Keeping it Together: Beware of overusing topical steroids

Hi there! My name is David Oliver, one of the wellness reporters at Paste BN. If the below story rings true to you, you are far from alone.

Michelle Sansiveri's eczema began as a teenager with a tiny patch on her neck.

A dermatologist prescribed the now 28-year-old a low-to-medium dose topical steroid cream with just one instruction: use as needed. She would place the cream on her rash, and the eczema would go away. Then it would come back.

This happened for over 10 years – until that spot spread like an itchy wildfire across her cheeks, chest and arms. Last July, her arms grew red and raw.

Sansiveri joins a chorus of thousands who say they have topical steroid withdrawal, a new and controversial condition experts say requires more research so we can fully understand it.

For more about this phenomenon, click here, and check out some of our other wellness stories from the week below. Be well.