I wrote this blog post below nearly two years ago. Since then, I’ve received a few heartfelt messages from the community asking me to elaborate on the finer details. I started writing every night and there is so much more to my taper journey which far exceeded this internet blog post. This has evolved into a book that I’ve been working on for a long time. 📖 Taper is now is available. I hope my story can help anyone who’s on a similar journey.
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My name is Jason Vergara, founder of TSW Assist. This is my journey of tapering off Diprosone, a highly potent steroid cream I almost daily used for nearly two decades. What started as relief for childhood eczema became a long and painful battle with both eczema and withdrawal symptoms from topical steroids.
Early Eczema Struggles
I was born in 1991 in Sydney, Australia. At seven years old, I was hospitalised at Westmead Children’s Hospital due to severe eczema. Steroid creams gave me the freedom to live without constant flare-ups, and over time, I became reliant on them. For years, I thought I was just managing my condition, but in reality, my skin health deteriorated in cycles of eczema flares, steroid dependence, and withdrawal. I misused high potency topical steroids almost everyday for nearly two decades.
Discovering TSW
In 2014, I stumbled across Dr Marvin Rapaport’s research on Topical Steroid Withdrawal. It described exactly what I was going through—skin that burned, cracked, and oozed, along with anxiety, insomnia, and a host of other symptoms. This was not the same eczema I experienced as a child!
I also discovered the work of ITSAN and joined numerous Facebook groups detailing the horrendous stories of Topical Steroid Withdrawal. The groups shared stories of healing from TSW Warriors who had quit topical steroids abruptly and entirely and emerged healed after months or years of suffering. Many of the TSW Warriors have become my dear friends over the years.
I decided to quit steroids cold turkey, hoping for a fresh start, but the withdrawal symptoms were brutal. My skin flared uncontrollably, and I struggled with new food intolerances, night sweats, and thermoregulation issues.
After repeated attempts, I realised quitting cold turkey was too harsh. It was brutal and I had to quit my job on my longest attempts. Every time I stopped, I ended up in the same cycle—needing steroids again just to get through. I knew I had to find another way.
After consultations with many local doctors, the medical advice was to taper off topical steroids gradually.



Different Taper Methods
I continued to try many different methods of tapering down different frequencies of ointment application and varying topical steroid potencies. Many doctors suggested different methods and I found myself stuck in a limbo – feeling like taking one step forward and two steps back with my health. I was able to eventually taper down to using topical steroids just once every three days but my skin was in terrible condition. Every steroid application day felt like a check-point to the next few days.
A Compound Cream
In 2016, I was prescribed a unique compound cream, which combined a lower-strength steroid with an antibiotic cream and a moisturiser into a compound cream. I also followed a custom tailored protocol of gradual steroid reduction.
One of the critical treatment targets in this regimen is the mitigation of pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in eczema patients 8. According to Dr. Aron, S. aureus can exacerbate eczema symptoms, leading to more severe flare-ups and a compromised skin barrier. The inclusion of an antibiotic component in the compound cream is said to address this important underlying bacterial issue, which is often overlooked in traditional eczema treatments.
Within a week, my skin was the best it had been in years. Following the regimen’s slow tapering process, I was able to reduce my usage to just once a day. Life felt normal again. I traveled, ate whatever I wanted, and forgot about eczema for the first time in a long while. I even got some tattoos.
But after four years, the compound cream stopped working. I fell back into the same cycle—using the cream aggressively to get my skin to a healthy point, tapering down, only to relapse again. Every time I tried to reduce my usage to less than once a day, my skin flared with familiar symptoms: bumpy, cracked, oozing skin that felt like it was on fire. It became clear that I couldn’t rely on steroids forever.
At the time, I was also working late nights in the office, drinking alcohol and eating junk food. Intuitively, I knew that my skin condition was hybrid combination of topical steroid withdrawal, and a resurgence of uncontrolled eczema from an unhealthy lifestyle.
I’m grateful to have been treated with this regimen, but personally for me, it was not a stand-alone cure for my eczema and TSW. My skin kept severely rebounding every time I reduced to compound cream applications. I needed a more integrative approach and address other areas of my health.
Another Cold Turkey Attempt and Relapse
In 2020, when the pandemic hit and the world shut down, I decided to give cold turkey TSW another try and quit topical steroids abruptly. I was stuck at home, lost my job, and thought this was my chance to quit steroids for good.
The first few weeks were pure agony. My skin tore open, bled, and oozed uncontrollably. I couldn’t regulate my body temperature, my eyebrows and hair started falling out, and I was constantly itchy. Sleep was impossible, and the depression that followed felt overwhelming.
After a month of this, I gave in. I relapsed, and went back to using topical steroids. I was exhausted—mentally, physically, emotionally. I knew I needed a break from the suffering, so I went back to using the compound cream aggressively to stabilise my skin. This time, I approached it differently, determined to taper off slowly and mindfully.



Lifestyle Changes and Mental Health
During this time, I began shifting my lifestyle. I cleaned up my diet, cutting out sugar, alcohol, and processed foods. With the support of a naturopath, I experimented with various supplements, including zinc, magnesium, and probiotics, which improved my sleep, gut health, and overall well-being.
Mentally, I adopted practices like meditation, mindfulness, and deep breathing exercises. Books like The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Joe Dispenza’s courses on the power of the mind helped me manage the anxiety and stress that came with TSW. I also started cold exposure therapy, cold showers, and ice baths, which significantly reduced inflammation and flare-ups.
Incorporating these changes into my lifestyle, helped me taper the topical steroids down to just once every three days! There were flare-ups and speed-bumps along the way but I felt like I was on the right path. My skin was responding very well to these optimisations!
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
I was introduced to a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor in Sydney who specialised in eczema. His acupuncture treatments and herbal teas helped improve my condition and overall health. Within a month, I saw improvements to my eczema, asthma, and sleep quality. I felt healthier overall and my skin felt more resilient.
This felt like a turning point. I continued with Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments for a year, while slowly tapering the steroid compound cream down from two times a day to just once every seven days!
Eventually, I asked myself—do I really need this steroid compound cream cream anymore? So, I stopped.
Finally Completed My Taper
One week passed, no TSW symptoms.
Two weeks passed. One month.
Three months.
Six months. No TSW symptoms.
No itching, oozing, bleeding, ripping, temperature fluctuations. Nothing. Only mild nummular eczema spots!
I can’t say for sure whether it was solely the Traditional Chinese Medicine that helped me, or a combination of everything I was doing at the same time.
I was still tapering off very slowly with the compound cream, eating high protein nutritious food, avoiding alcohol and sugar, taking supplements, avoiding external irritants, daily meditation and deep breath-work, exercising, managing my stress, and taking cold showers.
I firmly believe that it was the result of a combination of all of these.
📆 Update: September 2024
In 2024, I proudly share that my skin is still in good condition. The last time I used topical steroids was on the 12th of November, 2021. While I still experience mild eczema flares, they are far less severe than what I endured during TSW. The main difference is the absence of oozing, excessive flaking, ripping skin, and thermoregulation issues.
I now live with what I call plain old eczema—patchy, dry, and sometimes itchy. I deal with light dandruff, especially during the Australian winter. Long hours sitting at a desk affect my circulation and, in turn, my skin. Lack of sleep, stress, and junk food can still trigger dryness, but overall, my condition is manageable. Most days, I barely need to moisturise, and my morning routine takes only five minutes. I no longer obsess over my skin or appearance.
I stay active with regular camping trips, and my skin can now handle physical activities like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. I even learned to surf last year. I still take cold showers and daily supplements like magnesium, zinc, and probiotics. Every few months, I get acupuncture and drink TCM herbal teas for a week. I maintain a balanced diet of animal protein, fruits, and vegetables, with minimal sugar, fast food, or alcohol. My skin isn’t perfect, but it grows stronger every day, and the struggle of TSW feels like a distant memory.

FAQ
Which is better? Tapering down from topical steroids or cold turkey TSW?
Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer for this and I can only share my experience. Like me, there are some who were able to taper off topical steroids completely. There are also many who claim it only prolonged their topical steroid withdrawal journey and delayed the inevitable. Having tried both methods, in my personal experience, the taper method was less brutal and I was able to live a somewhat normal life.
If you are going through long term TSW after choosing to stop topical steroids abruptly and completely, please do not let my own personal experience impact your judgment and intuition of your own personal journey! If you are months or years into your own cold turkey TSW journey and plan to never use topical steroids again, you have my full respect and I wholeheartedly admire your courage. There are many TSW warriors in the community who have chosen this path.
Related article: Cold Turkey vs Tapering Off Topical Steroids – Both Methods Explained
Why did you create TSW Assist?
I created TSW Assist because I climbed out of the dark hole that is Topical Steroid Withdrawal, and I know there are many people still there. I also want people to know that quitting topical steroids cold-turkey is not the only method to heal. It was extremely challenging and healing was not linear, but tapering off topical steroids is indeed possible. The years of TSW were the most physically brutal and psychologically painful years of my life. The lack of support and solutions spiralled my hopelessness and desperation.
I don’t have the answers or the cure for this illness, however I cracked my own personal health code and I found some solutions that work for me. Through the crowd sourced insights from the TSW community on this website, I hope together we can uncover effective ways to manage the symptoms experienced during the withdrawal period.
If you are in the thick of your own TSW tapering journey, I hope my story gives you hope that it is indeed possible to get better. And you will get better.
Taper is now available.
📖 I wrote the blog post above nearly two years ago. Since then, I’ve received a few heartfelt messages from the community asking me to elaborate on the finer details of my journey of tapering off topical steroids. I started writing every night and there is so much more to my taper journey which far exceeded this internet blog post. This has evolved into a book that I’ve been working on for a long time.
“Taper” is now is available. I hope my full story can help anyone who’s on a similar journey.