Hundreds contact BBC about mystery skin condition 'hell' - but doctors can't agree it exists

Hundreds contact BBC about mystery skin condition 'hell' - but doctors can't agree it exists7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRuth CleggHealth and wellbeing reporter@bee.thebraveBethany Norman felt so worried about TSW after experiencing it herself she refused to put steroid creams on her baby sonTwo weeks ago, I wrote a BBC News article about the impact of a severe and often misunderstood skin condition many people have been sharing on social media, called topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).For some, it's a severe case of eczema. For others, it's a condition in its own right. The problem is doctors can't agree on what it is.The article hit a nerve - millions of people read it and 240 got in touch.So what's going on? I have now spoken to more patients and doctors about why this condition remains such an enigma.In hospital, with her arms wrapped in bandages, Bethany Norman held onto her baby son. He had eczema but, against the advice of doctors, she was adamant he would not have steroid creams to treat it."Look at what this medication has done to me? Why would I put it on my own son?" she remembers screaming.The 36-year-old believes the creams she was prescribed to manage her life-long struggles with eczema had left her battling with TSW.At that point she had open wounds, a relentless bone-deep itch and her skin would not stop shedding. She says she felt like a prisoner in her own body.There was no way, she says, she would risk her new baby ending up the same way."I've been told by countless medics that all I have is a severe flare up of eczema and steroid creams will sort it."They just made it worse."Steroid creams have been used since the 1950s, and have helped millions manage their eczema and live a normal life. They range from mild over-the-counter hydrocortisone to more potent versions available only on prescription.But there is now a group of patients who feel these widely used, safe a...