How Cielo Completely Healed From TSW (And Now Her Skin Is The Best It’s Ever Been)

Below is an amazing story on how Cielo overcame topical steroid withdrawal (TSW). As you can see from her photos – she battled it so severely, but she managed to overcome it! I want to encourage you as well that you can overcome it.

My mission for this site is to help as many people as possible overcome eczema, and I want to encourage you and to help you believe that you can heal!

Cielo’s Story

I’ve suffered with eczema since birth and pretty much grew out of it when I became a young adult.

Fast forward to summer of 2015, I broke out all over my face in a painful, swelling, burning rash.  It hurt so bad and I remember being so scared and confused as to what was going on.  I didn’t want to go anywhere….my self esteem was shattered.  After deciding to see my Dermatologist, she prescribed me with Prednisone and topical steroids for my face and body rashes.

I took the 7 day dose reluctantly and applied my topical steroids everyday and noticed my rashes starting to clear.  I wasn’t even fully finished with my Prednisone when I started to notice my rashes coming back.  Again, I was confused and frustrated.  I decided to go on the internet and I remember typing in the Google search for “severe eczema” and that is when I ran into your blog, Prime Physique Nutrition.  I had no idea that TSW even existed and that the topical and oral steroids I was prescribed was bad for me.

After reading every…..single…. thing on your blog, I decided to stop my steroids cold turkey the next day.  I immediately stopped eating anything with dairy, sugar and anything that was processed.  I went to the grocery store and bought all my fruits, vegetables, vitamins and supplements.  For my protein, I’d eat salmon or sardines with the occasional chicken.  I swapped out all my chemical filled lotions and purchased Manuka Honey cream, Jojoba Oil and Calendula Cream.

During this time, the internet was my best friend… I wanted to know everything I can to heal myself as I realized that I needed to heal myself from the inside out.   In my head, I knew this was and is my only solution.

It didn’t take long before I noticed topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) starting.  Only 5 days after stopping my steroids, rashes started to appear on my hands and neck.  7 days later, I was oozing all over my neck, ears, and chin area.  My chin and jawline area got so bad, I ended up with an infection on 3 spots.  It was so painful and I just couldn’t bare to go out looking the way I did.  After emailing a picture of my face to my Dermatologist, she prescribed me with antibiotics and I reluctantly took it.

Unfortunately the antibiotics did nothing to heal my infection.  I remembered Abby saying that Manuka Honey cream was anti bacterial and anti fungal.  So I ordered the Manuka  Honey cream from the place Abby recommended (you can find the cream on my list of recommended products here) and my infection fully healed.  Almost 2 months later, I was fully covered all over my neck, chest and arms in red, raw oozing skin.  I had what you would call a “sleeve” on both my arms.  3 months later, I was covered with huge red rashes on the inside of my legs.

The rashes didn’t look like they were eczema related, so I went to the Dermatologist once again, this time to see what I had on my legs.  After a biopsy was done, I had found out I have psoriasis as well.  Yet again, I ended up with a staph aureus infection on my legs and arms.  I again used my  Manuka Honey cream on all my infections and once again I was healed.  To prove to myself that the Manuka Honey Cream actually worked, I made an appointment to see my Dermatologist again without telling her I DID NOT take the antibiotics she tried to prescribe me for the second time.  After looking at my leg where my staph infection was, she said that it was all gone and she saw no signs of Staph.  Hoorayyy!  I was ecstatic to know that I can heal my infection without the antibiotics.

It wasn’t until around 4 – 5 months that I started to notice a difference in my skin.  Day by day, it started to get better.  The first thing I noticed is that my skin stopped oozing, then the itching and redness started to calm down.  I saw patches of my normal skin color starting to show in small little clusters till finally the red spots just all magically disappeared.  And the best part aside from my skin  starting to clear….I was finally able to sleep again.  Yessss!!!

Today my skin is the “BEST” it’s ever been.  I now have smooth, clear, soft skin.  I actually have family and friends who tell me my skin is glowing when they see me.  Before TSW, I needed to apply moisturizer everyday on my face.  Now, I barely use it.

My body no longer requires moisturizer and I only apply it sparingly on my lips and sometimes my hands if I have a lot of dishes to wash.  That’s it! I’m about 98% clear from my eczema and psoriasis and I couldn’t be happier with the results.  Thank you…thank you Abby for giving me the hope and belief that I needed to heal.    After following your tips and advice, I finally have healthy skin.

Keep spreading hope.