal and we need to stop handing out steroid creams like they're no big deal,' she said.
'Because for me, and so many others, they were life-changing - and not in a good way.'
