Day 345 (another bad flare photo!)

My skin is looking really awful today, as it is in transition from the hot juicy phase to the flaky phase. I know this is a good sign, but it looks really bad and I have holed myself indoors, unable to face the world (that is, until it is time to fetch the kids!).

Here is today's photo, which I consider to be the worst flare photo yet:

The top layer of skin is starting to shed off, similar to wheat happens when we get sunburn. Hopefully, in a few days, the skin will be back to normal again.

I want to make an important point based on something that Leslie, a longstanding Itsan forum member who has been off the steroid creams for 2 years, made. She said that it could be possible that the skin can develop a sudden reaction to creams that it could previously tolerate. This makes sense to me. Since withdrawals started, I have been using hemp cream and having great results. However, I wonder whether this flare could be due to my developing sensitivity to the hemp cream. I also used Vaseline, which seems to have made the weeping worse. For now, I have decided not to use anything at all on  my skin, for fear of bringing on a flare.

Another factor which may have contributed to this sudden flare, is the fact that I stopped drinking my dandelion tea. I reported a while ago that studies have proven dandelion to be a Nitric Oxide antagonist, in other words, dandelion can reduce the effects of NO in the body. I used to drink about 4 cups a day, but swapped supermarkets and my current supermarket doesn't sell it. My mom brought me a box over today. Thanks mom! I would rather be addicted to dandelion tea than steroid creams!

In discussing this subject in the Itsan forum, many members reported something similar: a nasty flare at the 11 month mark. I am glad that so many of us are reporting and blogging our experiences, because we may find that patterns emerge and this information may help others going through steroid withdrawals to know what to expect.

At least my skin has finally stopped burning, and for now, my urge to pop to the chemist for a giant tub of steroids has subsided!