What is Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW)?
Much of Western medicine abandons herbalism and the use of natural remedies to treat skin conditions. Instead, they favor creams and oral medicines that contain steroids to treat the symptoms of an illness. Alternative medicine aims to treat the underlying cause of your illness as opposed to the symptoms. Symptoms can be treated easily, but can also come back just as quickly if the underlying cause is not dealt with.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Reduces inflammation | Skin atrophy |
| Clears up the skin | Discoloration |
| Reduce immune response | Steroid dependence |
*A quick look at the advantages and disadvantages of topical steroids*
Steroids work to patch up an issue rather quickly and resemble the steroids our bodies produce naturally. They are often prescribed after the body has failed to respond to typical skincare regimen recommendations. Their use is designed to be short term, and if using them long term your physician should suggest breaks at specific time intervals. TSW on skin often shows symptoms of redness, extreme inflammation and flaring, and excessive itching. Over time our bodies can develop a dependence on prescription steroids, which is why it's important to take breaks regularly or only use them in case of an emergency. It may seem like nothing works, but in Part 2 I'll give you some ways to cope with TSW using natural remedies.