Man left with burning, oozing skin due to steroid cream

By Isobel Williams

A man has told how he was left bedbound and with horrific flaky, oozing skin because of a rare reaction when he stopped using steroid cream.

George Palmer, 25, has spent his life savings trying to treat the awful symptoms of Topical Steroid Withdrawal.

He was first prescribed steroid cream as a baby to help with some mild eczema and had been applying it daily ever since.

But with his body quickly building up a tolerance, his prescription was upped until he reached a point where he either had to start on the highest dose available or stop completely.

When he finally came off the medicine George was hit with the horrifying realization that he now suffered from topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).

This is a severe reaction which causes oozing burning skin with excessive flaking, weight loss, hair loss, and can leave patients bedbound.

TSW caused him significant discomfort, and he is now fundraising to continue his treatment.

George, from Coventry, West Mids., said: “I was prescribed steroid creams as a baby for eczema, and I have been seeing an NHS dermatologist ever since.

“When I was on the creams I was applying them every day pretty much head to toe. When I came off them even for a day my skin would start to peel.

“When I came off the creams, my skin wasn’t able to kill bacteria and my body wasn’t able to heal itself.

"I have been left with nerve damage and intense hypersensitivity. It is horrible.

“I had full blown skin infections head to toe. I lost all my hair, my eyebrows, and my beard started falling out. I couldn’t leave bed for weeks and was having panic attacks.

“It got to the point where I thought I had to go back on the creams because I had withdrawal so bad and I literally couldn’t do anything for myself. That was probably the lowest point of my life.”

The first time George suspected that he might have TSW was on holiday aged 15 when he forgot his creams and began to shed skin.

However, the former HGV technician says he could never have predicted how bad the symptoms would end up being.

So, he made the decision to start a specialized and expensive therapy called Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) therapy in Thailand.

CAP treatment uses ionized gas to kill bacteria, reduce inflammation, stimulate cell repair, and support natural skin regeneration.

More from this section

New Approach Targets Social Skills to Help Schizophrenia Patients Heal

+4

Can dogs slow down aging in women?

+3

Man left with burning, oozing skin due to steroid cream

With 19 treatment sessions completed, George says that things are going very well so far, but that there is still a long way to go.

He added: “I had built a tolerance to all the creams and was now on the second strongest dose. I would have built up a tolerance to that in a few years, so it was only a matter of time.

“If I waited then I might have had kids and a mortgage, so it seemed like the best time to do it now. Lots of people have had to sell their houses to pay for treatment.

“When I came off the creams fully to start treatment I saw how my skin was for the first time. It was really nasty. My skin was non-stop oozing.

“I have made quite a good improvement so far. But I still have open patches of skin and I can only wash with saline as water feels like acid. The only time I leave my condo is to go to treatment. It is quite lonely.

“I don’t have any infections anymore, but I still can’t go outside for very long due to the heat in Thailand. And if I walk past someone with perfume on I break out in full body hives”

Though treatment has made huge improvements, George says that he had to sacrifice a lot and put his own life on hold to afford treatment.

For 10 months worth of sessions and moving to Thailand he says that costs have come to around $30,664, blowing all his savings for a house with girlfriend Alana Crew-Gee.

The clinic manager believes that due to George’s 25 years of usage he will need to continue treatment in Thailand for five more years.

Therefore, he has started a fundraiser to try and pay for a machine which would allow him to continue his treatment back in the UK surrounded by loved ones.

He added: “I had saved with my girlfriend to buy a home and I had a nice car. The last thing I wanted to do was pack everything in and come to do this and spend all my money. I gave up my life.

“I sold my car, used all my savings, and even with help from family and friends I won’t be able to stay out here for the whole five years.

“It is touching to see that it is doing quite well. People have been quite generous. It has done better than I thought it would so far.”

So far, the Gofundme page has raised just over $6,666, but there is a long way to go to reach George’s goal of $30,664.

He is also hoping that in the future there will be more research and education on TSW, as he feels doctors should have warned him before prescribing the creams.

He said: “I think that most doctors in the NHS are not aware of the long term effects when they prescribe the creams. I think there needs to be a lot more research.

“My mother was assured when I was first prescribed the creams that I would be okay. She had expressed concerns to doctors multiple times and they assured her that I would be fine.

“I was seeing an NHS dermatologist for 25 years and they knew I was on this cream and just kept increasing the dose. Now I have had to put my whole life on hold to fix it.

“There is a lot of blame to place for the fact that this has been allowed to go on for such a long time."