Had a day out with the family at Blackpool yesterday. My skin coped well, although I had a tube of hemp cream in my bac to keep myself moisturised and tried to keep myself hydrated with drinks throughout the day.
I had a small coldsore appear for the first time since I started withdrawals. I used to get coldsores every couple of months when I was using the steroid creams, because they decreased the immunity of my skin. Maybe now I will only get one once a year, or even less, as my skin continues to get thicker and stronger. Another bonus is that the stratch marks on my tummy and thighs seem to be fading too, as the skin thickens up.
Looking at my skin, I roughly estimate that it will take around 6 more months to heal completely as I am "almost there". The stubborn patches on my inner calves and inner arms are fading fast, and most of my body skin has returned to normal. My face is still a bit pink, with a bit of roughness on my cheeks, but I suppose this will be the last area to heal as I blasted it with strong steroids for many years. It would be great if my skin is healed when I hit the one-year mark in November.
Little Keira (see link for scratchy monster blog on the right) has just celebrated one year off the creams and is now completely healed! I am so happy for her, as I know how hard the steroid withdrawal journey is, and it must be especially hard for kids.
Well done Keira! xxx
8 comments:
Hi,
What cleanser do you use to wash your face?
Cetaphil. I find it suits me best as I can be sensitive to water, so I just remove it with cotton wool.
Hi Louise, as you said you're in the last stage of withdrawal, do you still experience itch and redness on your face?
Hi Emily,
If you take a look at my progress photos from the blog, you can see that my face has become less red over time.
However, this was the area that had most steroid usage, so I expect it will be the last to heal completely.
It is slightly itchy, not unbearable, and not particularly red, just pinkish. The skin is still not quite "normal", but I can face the world without embarassment as it looks OK.
Thanks for your reply louise, glad that you're doing great there. Can I ask how long you been using steroid on your face? I used steroid on my face for a year and a half, and now it's been almost a year that I'm on steroid removal.. But my face is still itchy and red :( so sad.. For my case, I never had skin problem before, I used the product the got my face irritate and the very bad beautician then gave me another product, name dermedex, as a repair moisturizer, then I applied it every day morning and night as it's a moisturizer.. Until i found that the product has been banned cos it contain steroid inside.. When I tried to stop my face can't take it, cos already addicted to the steroid.. :( is your itchiness feels like a mosquito bites? The red pathes looks like mosquito bites also.. But many of moisquito bites.. So suffering, everyday has to endure the uncomfortable feeling and itchiness, even more, the face looks like a red tomato always.. Wonder how much longer it takes to heal.. Is there anything we can do to help with the healing faster? God bless us..
I used steroids on my face for th last 15 years. Healing time depends on the potency of the cream used. It sounds like you used a strong cream, so healing may take a while.
I don't think there is anything in particular we can do to speed up healing, as it can take several years, but it is important to avoid any creams that can irritate the skin and make it worse.
Hope you feel better soon. X
Hi Louise,
I heard ppl said Dr Marvin Rapaport mention at last stage of withdrawal, expose our skin to sunlight will help with the healing, is it true? Cos I can't seem to find where dr Marvin rapport said about this..
Yes, sunlight does help, but only when you are at a stage where your skin can tolerate it, I would say at least 6 months in.
He mentions it on the teleconference recordings which you can access via the itsan.org site.
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