Red Skin Syndrome (RSS) is what can happen to skin that has been treated long term with Topical steroids. RSS is not as rare as you would think. More and more I am seeing people coming to me with what has been diagnosed as stubborn eczema that is no longer responding to their steroid cream. I would argue that at this point the body is addicted to the creams. This is referred to as Topical Steroid Addiction (TSA) – meaning your body has become less responsive to the steroids so you have to use increasing amounts and strengths of steroids to get relief from symptoms.
Some of these symptoms can be present whilst still using steroids, and some appear after steroids are stopped and the body goes into Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW)
I am not convinced there is a ‘safe’ way to use topical steroids, but long term use puts you at more risk. Not everyone who uses steroids long term will develop RSS, but then I also have seen people who used them on and off for just a couple of months (following advice from their doctor) who develop the symptoms.
So why are steroids so bad?
Topical steroids work in the following ways:
They work by vasoconstriction (they constrict blood vessels) the more potent the steroid the more vasoconstriction they produce.
Ointments tend to be more vasoconstrictive than creams (I am guessing because they absorb slower and therefore have longer on the skin)
If there is urea or salicylic acid in the ingredients then this can increase the penetration making them more potent
Using a steroid followed by an occlusive increases the absorption into the system. The British Association of Dermatologists advise that ‘emollients should not be applied shortly after application of a topical steroid, and that an interval of 30 minutes is recommended between applications of either agent’
So what can homeopathy do for eczema and RSS / TSW?
I see in my practice homeopathy doing some amazing things for skin conditions of all types. Often the people I meet have been through the modern medicine system (which tells them homeopathy is not effective) but yet they have reached the conclusion that steroids are not effective, and in fact they have caused them (or their child) considerable physical and emotional damage.
Treating a case of eczema in a child (without a lot of steroid suppression) is relatively more straightforward than addressing RSS in an adult. When I treat someone with RSS we have to decipher what are symptoms caused by a drug and what are symptoms of the original skin condition (that steroids were used to treat)
My approach for RSS is a gentle one, the body is super sensitive, the skin is very reactive and often the adrenals are struggling. By using remedies that support the gut, vascular system, adrenals and the other organs of detoxification we can help take a load off of the skin. When the gut functions optimally it becomes a pathway to detox.
Sometimes after someone has gone through TSW they find the original eczema making a comeback, whilst this can be really disheartening it is actually a positive sign to me, it shows that the steroid suppression has abated and the body is one again expressing itself naturally. This can then lead to more remedies that are indicated for the true problem, not a problem that a drug created.
There is no fast track for RSS/TSW, it has taken the body years to get where it is and that does not fix overnight. It is a process of healing, with gradual improvements that are maintained and built upon. I am always committed to everyone who comes for help, and this is how homeopathy gets its results, by commitment from patient and homeopath.
We know quick fixes are not what they seem – steroid creams are testament to this, sure they masked the eczema in the early days / years, but over time they were not the solution, far from it.
Homeopathy looks at YOU as an individual, it seeks to help all symptoms, physical and also mental/emotional, and this is a HUGE factor in TSW/RSS. The impact it has on you, your family, your sleep and your mental health. The modern medicine approach would just throw anti-depressants, immune-suppressants and more toxic drugs at you (and sometimes this is ok in the short term to get you through the extreme lows that happen during this withdrawal process) But long term these are not the solution.
We are not our skin, our mind and our organs separated, modern medicine needs to realise this in order to fully heal people. Your TSW journey is unique to you and homeopathy is a system of medicine that knows this, its ethos is built upon these principles – there is no remedy for TSW RSS or eczema, but there are remedies that can help how YOU are affected.
What really grates on me is that the medical profession still takes no responsibility for the damage their drugs are causing, suffers of TSW/RSS have to do their own research, are dismissed by dermatologists – it’s all in your head, or its just severe mismanaged eczema (because you refuse to use a cream anymore that isn’t working) often I am told by sufferers that they are ashamed to speak out about their condition for fear of people telling them it’s self-inflicted for turning their backs on the advice from their practitioner. This has to stop! No wonder this condition has such a huge impact on sufferers emotionally, they are the outcasts of a flawed medicine system, they are not validated for their suffering and yet their suffering is clear to see. How can this be allowed to happen?
For more information on eczema and homeopathy go to http://www.tracywhite.co.uk
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