Itch N Bitch

The Itchy Gang connects individuals of diverse backgrounds, skin tones, and genders, united by their shared experiences with various skin conditions.

As the Itch N Bitch TSW Petition gains momentum, it’s crucial to amplify the voices of TSW sisters, misters, and non-binary individuals alike, advocating for greater awareness, research, and support for all affected by topical steroid withdrawal.

If you haven’t already please sign & support Itch N Bitch’s TSW Petition❤️‍🩹 Created for the community by the community 💖#ItchyActivist 

Reminder, the following answers represent Saskia’s personal experiences and advice.

OVER TO SASKIA aka @saskia.potts, 🗣️14 months off topical steroids 🌿

➡️ How long have you had your skin condition? What’s your earliest memory of having your skin condition?

I have suffered with eczema all my life. It first started when I was a toddler and even though it was pretty under control during my teen years, it would still mildly flare during the winter months. 

During my first year of University, I suffered quite a big flare, and was prescribed various topical steroids (some that worked and some that didn’t). I was eventually prescribed a course of oral steroids called Prednisolone. 

Two days after finishing my Prednisolone tablets, my skin flared so badly I couldn’t leave the house. I was immediately prescribed a higher strength topical steroid which cleared my skin within a week. For the next 8 years I was re-prescribed a few different topical steroids and I would use them minimally and as directed. 

In the summer of 2022, I started to notice my skin was unusually flaring. It was strange because my skin was always great in the summer, and for the past 8 years, I had rarely, if ever, used steroids in the warmer months. 

When I applied the topical steroid, I noticed my skin wasn’t responding as well to it, so I made an appointment with a dermatologist who prescribed me a new tube of the same topical steroid. A few weeks after, there was no improvement to my skin. It wasn’t until a month later when I went on a week’s holiday abroad that the sun completely cleared my skin. 

In Autumn of 2022, as the weather in England started to cool, I noticed my flares were becoming more aggressive. After applying steroid cream my skin would clear almost overnight, but then flare a week later. This flare would come back worse and affect other areas of my body that had previously been clear. I would apply more steroid to calm the area, it would clear, but then 2 or 3 days later it would come back far, far worse. 

This continued for a few weeks and I knew something was wrong because I had never applied topical steroid this consistently. On December 1^st 2022 I decided to see a different dermatologist. In that appointment, we made the decision I would stop using the topical steroids because they clearly were not working on my skin. Coincidently I had a trip booked to South Africa 5 days later, and because of how well my skin responded to the sun, my Doctor and I booked a follow up appointment in the January to asses my skin after the holiday. 

In South Africa, the sun worked wonders on my broken skin, and as the wounds began to heal, the oozing died down and the swelling lessened, I started to allow myself to have hope that my skin could heal. 

In January my skin was doing better and my dermatologist and I discussed starting a course of phototherapy. 

(I never actually did the phototherapy treatment because I decided to go abroad back into the sun for a month to help my skin and I therefore wouldn’t be able to make all the phototherapy sessions).  

I spent about 6 months trying to regularly get into the sun, but in the past 6/8 months my skin went downhill quite quickly. 

My morning routines were taking about 2 hours, my skin would ooze so much that I’d wake up with my skin stuck to my bedsheets, I had scratching that was bone deep and I constantly felt flu like symptoms. 

I was turning down freelance work because I knew that my skin would be too painful to go into offices. 

The impact my skin was having on my life was unbearable and my mental health suffered massively. 

The symptoms all got too much, and with my wedding on the horizon, I sat down with my Dermatologist to discuss different medication options. 

We decided on Methotrexate, a chemotherapy agent and immunosuppressant. I was definitely apprehensive, especially because you don’t see results for at least 6 weeks. However, I’m now on week 5 and I have seen small but significant improvements on my skin. I’m definitely not out of the woods yet, but I’m hopeful this drug will give me my life back.

• What has your skin taught you? 

💖Being kind and empathetic are some of the most important things in life. Always treat people kindly, you never know what they’re going through. 

⚠️Stop wasting your life worrying that you’re not pretty enough. None of that matters when you get sick.

💅Acrylic nails help so much to stop your sharp natural nails ripping into your skin! 

What’s the one thing you’d like people without a skin condition to know?

😭No, I’m not crying, my face just looks like this x

What are the top products that have helped your skin? Or even your all-time ride-or-die brand for sensitive skin…

🧴Child’s Farm – I have used their shampoo, conditioner and body wash religiously for 8 years. They have never failed me. 

💚Epaderm – this was recommended by my dermatologist and I LOVE both the cream and the ointment. 

🧦Eczema Clothing (Use ITCHYGANG for 10% off)– amazing clothing, SO soft and so comforting. When my back flared, it was SO painful and when it was at its worst, the only clothing I could wear would be Eczema Clothing’s pj top!

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY, Saskia,

love always,
Katie Mackie

#NotDefinedByMySkin

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TSW Petition – Support Assets

Important and useful sites to follow if you are a TSW sufferer or steroid user looking to learn more;

Scratch That – A UK-based organisation that advocates TSW Awareness

ITSAN – The International Topical Steroid Addiction Network