Mum ‘gets her life back’ with ‘simple treatment’ for severe eczema

A woman who was signed off work for five weeks after her severe eczema left customers refusing to let her touch their car keys has opened up about her experience with topical steroid withdrawal (TSW). Louise Wilde, 31, from Nantwich in Cheshire, has battled eczema since the age of four, with flare-ups appearing on the backs of her legs and the crooks of her arms.

By the time she reached six or seven, her eczema had subsided following herbal supplements, and she lived a normal life until she was 18, when she suddenly developed severe hay fever and her skin grew increasingly reactive. Shortly afterwards, she began working in a cocktail bar where her hands were perpetually wet, leading to pompholyx eczema — a particularly aggressive form of the condition that triggers intensely itchy blisters across the hands.

On Christmas Day 2016, her hands became so inflamed, swollen and painful that she was forced to seek hospital treatment. Every finger had split open, bleeding and weeping. She was unable to bend them or dress herself.

Her GP prescribed oral steroids, which temporarily cleared the condition, only for it to return immediately.

From that moment, Louise found herself trapped in a vicious cycle. Steroid creams were prescribed on a continuous basis and the intervals between flare-ups became progressively shorter. Without even realising it, she had developed topical steroid withdrawal.

“My skin had become dependent on steroids and could no longer function without them,” she said. The most severe flare-up occurred in early 2024. She awoke to discover her skin worsening as the day progressed. She experienced chills, her skin was weeping and her eyes became so swollen she could scarcely see. The consequences at work were devastating.

Louise said: “I work in a client-facing role in the automotive industry and some customers would ask if my skin was contagious or refuse to let me handle their car keys for fear of catching something.”

The situation deteriorated to such an extent that Louise required five weeks off work as she was physically and mentally unable to continue. Desperately seeking a lasting remedy, she started investigating options and discovered red light therapy.

Louise said: “After my very first session using light therapy, which took just 20 minutes, the difference was genuinely immediate. My skin felt calm for the first time in years.

“My husband couldn’t believe it, the redness had reduced, the itching had stopped, and that was the turning point for me.”

Initially, Louise visited the clinic twice weekly and adhered to a rigorous no-moisture treatment regime for four months, enabling her skin to relearn its natural functions.

“It was incredibly tough. My skin became dry, flaky and uncomfortable, but it stopped the constant weeping and allowed it to begin healing properly. Combined with the red light therapy, it sped up my recovery,” she said.

Louise has now been entirely steroid-free for 790 days. She still experiences occasional flare-ups triggered by hormonal changes or certain foods, yet manages her condition using a portable red light device at home alongside a straightforward skincare routine recommended by the clinic. She is also a mother to two daughters – Edie, six, and Mabel, nine months old.

Louise said: “The impact this has had on my life is huge. Now, I feel like a weight has been lifted. I’m not constantly thinking about my skin or relying on steroids.

“I’ve got my confidence back and can enjoy life again, especially with my daughters. It’s crazy to think that something as simple as red light therapy treatment has completely given me my life back.”