Rhiannon, 26, is a full-time mum from Essex
Rhiannon says;
“My eczema turned into something worse than I had ever experienced before when I stopped using steroids because I was pregnant.
I’ve been referred to a dermatologist for years for my eczema. I was prescribed a lot of steroid creams, some mild and some very strong. They worked for a small amount of time, but my flares would always come back worse each time.
Over time my eczema has been up and down, some days it gets worse and more frequent but other times it’s calmer. But when my eczema is bad, it’s really bad.
My worst flare up ever was in 2021 when I was pregnant. I started getting a nasty eczema flare as I’d come off the steroid creams that I was using because I was scared about using them during pregnancy.
My skin just got worse and worse and I one day I woke up with symptoms of Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome (TSWS). My face was swollen, red and raw with flaking crusty skin. It was awful! I didn’t go out for about two weeks because I didn’t want people to look at me. I tried to use my normal moisturisers but every product I used just made my skin worse.
I was so upset when someone commented that I looked like I’d been burnt.
After a long road with steroids, I decided last year to go steroid free and try to find alternatives that might help manage my eczema. Last year, after a lot of research, I came across a salve from a UK-made eczema skincare range called Hydrosil.
All their products, but in particular their Hydrosil Turmeric Butter & Milk Salve, contained a plant steroid called Cardiospermum which mimics the action of steroids but is much safer and can be used all the time. It also contained donkey milk, which is the most hypoallergenic milk and is given to babies with allergies and also a special turmeric butter. I've read a lot that turmeric is really good for eczema but it’s hard to apply it via the skin. However, this salve has solved this issue by whipping the turmeric into a special butter that can easily penetrate the skin.
After a week of frequent use several times a day on my TSWS skin I started to see a real improvement in the eczema on my face. The salve was different from other eczema products I'd tried as it wasn’t heavy or sticky and didn’t sting when I applied it at all, which made it perfect for use on the face.
Usually when I first wake up, I have to wash my face and put cream on immediately because my skin always feels so tight. Since using the plant-steroid salve, I wake up now and I don’t feel like I need to rush to do that because my skin feels much smoother and less tight, dry and painful.
In the period that I have been using the salve the eczema on my face has massively improved. I now even go out without wearing makeup, as I feel that confident in my skin. This is seriously impressive for a product that does not contain chemical steroids and that I’ve only been using for less than a month.”
