04/10/2026
59% of Australian dermatologists don’t recognise TSW as a clinical medical condition. As someone who suffered from TSW and supports patients battling through it daily, who are unable to work, study, socialise and function due to the severity of their skin flares, this statistic really stuck with me.
How can we look at someone with such debilitating symptoms like burning pain, red sleeves, full body infections, intense bone deep itching, temperature dysregulation and insomnia after continuously using or stopping corticosteroids and say it’s simply eczema?
Studies are starting to uncover the mechanisms behind TSW post steroid use - nitric oxide vasodilation, impaired cortisol signalling, mitochondrial dysfunction, skin thinning and nerve damage. The National Institute of Health has now published a diagnostic criteria for TSW, distinguishing it from severe eczema.
So why aren’t we listening?
Many TSW patients come to me after other medical professionals have put them in the ‘too hard’ basket.
We need more recognition, research and diagnostic tools to create awareness so TSW sufferers can get the support they desperately need 🤍