Francesca Tebbutt, 33, said her skin was ”constantly on fire”
A 33-year-old woman said she had been left looking ‘like a burns victim’ after an extreme reaction to a commonly used cream resulted in her skin being ”constantly on fire” due to Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW).
In 2023, Francesca Tebbutt first noticed itchy, red, marks on her arm and when they persisted, she consulted her GP. The doctor suspected psoriasis or eczema and prescribed topical steroid creams for short-term use.
Initially, the rash vanished swiftly but soon returned, spreading further, leading to prescriptions of even stronger steroids. Eventually, Francesca ceased using the medication, only to experience intensified burning, itching, and flaking of her skin.
For a year-and-a-half the Pilates instructor from Clunderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales, searched for answers about her condition, which now includes spontaneous episodes of burning, flaking, weeping, and swelling.
At her lowest points, simple actions like moving her arms, dressing, or showering became excruciating. Despite temporary relief from the steroids, the rash would always return, more severe and aggressive each time.
Francesca recounted the onset of her ordeal: “It all began in March 2023, when I got a few little round, red dots on the inside of my left elbow. They were a little bit itchy, a little bit irritated – so when they didn’t go away, I went to the doctors in May 2023 and that’s when the doctor said it looked like it’s psoriasis or eczema.
“He prescribed me steroids straight away for it. I remember actually asking him, ‘how did this happen, and how can I stop it happening?’
“He said there’s nothing I could do and this was the cure. I used the topical steroids, and it did go – but then maybe a month later, it came back and it spread.
“I went back and I was prescribed stronger steroids and this went on for the rest of 2023, on and off. Every time I used them, it would go, but then it would come back worse, and it would keep spreading. I was trapped in this vicious cycle: steroid cream, temporary relief, then a flare worse than before.””.
“When it got to January in 2024, I knew the steroids were a band aid,” she said. “So I thought, ‘I’m going to stop using them’.
“By the end of the month, my whole arm and hands were covered in an itchy rash. It was quite scary, because I didn’t really know what was going on, and then I started swelling as well.
“It was difficult, because it was in winter, and because of my arms, I couldn’t wear any clothing on them, so I was always in t-shirts. I just remember being so cold all the time because I couldn’t physically put any clothing on my arms.
“My wrist swelled and my elbow swelled and I couldn’t actually fully straighten my arms or bend my wrists. I didn’t know what was going on and me and my partner decided it was best to go to AandE, and off we went.
“We saw the doctor and he said, ‘I don’t know what this is. I don’t know if it’s eczema. I don’t know if it’s psoriasis’. It was actually quite refreshing hearing someone say, ‘I don’t know’ and that they’ll seek advice somewhere else.
“I got a call from him the day after and he said that the dermatologist suspects that it is a form of eczema. They prescribed me more steroids that were stronger than what I’d had before. When I put these steroids on my skin, the burning and stinging of just applying them was unbearable.”
This flare-up lasted months before fading, but again, when stopping the use of steroid creams, it returned with a vengeance. Francesca said the constant pain was “unbearable” and after the patches spread to her face, she was once again prescribed more steroid creams by doctors.
“I couldn’t relax – I was so uncomfortable in my own skin and there was no comfort anywhere, apart from in a bath, because my skin was so bad,” she said. “I was constantly burning, but I was also really, really, cold at the same time.
“I’d have ice packs on my arms where it would be burning and then a hot water bottle on my belly to try to keep me warm. My partner couldn’t sleep in the same bed as me for months because I had to keep moving and keep putting ice packs in places to stop the burning.
“After a few months of the steroids, things started to calm down – I wasn’t as inflamed, but you could still see these almost red sleeves that cut off at the wrist. I started to get some patches around my lips; I went to the doctor and they advised me to put some steroid cream around my lips, so I did as I was told, thinking this will be the end of it.
“After doing the course of steroids that I was prescribed, I stopped,” she said. “Within three to four weeks, my face started to erupt.
“It started with a burning sensation, then it started to get all these little bubbles over it. They developed into this big red mass.
“I looked like my face had been in a fire, like I was burned. I couldn’t move my lips. Eating actually became very difficult.
“I remember, I used to eat an apple a day – but I couldn’t open my mouth wide enough to eat an apple. I went back to the doctors with my face like this, to find out what was going on. The doctor told me he was quite puzzled.
“Again, they gave me stronger steroids and told me to put them over my face. It reduced it and it slowly went away. Then, in December 2024, my wrists started to erupt again and that red sleeve started to come back.
“Driving home from work, sometimes I’d be crying. With TSW, your skin flakes and I would drive home just unbearably scratching.
“My car was covered in skin flakes – everywhere was covered in skin flakes. I would vacuum my bed every single day – I would vacuum every time I took my clothes off, because my skin would just fly everywhere.
“It was about two months where I couldn’t write – I couldn’t use a pen. I’ve never been so sick in my life – I’ve never had skin issues in my entire life.”
Feeling like her life had been hijacked by relentless research into skin conditions, Francesca neared her breaking point. In January this year, she stumbled upon an organisation raising awareness of Topical Steroid Withdrawal, a condition emerging after stopping high doses of steroids that can result in itchy, peeling skin.
Despite reportedly touching 15% of those on steroids, she lamented that risks were never communicated to her and reckons the regular use of steroid creams has exacerbated her symptoms.
“All I’ve been doing for the past year is researching – researching eczema, researching psoriasis, researching all the different types, trying to find information,” she explained. “At the end of January, I came across an organisation that campaigns for Topical Steroid Withdrawal.
“I remember that day that I found out – everything clicked. The red sleeves, the red face, the peeling, the oozing, the inflammation, the burning – everything finally made sense and I saw photos of people who looked like me.
“I cannot believe that for the 18 months that I’d been going to and from the doctors, with all the symptoms of Topical Steroid Withdrawal and not once it was mentioned or queried. No one had mentioned it at all – and my life had become skin.
“I couldn’t do the things I normally do and I hid away. I had no idea it even existed.”
After a long struggle, Francesca found Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) Therapy, a non-invasive treatment that eases inflammation, destroys harmful bacteria, and aids in repairing the skin barrier. She was diagnosed with TSW following a consultation at a clinic that provides this privately available therapy.
In a bid to reclaim her life, Francesca took to the internet to share her ordeal with TSW and initiated a fundraising campaign.
“When I heard back from the UK clinic, at first I was overjoyed, but then pretty quickly I had no idea how I was going to afford it,” she admitted.
She recalled: “I remember I actually emailed them and I said ‘I’m really nervous, I don’t know if I can fund it; I don’t know if I can commit to it. I very much am that glass half full person, but this condition that has taken me into places so dark, I can’t believe I’ve been there.
“I’ve had very dark thoughts, very dark moments, and felt really at the bottom of a pit. You lose your confidence; people look at you differently.
“People judge you and all you can do is seek help – but there is no help out there. The mental side was tough, but I just knew I needed to try – and that’s why the GoFundMe page was started. I just felt like I was bearing my soul and bearing what happens behind closed doors – I was very nervous.”
Fortunately, within days, Francesca had received numerous messages of support and has undergone three sessions of CAP treatments. She says she has already noticed improvements and has even been able to afford essentials like new bandages to protect her irritated skin between sessions, which has been a “huge relief.”
The outpouring of support has given her the courage to share her story so others with TSW don’t have to feel isolated.
“I just cannot believe how generous people have been and are being for me – I am lost for words,” she expressed. “I have to bandage myself every night and then during the day if I’m going somewhere that there could be a possible irritant.
“These little things have made a huge, huge difference to my day-to-day life. I’m eternally grateful for that, and still very blown away.
“In the hell that I’ve been living, this has just been such a light for me. Prior to putting it out there, I was at my lowest I’ve ever been. People know now what’s going on and there’s no more hiding.”