Illustrating our itchy lives,

normalizing eczema &

raising awareness about TSW

  • In 2023, an artist experiencing topical steroid withdrawal started sharing skin positive drawings. What started as a way to cope has grown into a space for creativity, connection, and meaningful advocacy.

  • Learn the basics of topical steroid withdrawal and why awareness matters.

    Search your topical steroid to understand its class and how it might affect your skin.

    Meet our sisterhood of eczema and TSW warriors who share their stories and advocate for awareness.

    Discover how the Healing Fund offers financial support to those deeply impacted.

    Download artwork created to represent and empower those living with eczema, TSW, and other visible skin conditions.

    Read the latest issue of the International TSW Organization’s biannual magazine

  • Shop apparel and accessories that speak louder than your flare. Start conversations, raise awareness, and wear your truth. A portion of proceeds from fuels our Healing Fund.

Wait… what’s steroid withdrawal?

Imagine your skin getting worse because of your medication.

Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW) is a severe, preventable condition caused by topical steroids—the standard first-line treatment for eczema. When these ointments are reduced or stopped, debilitating symptoms can appear, sometimes years after use. Despite its seriousness, TSW is frequently dismissed as “worsening eczema.” But it is not eczema. It is a reaction to steroids—and it is real.

*TSW is known by many names — including Red Skin Syndrome (RSS) and Steroid Addiction — and can be triggered not just by steroid creams, but also by oral steroids and injections.

** Not everyone who uses topical steroids will develop this condition.

  • You might experience redness, intense burning, stinging, flaking, oozing, and an all-consuming itch that feels violently different from any flare you've had before.

  • You might realize the steroids you rely on just aren’t working the same anymore. The flares have spread to unusual places and nothing seems to help.

  • You might go to the doctor, hoping for answers but told it’s “just worsening eczema” and handed a stronger steroid.

  • You might randomly lose your eyebrows.

  • You might develop symptoms beyond the skin, including swollen lymph nodes, severe insomnia, hormone dysregulation, vascular issues, and nerve pain.

  • You might become bed-bound, unable to care for yourself, relying on loved ones to get through basic daily life.

  • You might cover your mirrors because you don't recognize the reflection staring back at you.

  • You might feel pain in ways that are hard to explain.

  • You might begin to think you'll never heal....

  • ...but you will. This isn’t the end of your story and you don't have to do it alone.

  • There’s no map for this — but there are footprints to follow.

  • ↓ Scroll Down ↓

Let’s start by introducing you to people who get it.

A young woman showing TSW eczema, red, inflamed skin on her face and neck, standing in a shower with white tiled walls.

Meet Lea

Ambassador Spotlight

“Navigating the ups and downs of TSW can feel exhausting and overwhelming at times. Each day brings its own challenges—some days may show signs of improvement, only to be followed by a tougher day. But remember this: every single day off steroids is a step closer to healing. Progress may feel slow, but it is happening.”

@leatswjourney

✓ Sensitive Skin Approved Fabrics

✓ Global Shipping

✓ Buy Now, Pay Later with Klarna and Afterpay

✓ Sensitive Skin Approved Fabrics ✓ Global Shipping ✓ Buy Now, Pay Later with Klarna and Afterpay

Awareness

Apparel

Designed to spark conversations about TSW

A collection of cotton t-shirts and accessories featuring simple truths and removable tags (because our necks are itchy enough)

Lea wearing TSW Is Not Eczema Long Sleeve Shirt

$25

A person wearing a hat that advocates for topical steroid withdrawal.

Best Seller

Best Seller

Chloe wearing Personally Victimized Distressed Dad Hat

$25

Black mug with white text defining "TSW Warrior" and listing humorous and serious definitions, placed on a white desk alongside a plant, a keyboard, and stacked books.

Best Seller

Best Seller

TSW Warrior Definition Mug

$14

New Item

New Item

Liv wearing F Steroids Beanie

$18

✓ Sensitive Skin Approved Fabrics

✓ Global Shipping

✓ Buy Now, Pay Later with Klarna and Afterpay

✓ Sensitive Skin Approved Fabrics ✓ Global Shipping ✓ Buy Now, Pay Later with Klarna and Afterpay

The TSW Healing Fund

A portion of every Awareness Apparel purchase goes directly into our Healing Fund — a small but meaningful financial gift we offer to someone currently battling Topical Steroid Withdrawal. It’s about helping someone survive today — whether that means covering therapy, medical treatments, a safe place to rest, or just catching their breath.

  • The Healing Fund is a small, donation-supported resource created to offer financial relief to individuals currently experiencing TSW. This fund is a no-strings-attached gift, meant to provide practical support during one of the hardest times in life.

  • This fund is specifically for anyone actively living through the symptoms and challenges of Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW). It is open to people of any gender, any age and from anywhere in the world.

  • Phase 1: Fundraising
    Npw through the end of 2025, we’re focused on building the fund through Awareness Apparel sales and donations via GoFundMe.

    Phase 2: Applications & Selection
    Once the fundraising goal is reached, we’ll open applications to those actively living through TSW.

    Phase 3: Selection Distribution
    Applications will be reviewed with care by our trusted Ambassadors and fund(s) will be released immediately to selected recipient(s).

  • For those going through TSW, life doesn’t pause — but it often feels like everything falls apart. Many people in the thick of withdrawal face not just the physical agony, but the emotional and financial devastation that comes with it.

    People lose jobs.
    People leave school.
    People walk away from careers, social lives, and dreams — not because they want to, but because their bodies demand all their energy just to get through to the next day.

    For so many, TSW turns life into survival mode. The only priority becomes resting, healing, and enduring. But while skin is trying to recover, bills still come. Rent is due. Food needs to be bought. Medications need to be paid for. It’s exhausting, and the stress of financial insecurity only makes healing harder.

    The Healing Fund exists for this reason: To help our fellow TSW warriors specifically the ones going through this alone in a real and tangible way.

    In the community, we often say, “We’re in this together.”

    This fund is a reflection of that — a real, actionable way to show that our community supports one another through the hardest moments of this journey.

↳ Donate Directly
↳ Learn More
Digital illustration of a woman with dark curly hair wearing a white sports bra and matching underwear, with her right hand on her hip and face turned slightly away.

Every skin deserves to be seen, supported, & celebrated— especially the sensitive ones.

Download them — whether you're a small business looking for thoughtful artwork for social media, or someone who wants to make a personal poster for your wall, mirror, or fridge. If you’re feeling generous, tip!

Don’t see what you need? Let’s create something special. Get in Touch.

  • Mother Earth

  • Digital illustration of a woman wearing a black bra and matching underwear, with her hands touching her shoulders against a transparent background.

    When Body is Fire and Also On Fire

  • Digital illustration of a woman with fair skin in a black tank top, touching her chest with her left hand, showing the upper part of her torso and part of her neck against a pink checkered background.

    Arm Flare Study

  • A hand holding a pink, heart-patterned balloon with a small dark stain on it, against a pink checkered background.

    Quick, Let's Confuse The Boys

  • Digital illustration of a woman with black hair in a black sports bra and black underwear, reaching out with one hand, standing against a pink checkered background.

    Shake It Out

  • A digital illustration depicting a person holding their knee with visible redness and irritation on the skin.

    Leg Flare Study

  • A woman with brown skin wearing pink heart-patterned shorts making a heart shape with her hands over her lower stomach, against a pink checkered background.

    Self Love

  • A woman with long dark hair wearing a white robe, taking a selfie with her phone, revealing red and irritated skin on her face, neck, and shoulder.

    Bathroom Selfie