A 21-year-old who went from being a keen footballer to "bedridden" after he stopped using a steroid cream to treat his eczema says, at his lowest point, it felt like he "was being electrocuted every second". Meilir Rowlands has lived with eczema his whole life, and had used topical steroid creams prescribed by his doctor "on and off" since he was a baby. But when he tried to stop using the cream about three years ago, his skin progressively got much worse and he later discovered he had topical steroid withdrawal (TSW). NICE advises that TSW reactions are rare, but can occur with "long-term or inappropriate" use of topical steroids, particularly moderate to high strength. Eczema affects approximately 10% to 20% of children and 2% to 10% of adults worldwide, according to the National Eczema Association.