TSW advice - (Topical steroid withdrawal)

If you're going through Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), I know how brutal it can be - physically and emotionally. But the truth is, healing is possible and sometimes, it's the simplest changes that make the biggest difference. Here's what truly helped me, straight from my experience.

🌙 Sleep Is Skin Medicine

Did you know your skin regenerates the most between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am? That’s when growth hormone kicks in - accelerating your metabolism and creating fresh, healthy skin.

Try to fall asleep by 9:30 pm every night.
Night owls, I know this isn’t easy but trust me, you’ll see and feel the difference.

🏃 Move to Heal

Daily exercise boosts your metabolism, which speeds up skin regeneration.
Even fast walking, jogging, or “wogging” for an hour makes a real difference.
Doctors recommend doing it until you break a light sweat - no need to overdo it.

And if you miss a day? Please don’t beat yourself up.
Your mental state affects your skin, too. Stay kind to yourself - peace inside leads to peace on your skin.

🚿 Bathing

I wouldn't recommend frequent bathing, especially during flare-ups.
Why? Showers and baths strip away moisture, protective bacteria and proteins your skin desperately needs to heal.

I used to soak daily because my skin was oozing. But no one told me I was losing vital proteins through that ooze and crusts.

✅ Keep showers short and infrequent
✅ 20-30 cold blast after showering as it helps calm the itchiness from the heat.
✅ Skip soap and shampoo (or use mild bar soap only)
❌ Avoid liquid soaps, they contain skin-irritating petrochemicals
✅ If you itch more after bathing, it’s normal — heat triggers itching, so finish quickly! Also 20sec cold blast.

💧 Skip the Moisturizer (NMT) - Let Your Skin Work

No moisture treatment is used often when it came to TSW, for me it was on and off i would only apply thin amounts of anti itch creams after showers and in the morning. 

Most people use NMT, but i couldn't bare the dryness in the morning, especially being in a physical job.

This is where Avva's supplements came in and made my skin and inside feel more stronger, calmer and made the healing process much faster.

Here’s why NMT: If your skin always expects hydration from the outside, it forgets how to hydrate itself. Let it relearn. Even thick clothing and comforters can act as moisturisers, so go light.

Wear loose, breathable cotton (like soft T-shirts and shorts)
Let your skin air-dry after scratching
Use supplements so your body can heal faster and stronger
No ointments or creams - even after oozing

When I scratched and fluid came out, I would use a fan to dry is out.

🌞 No Sunscreen - But Don’t Skip Sun Protection

Since we don’t use products like sunscreen, we must protect our skin physically.

Always wear a hat or
Use a UV umbrella when going outside

🍽️ Food Rules (Just a Few!)

You can eat almost anything — just avoid:

❌ Licorice or anything with Glycyrrhizin (also listed as Glycyrrhizae Radix). It tricks your brain into thinking you’re using steroids again.

✅ Eat balanced meals with plenty of protein and greens- your skin needs it to rebuild itself.

🧠 Mind Over Skin

This journey is mental as much as physical.

Yes — you’ll scratch. Yes — the itch will feel unbearable. You’ll want to dig to the bone, and after, you’ll feel regret.

“It’s okay to scratch. Don’t feel guilty. Just scratch and dry. Scratch and dry. Over time, your skin will become stronger.”

💬 Final Thoughts

Since birth my skin/body has been immune by applying steroids and never getting better, I finally healed using these simple principles.

This method isn’t glamorous. It’s not sold in a bottle. But it works.

If you’re in the thick of TSW right now, please remember:
You are not alone
You are not weak for scratching
You are already healing, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet.