A-Z of Corticosteroid Withdrawal: Excess Skin

E is for Excess Skin:

Excess skin is a weird symptom associated with topical steroid withdrawal. I am thankful that I haven't really had much of a problem in this area, other than the skin being a little baggy around my finger joints and wrists during bad flares, but this has subsided.

However, the problem of loose skin, lacking elasticity is a very common side effect when people stop using steroid creams. Here are some pictures of skin affected this way:

I am not a doctor, so don't understand why the skin reacts this way, maybe if there are any doctors reading this, they could shed some light on the subject for me! It's pretty scary thinking that prolonged steroid use can affect your body like this though. The good news is that the skin apparently does return to normal eventually, so this effect is not permanent.

Here are some comments that the members for the google group have made regarding their observations of excess skin on their bodies during steroid withdrawal:

"I'm just wondering if everyone is experiencing the extra thick skin in
joints.
In my elbow, knee and ankle joints I am finding it difficult to move freely
because
of the extra thick skin and/or swelling there. I am not sure if it's the
skin
or if it may be swelling. I can't squat for example and my ankles are very
tight if I try to point
my toes. "


"Yes (my son) has lots of extra skin around his wrists/hands/ankles/feet and
some appearing on his lower back, just been reading the bumph the hospital
sent home with us last week, and its says that 'blistering. scaling and
thickening is lichefication.  The extra skin that (my son) has seems to be
formed by much thicker skin, almost like an elephants hide.  Sorry bizarre
metaphor but it is thick and folded like that.


"right now I have elephant hands, for sure. They look ridiculous, can't
believe they're mine, they look way too old..."


This odd and distressing symptom of steroid withdrawal is only temporary, but is obviously very scary for the person experiencing it, especially if it is a young child. This symptom is yet another powerful evidence of the damage that overuse of steroid creams can do, when potent creams are used over a long period of time on the skin.