Background
Name: Diana Pham
Age: 29 (as of 2019)
Sex: Female
Ethnicity: Asian American
Initial reason for topical steroid cream prescription: To treat eczema
Topical steroids used: OTC Hydrocortisone 1% (Class 7); Desonide 0.05% (Class 6)
Duration of usage: 2x daily for 10 years
Application sites: Face: left and right cheeks; occasionally breast tissue (only for 3-4 years and only hydrocortisone)
Other products regularly used: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, Blistex Five Star Lip Protection, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, (predominantly only) Dove branded shampoo, Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste, occasionally Listerine
Other health issues: CPTSD, PMS/PMDD, depression, anxiety, eating disorder, chronic hives, histamine intolerance, lactose intolerance, mild asthma, subclinical hypothyroidism
Reason for stopping steroids: Diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism (very sensitive to symptoms). Medication didn't work out. Got curious if synthetic cortisol from steroids somehow affected thyroid hormones. Wanted to try getting off steroids to see if mood disorder and other hypothyroid symptoms would get better.
Any TSA/RSS symptoms before TSW?: Through out the years, I noticed if I missed a day of putting on creams, my face would begin getting really red and bumpy. Upon applying the steroid creams, the redness and bumps would go away quickly. This would happen more frequently as time went by (aka in the latter years of my steroid cream usage) so I was more disciplined in applying the steroid creams on schedule.
Plan for TSW: Following No Moisturizing Treatment (NMT) protocol advocated by Dr. Kenji Sato
Reason for choosing NMT: I could rely on the science behind NMT. The projected shorter healing time seemed promising. It seemed more logical and comfortable to me to try to promote healthy lifestyle changes from NMT than buying and trying all sorts of products.