Treating Steroid Induced Rosacea

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#61009 Patricia on July 3, 2011 at 7:30 PM

It shall!!!

#61910 Patricia on July 22, 2011 at 7:15 PM

Hi all,
It is a month ago I thought I was free of steroid induced rosacea.
I have been noticing a little flaring on my other arm. This is the first time this arm has flared, but I remember that I, long ago, put on steroid cream on this arm too. My eyebrow has one pimple-like bump and also one on my chin.
So it is not completely gone yet, but I will keep you posted.
Healing wishes to all.

#62443 jazzman2222 on July 30, 2011 at 5:02 PM

hey guys. hi patricia

last week i couldnt stop itching my face. it was severely depressing me. my face would get extremely red, break out in horrible red bumps , and feel very hot. it was becoming a vicious cycle. wherever i rubbed my face there would be red bumps breaking out.

I was getting desperate, and the anxiety and depression was killing me. So i smoked some marijuana. the itching stopped! i couldn’t believe it. i know this is going to be controversial , but im just saying what worked for me. it also made me pretty happy, content.

i only used a tiny bit in a glass bowl. im not a recreational smoker or anything. im not smoking to get high. I have no desire to use it again either. All i can say is that i noticed it really stops my itch. and it hasn’t itched in 3 days now. i read online that psoriasis sufferers use it medicinally. so it might work for atopic dermatitis or whatever the heck this condition is. It makes no sense to me, why am i itching after almost 2 years. i am baffled.
i dont have psoriasis, my elbows and knees look and feel fine. My feet look great, hands, pretty much everything. except the face and scalp. I have red flaky eyebrows, red & oily nose, red forehead, red cheeks, and . Maybe this is psorasis of the face. i dont know

though marijuana has certain side effects for males which makes me nervous about using it. again, i dont plan on using it anymore if the itching stays away.
it beats anti-histamines

#62594 jazzman on August 2, 2011 at 6:04 PM

The itching has returned , and the thick waxy skin. And im rubbing again. but my face doesnt feel as bad as it use to when i rub vigorously. i have a fan on which helps. My beard area feels like its this dry greasy feeling to it, and moustache area. it can flake a bit too when i use the back of my hand.

as i was saying earlier in my post, there really isnt much one can do except stop rubbing. I was thinking off the top of my head, valium might help . I would use valium if i had some. Only occasionally so as not to form a habit. It can help you fall asleep so you can stop itching. Also its prescribed for anxiety. You need to give you’re skin a break to heal.

unfortunately i dont have any valium. i have some ginger, which is good for inflammation, and some cannabis. but thats about it. I’m dealing with atopic dermatitis, nasty business… it feels a lot worse than it looks. yes, i dont feel as free and confident with my skin , and im very aware of my face most of the time. but this comes with the territory.

The good news is , i have hope. I feel like i have reached the summit of the condition and now i am descending this mountain of pain. it is on the decline. Even after rubbing my face it is not as bad as it was months ago. Of course it burns and is itchy, but that is the atopic dermatitis. i really hope it goes away of course.

i just heard that kim kardashian has been diagnosed with psoriasis, and its all over her legs and stomach. yes , even beautiful people can be hit with these sorts of things. it is indiscriminate.

of course we all want to have perfect beautiful skin, and look our best. but we have to look deeper than skin. that is the only way to overcome the greatest fear, which is the fear of being rejected. We all want to be accepted deep down, and ugliness can be a reason to be rejected.
In this respect life is not fair, and some people are shallow due to ignorance and media’s obsession with beauty. Although i think actors who are not “conventionally beautiful” are usually more interesting personality wise.

But the good news is you can force people to smile by having a positive mood, to such an extent that they forget how your face looks.

I remember in college there was this priest in the catholic club on campus called the “newman club”. Anyways, his face was always red , and not just red. It looked like it was on fire and the texture wasnt smooth at all.
But he was always so happy and cheerful, i never really thought about it. so this gives me courage sure there will be people who are obsessed with skin. but most people like to see you smile at them and it feels good to them when you acknowledge them. its the effort that counts here.

#62603 Patricia on August 2, 2011 at 7:55 PM

Hi Jazzman,
It is true that cheerfulness can turn every looks issue into a non issue. Everybody wants to be near optimistic and cheerful people. People that has the power to overcome their vanities and fear of rejection, will always be attractive no matter what their skin looks like.

For some reason I have had some mild flaring as well, and it has been concentrated in the eyebrow region as well as cheek and chin. I do not let it bother me so much, but I would like to see it completely gone. The one thing I have learned is that it is not over till it’s over. And when that will be I am not yet sure. The good thing is that it’s a lot better.

I think your post is very positive and that this kind of thinking is going to help yourself as well as many others suffering from various skin conditions.

#62824 jazzman2222 on August 6, 2011 at 6:18 PM

as annoying as this problem is, its not as bad as a lot of other ones . for one thing, you dont have to visit a hospital. the worst year is the first, but afterwards it gets easier.

one thing i noticed, is that the symptoms in many ways mimic lupus. which is a lymph disorder. it might be the case that steroids on the face induce lupus-like symptoms. lupus has a characteristic rash that looks like a butterfly, it extends over nose and cheeks.

Also a high dose of steroids will force the thyroid to stop releasing cortisol. as the thyroid balances itself there will be issues as it balances itself. that is why people advise tapering down dosage.

#62828 Patricia on August 6, 2011 at 8:04 PM

I thought it was the adrenals that released cortisol, but never the less, cortisone is messing with the hormones and that affects all the rest of the systems. Why it takes so long to reach equilibrium, I do not know, but thats how poisonous cortisone really is.
I think the mental aspect of dealing with rough skin, and not exactly knowing what to expect or when it will be over, plus knowing that this was something that could have been avoided, had one been warned (no warning on the creams themselves), and the lonely feeling it creates, is the most challenging for all of us to overcome.
When one has been through the first worst part and has gotten more use to skin not looking perfect, life become a little easier.

#63015 jazzman on August 9, 2011 at 4:51 AM

im thinking steroids causes hypo-thyrodism while using it. then hyperthyroidism if you go cold turkey. Doctors caution their patients to taper steroids , do not go off suddenly.
I went through intense anxiety attacks and sweating during this past winter. really strange, and my skin flared bad simultaneously. someone posted similiar symptoms.
Is anxiety related to adrenal glands, oh from adrenaline. i heard that cortisol is related to anxiety.

My flares are not as severe. im still aware of my face. i have a few itchy spots, ugly red pustules. But the whole process of itch, burn, then heal , seems to be going much quicker.

the good news is its getting better. the bad news, its left a mess on my face and mental trauma. i have a crater on my face, that ive never seen before. yikes. but getting back to normal is more important. cant live in the shade , so to speak.

sorry, i must be sounding like a tape recorder. well i dont have much else to say. stay strong

#63119 Patricia on August 10, 2011 at 7:00 PM

Thats it, stay strong!

#63475 Jazzman on August 17, 2011 at 3:36 AM

i just wanted to comment on a few things. The areas of skin where i applied steroid cream, where it is pink reddish hue, is i believe accumulating skin that isnt shedding normally . It is accumulating faster than it can shed. that’s why it feels oily and waxy if i start rubbing on it, and it will start flaking as well. Now i don’t think im ready to start vigorously exfoliating or anything, because then my face becomes red and feels on fire (which can be caused by vascularisation, or blood vessel growth which another side effect of steroid cream). The end result of this accumulation of skin is that i feel like im wearing an external layer of skin, like a glove mitt feeling.

what is interesting is that skin shed normally is the same symptom as psoriasis (which is defined as skin growing and shedding too fast). dandruff on the other hand is caused by overactive sebum. i think both are going on, but it is not psorasis. it mimics it. also acne/dermatitis. but it seems more oily at this point thank flakey. like a dry oil feeling, clogged and shiny pores. im not doing much, letting the healing pass through my body. also im getting a bit of body acne, small red bumps. (not normal acne)

so its a triple whammy. thats why there are so many false diagnoses, and people who use steroid cream think they now have psoriasis/eczema as a chronic condition. It’s possible people do have eczema or psoriasis. eczema you would probably notice as a child, and psoriasis you would notice in your 20s or late 20s, on your elbows, knees.
However, i think many people have eczema induced by steroid cream. It starts with temporary dermatitis caused by allergies, toxic reaction to metal. but once you start using the steroid cream, you can create a vicious cycle.

under doctor supervision, one can taper it down. other people like myself have gone cold turkey. i dont know whats the best way to stop using steroid cream.

what i find bizaare is that i didnt use much of this cream, maybe 3-4 weeks in all. it seems strange its taking so long to correct itself

#63528 Leslie on August 18, 2011 at 2:23 AM

Jazzman,
one thing I have not had during all this is oily skin. My skin has been dry as a bone the whole time. I am not saying what you have, I just know that mine does not have oily skin as a symptom.

I wish some of my natural oils would return. I would think it was great. I hope your skin is showing improvement. It should be by now.

Leslie

#63630 jazzman2222 on August 20, 2011 at 9:04 AM

your face is dry? hmmmm. my nose and cheeks are oily. they are dry only when i take a shower. i mean if i take a napkin and blot my face, i can see oil. especially my nose. my cheeks look shiny. or my skin is naturally oily, dont know

my face feels hot during the day. then cools down during the night a bit. im getting these bad red bumps and reddish stuff. it looks like acne but no whitehead or anything.

i feel like this condition goes through many cycles, and gets worse before it gets better.
today was pretty bad.

this has ruined my life and my self esteem has plummetted. i was a shy guy to begin with. this makes it exponentially worse.

but theres not much i can do. one has to survive and just make the best of things. life is unfair. ever heard of murphy’s law? thats been my life story. but someone who is paralyzed and in a wheelchair will say my life aint bad. well , my face feels warm and a dull burning feeling all day. and people obviously notice my face being messed up.

one just has to enjoy the moment, and focus on the positive. even if we do heal, we might end up getting another disease or condition. this is no way to live, waiting for healing. you just have to live to the best you can, and accept your limitations.

also you can challenge the premise that life should go a certain way.

someone accused me of eating junk food, pizza. thats why my face looks like this. i feel dirty a bit, like i cant take care of myself.

#63641 Leslie on August 20, 2011 at 12:56 PM

Jazzman,
you should be seeing some improvement by now I think. My skin is better. I did get a wierd thing on my face this week, wierd bumps under my skin that then became like acne looking things but they itched and tingled. I thought it might be impetigo or shingles. Maybe that is what you get. I got them on my ears too. They seem to be getting better but they have left deep hole almost like scars on my face. This was by my chin and ears. Wierd. Not sure what it was but it almost looked like poisen ivy even though it wasnt. Also resembled infected acne or something like shingles.

I continue to use the Dove soap, bar soap for sensitive skin. I put a layer of vaseline petroleum jelly over top of my face neck hands and arms and wipe most of it off. If I have an infected spot I spray Bactin or put on Polysporin. I still feel like I look much older then I used to. I have more grey hair now too, stress probably. My skin is dry and lifeless and has no oil. But much better then it was a year ago. My hot sweat attacks seem mostly done, I have normal body temperature regulation now, thank God… I still have flares and outbreaks and my skin still flakes and peels not as bad. I still do not look ” normal” but better then I was..

Are you any better?
Leslie

#63680 Patricia on August 21, 2011 at 10:46 AM

Dear all,
I was at the dentist a month ago and because of some sensitivity to hot and cold on my teeth, the dentist told me to use Sensodyne tooth paste. Before that, I have not used any tooth paste with fluoride. A couple of weeks later my face started to flare, especially around my mouth and chin. I have heard that fluoride can cause dermatitis, so I immediately stopped using the Sensodyne. Now the flare has subsided.

#63739 jazzman2222 on August 22, 2011 at 8:25 AM

leslie, yes my heat flares seems to have abated. my face is getting a bit lighter. how did you know ? but still pink red and full of large pores , and some red bumps

the rest of my face is dry, around my beard area, but cheeks are oily and nose is like a dull red.

#63839 Jazzman on August 24, 2011 at 4:20 AM

my sister was recently diagnosed with lyme disease. now im worried. the lyme disease test as far as i know doesnt actually find evidence of the bacteria, it looks for the antibodies that are known to be produced in response to lyme disease. so you could actually be some other virus…

but now i want to have my blood checked. just to make sure that i didnt have lyme disease all this time. it would explain A LOT of symptoms

#63864 Leslie on August 24, 2011 at 11:53 AM

Jazzman,
Yes, get that checked. It can be serious.

Leslie

#65227 zsazoe on September 22, 2011 at 12:14 PM

I have been battling steriod rosacea for several years and have tried everything. Spent so much money on doctors, creams,prescriptions. Face was so dry ,itchy, rash, bumps. I have finally found something that is working for me. For the severe dryness I use Sugar and Olive Oil Scrub daily and my skin is finally getting moisture. I have such sensitive skin I have to watch anything I put on it. I had a really bad flare up and tried Gold Bond Ultimate healing Skin Therapy Cream on my face and the next mornng the rash was gone. I couldn’t believe it. All the expensive prescription creams did not work for me in the long run. I use the gold bond every day and finally my skin is feeling normal again. Its been 3 weeks now so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

#65245 Leslie on September 23, 2011 at 3:43 AM

Zsazoe, great news. Glad that that is helping you.
Leslie

#65795 zsazoe on September 30, 2011 at 11:33 AM

Thank You Leslie. It is so much better now. I have been fighting this battle as we all have forever.

#66191 Jazzman on October 5, 2011 at 11:59 PM

@zsazoe, you put on steroid cream on the face? I’m assuming we all did.

I’m falling into this painful cycle. The skin on my cheeks keep getting thick and red (feels like a glove is over it), then i start rubbing it. When I rub it, first it feels great and this waxy stuff falls right off. But then my face gets red and it burns. This has been repeating now for months. its very hard to resist rubbing because my face feels like theres a glove over it , and i can feel the dead skin thats just building up.

Im trying to stop myself from rubbing. i want to let the skin naturally exfoliate without me having to rub it away. normal skin just sheds without having to rub it down.

#66323 zsazoe on October 8, 2011 at 4:46 AM

Jazzman,

Yes I did prescribed by a doctor I had never been too and it worked. However I ended up with Steroid Roscea. As I stated used all kinds Pro-Topic, Eidel, etc.to try and control it. Nothing worked but this Gold Bond Ultimate Healing has been amazing for me. No more itching or bumps so far. My face would get tight and dry so I use the olive oil and sugar scrub when that occurs. I have very senstive skin also. You might want to try it. I understand its miserable.

#66415 jazzman on October 10, 2011 at 5:45 AM

its a cycle of misery. Now im in a new cycle, skin is tight and feels dry. I am burning from these red purple welts that look infected. its like acne from hell or something, dull painful burning . Its a breakout of dermatitis I believe., but strangely it makes the surrounding area less reddish.

but im used to the pain so its nothing new. I’m not freaking out. Heat seems to make it worse, makes the burning worse. But so does cold, it makes my skin dry out and my body doesnt seem to tolerate cold anymore. so in a way i prefer the warmth (just avoid direct sunlight, stay in shade). its a real nightmare/ cant stop thinking about whats on my skin. its a bit like feeling a sunburn. or poison ivy weeping after you itch it.

There is only one type of gold bond ultimate healing?

the thing about putting on creams is that it makes the skin shedding (exfoliation) a little more difficult. im a ‘rubber’, which means when i feel something foreign on my skin i start rubbing vigorously and it creates a cascade of bad events. my face turns into a red beet volcano when i start rubbing. and then i want to die.
i dont mind skin flaking off , like dust. but if the dead skin is stuck in some sort of oil, i will freak out. so i take the pain.

i realize that i have not yet gone cold turkey, since i am rubbing and doing all sorts of things with my face.

#66416 jazzman on October 10, 2011 at 5:54 AM

its funny, all my problems could be said to have started because i obsessed over minor problems with my face in a mirror and started putting on creams by trial and error on my face, one of them a steroid cream. Very minor compared to the complete nightmare i have to deal with now. I thought, wow this stuff works when i started using the steroid cream.

I wish i was an animal that never saw its reflection. Then i wouldnt have made matters worse by self treating. but as some of you said, your doctors prescribed it. i have only myself to blame (and my mom who i borrowed it from).

who would have known that this cream can change skin so dramatically. i still dont understand it. its not logical. i can understand acid destroying the face, or gasoline melting your face permanently. but an innocuous cream in a white petrolatum base? you hear about side effects of medicinal ointments and you start to think that these side effects are rare. they are not.

be careful about drugs that have been invented in the past 100 years. these dont have the test of time . i want everyone to use steroid cream on their face , for a month. and then maybe doctors will be a little bit more cautious.

#66487 jazzman2222 on October 12, 2011 at 10:43 AM

oh my, I may have rubbed too hard once again. Now i have a number of angry red bumps that have surfaced. My face is punishing me for touching it. But it felt good to take off layers of waxy gunk that accumulated on it. the face feels lighter, and cooler.

I also am taking some oregano oil, a drop or two. it goes great with my pizza face.

#66488 zsazoe on October 12, 2011 at 11:03 AM

I am glad your face is feeling better. The Gold Bond lotion I am using is Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy Cream Aloe. Heals Dry Problem Skin Vitamins A, C & E. You may want to check with your Doctor first. I just tried it on my own and its seems to be working.

#70155 robin on November 18, 2011 at 4:40 AM

jazzman
please look at http://www.addictedskin.com
it will explain everything

#77595 Joey Brown on December 14, 2011 at 6:38 PM

Hi folks,

I was surfing the web for people who got addicted to topical steroids like me from using it for years for eczema and found your comments to be exactly what my support group is talking about. We founded back in June due to Kelly Palace, who created a website called AddictedSkin.com after visiting a Dr. Marvin Rapaport in Beverly Hill, Ca. who named this condition red skin syndrome or steroid creme addiction.

We are working at getting a bigger website up and running, more pr and and have a petition for the pharmaceutical makers to label the topical steroid with a warning that addition can occur in 5 days for over 60 percent of people who are atopic.

I posted a link to your forum in our Google support group forum and hope we can double our efforts on this steroid creme addiction and withdrawal hell. We have people joining from all over the world every week. Some children are suffering the withdrawals in our group and that is just a travesty.

Please feel free to check out our websites as a few of us have gotten our own so we can go viral with this and prevent so many people from suffering this terrible pain. God bless~Joey Brown

Websites are links on redskinsyndrome.com

#90942 jazzman on February 29, 2012 at 12:35 PM

hello. i havent checked in a while. how is everyone doing. my face is still breaking out but there has been some improvement. but strangely i now have back acne. but its a flare up, i hope its not permanent. it’s unbelieveable how sensitive i am do this steroid cream, and its been almost 3 years now.

#95037 Ken on April 4, 2012 at 3:01 AM

Hi all,

Just like to share my journey so far with a history of skin problems. It all started in highschool when I had severe acne and had tried proactiv, antibiotics etc but no luck. Eventually I was recommended to go on a course of accutane as my skin was extremely oily and accutane will reduce the oiliness on my skin. After a year it had cleared up my skin and it stayed great for about 5 years before my face had another terrible breakout. The derm then prescribed me with a second course of low dosage accutane and after a year it had cleared up the acne but it had caused my skin to dry up excessively. It all started on my chin and upper eye lids so I was given hydrocortisone cream (0.5%) and worked great at first but then it stopped working and I had to up the dosage to 1%….big mistake. Basically it caused all sorts of funkiness on my skin if I had stopped using it my face would dry up and breakout with loads of tiny dots on my skin that has yellowish clear fluid. Sometimes I would also get big red bumps which was extremely itchy and I had to constantly scratch my face which made it worse. So I became dependent on the cream for a while and couldnt ‘live’ without it. Just a few months ago I realised even the 1% cream wasn’t working so I was searching frantically on the web for answers..and then I came across the Addicted Skin website. To my horror everything I read was exactly what I was going through. Wanting desperately to get off this cream, I knew the tough road ahead so I stopped the steroid cold turkey. After a few days all hell breaks loose and my skin has been terrible ever since. Its been about 2months now off the cream and my skin is red, crackly, itchy, flaking and bleeding. I would unconsciously scratch it while I am asleep at night and wake up with a bloody face in the morning. It’s almost 5am now and I just woke up scratching my face again and its a bloody mess. Moisturizing just doesnt work as the skin is constantly dry and thirsty. Sometimes it’s so hard and you just want to throw in the towel and start using the cortisones again but you need to stay strong. I just hope all this suffering will be worth it in the end!

#95392 Patricia on April 5, 2012 at 7:17 PM

Dear Ken,
I am sorry to hear that you are addicted to steroid cream.
Yes, it’s going to be a long haul with lots of problem skin, but it will get better in the end. Your skin will always be sensitive and you will have to live with very itchy, pimply skin for maybe years.
My skin has healed and become moist again, but it took at least 2 years to feel somewhat back to normal.
The moisturizer I used was coconut ghee, which I still use now.
The key is not to give up and know in your heart that your skin WILL recover with lots and lots of patience.
May you have lots of strength.
Patricia.

#96190 jazzman on April 10, 2012 at 9:30 AM

@Ken
theres no easy way of dealing with this. the yellowish oozing is the first stage of recovery, it leaves a crusty film. That will subside in about a year (unfortunately this is a LONG recovery process). You can think of it as a type of chemical burn, and the body is attempting to recover.

but i am getting depressed because my face goes through these fever flashes, my face becomes a bit red, i feel dizzy. i dont know if this is another ‘stage’ of healing. or maybe im succumbing to some other disease or illness.

patricia is right, youre going to have to live with pimply skin for years. But the steroid cream just makes your skin worse (it makes it thin, and damages it). So you really have no choice but to go cold turkey.

If you want to talk about this at length, you can email me

#96534 jazzman on April 12, 2012 at 8:21 AM

has anyone experienced dry eyes and headaches , not sure if it is related to this

#97524 Patricia on April 17, 2012 at 6:33 PM

Dear Jazzman,
Look into what you eat. If you eat a lot of processed food, or you cook your food in plastic bags, you might be subjected to a lot of estrogen-like substances that can create havoc on the system. Since we already have been supplied with extra adrenalin-like substance from the cortisone cream, we have a low tolerance to this type of toxin.
Hope this is helpful to you.
Feel better, Patricia.

#98300 Jazzman on April 28, 2012 at 9:01 AM

@Patricia
thanks, will try to avoid plastic . i do eat processed food, pretty hard to avoid nowadays. i have a small budget . i have noticed certain foods make my face very itchy, such as products with beet juice or beet root . also apparently zinc supplements make me break out in hives.

hey, i recently bought some thin white cotton gloves, which might help me to stop rubbing my face . when my face gets itchy, then i rub, and it makes it worse. it escalates to the point that my face is bright volcanic red. Then i get depressed and want to die.

the gloves may help me to remind myself not to rub my face. Sometimes i will start rubbing when i am sitting and reading, or going online. starts rather innocently, feels good at first.

all my life ive been picking, chewing my fingers, nails, and now recently i have been rubbing my face. this is making it difficult to heal. i now have a strong compulsion to rub, of course triggered by the itchiness. But its much easier to not start rubbing the itch in the first place, like making a mosquito bite worse.
And its addictive in its own right, i start removing the layers of dead skin, i can make little grease balls of dead skin (disgusting).

#99341 Stacy on May 14, 2012 at 3:38 AM

I had induced steroid flare ups. I started using a steroid cream every night mixed with cream on my cheeks for 10 years from 19 to 29 yrs old. After spending some time with constant flare ups, a dermatologist stated I had steroid addiction. I visited a doctor in Beverly Hills who specializes in steroid cream addiction. It was enlighting. He showed me pictures of the withdraws and also showed me the worst cases that normally affect those who apply steroid eye drops for several years. It was scary, but a relief that there was a solution to getting off the major flare ups.

It took 6 months of severe redness, itching and painful flushes to finally overcome the addiction. I applied cold packs every night on my cheeks that helped, but at the end gradual withdraws and finally a complete withdraw is the only way to solve it.

If you have been using the steroids for a longer period of time, it may take even more time to overcome the symptoms.

I highly recommend you do not apply steroid creams unless directed by a doctor for no more than 2 weeks. I think most doctors now know how serious steroids are.

I gradually get flare ups, but not to the same degree with the steroids and/or after the withdraws. On a scale of 1 to 10, with steroid use it was a 5, withdraws was at a 9 to 10 and now its down to a 2 or 3 depending on the humidity of the place I’m staying at.

Good luck. Take some time off at home if you plan to do the withdraw. One of his patients took 6 months off at home and studied for the bar.

#99343 Stacy on May 14, 2012 at 3:47 AM

Ken,
I just read your comment. Exactly what happened to me. I was put on Accutane for acute acne, then developed very dry skin, to the point it was peeling off daily. My skin would also get red to a purple color. It also became very sensitive with any food or alcohol or even a high pollen day. You may have another 2 to 3 months to go, but it will get better as you move on to the end around 6 to 7 months. You are at the peak of your withdraw, but the only thing I can recommend is to apply very cold towels at night and shower with only cold water. Use a mild facial soap, the most expensive you can buy very lightly on your skin. Sephora sells some gentle cleansers for around $30.

It will get better, but don’t get back on the steroids. I also went from .5% to 2% and that was it for me. No good news comes from those creams or eye drops. This withdraw would be easy if you lived out in the country where no one can see you, but we all have to continue with our routines. By the way most of his patients affected with this addiction came from higher end educated income people.

#99549 jazzman on May 17, 2012 at 1:34 AM

@stacy

can you describe your ‘flareup’. does your face get red or hot? i experience heat, redness, then a few hours later I have a pustule breakout.

#99555 Stacy on May 17, 2012 at 3:36 AM

Flareup for me was the skin becoming very red to purple around the cheek area which looked like a mask. Then with the withdraw I had a burning sensation similar to a sunburn. Cold ice compressions on the face a few times a day decreased the inflammation along with tea tree creams and benadryl also helped. Smoking or one sip of alcohol would flare my skin up again. The withdraw symptoms of steroids is your skin attempting to heal itself and return to normal. Minor flareups after the withdraw are reduced to red flushing, but not close to what you will experience with the inital withdraw symptoms.

I learned a valuable experience from using steroid creams, doctors do not know everything. Now with the internet, you can conduct more investigative research than your doctors can. Most of them learn from their patients just like mine did about the steroid cream.