I often receive the question subjected above with pictures of their symptoms from TSW (Topical Steroid Withdrawal) sufferers and caregivers on NMT (No Moisturizing Treatment) all over the world.
At the dried stage, most sufferers/caregivers are worried very much to misunderstand that it got aggravated because sufferers definitely have the intense itch and the skin covered with crusts all over doesn’t look good. The appearance may be the worst in the phase but completely dried skin is the beginning of the healing but not aggravation.
The sufferers who experienced NMT tend to express, “It gets worse once on NMT.” and I also explain, “Before healing, you feel like it got aggravated to have the intense itch and to see the bad appearance of the dried skin.” usually, but to be exact, “It started to heal.” This understanding is VERY important.
‘After the skin dried completely, healing happens. As long as you don’t have infections and other sicknesses or not in the special conditions such as pregnancy, please keep air-drying on NMT.’
I explained this many times here and there. Some sufferers panic with the symptoms, but if you have read these lines above, you don’t need to. They are the guide to whether you are heading in the right direction.
Check if the skin is completely dried. If I saw my completely dried skin during TSW, even if it looked ugly, I’d say, ‘Wow! Healing started finally!! Yeaaaahhhh!’😍
If you saw it, be happy. It’s a sign! Again, since you do NMT without NMT doctors and can’t get personal support usually, your own assessment is required. That is why I keep saying “Read all articles over and over again.” (In the ‘Recommended Posts in English’ Corner) and all successfully healed/improved readers learned NMT like that so they didn’t need to ask such a question in the subject.
During the dry phase, sufferers/parents tend to start the moisturizing acts due to anxiety, which causes the symptoms to start over. Healing is not linear so you or your baby/child would scratch over and over again in the dry stage and that’s not at a controllable level. The itch of the dried skin is bone-deep and VERY strong. You, especially caregivers, need to understand that it is an itchy sickness. Even if you or they scratch it, just air-dry again. If it bleeds, it is the advanced stage to compare with the one with the exudate so be happy!😉
Parents, please don’t get upset or stare at your child/baby while they are scratching to think about their mental status that affects their symptoms and let them air-dry again after they scratched.
Cut and fine nails often. You can try to let them avoid contact with dirty objects (such as sandboxes, etc…) to avoid frequent showers and hand washing. There are many other things that kids can enjoy. After the repetition of the ‘scratch-and-dry‘, the skin is getting stronger and healing happens. Parents’ perseverance is required for kids’ healing.
I have already explained things above over and over, here and there🥰. If you’d like to try NMT, please
learn it from the source so that you don’t need to worry too much and won’t get incorrect information.👇Below is the source to learn NMT👇
<<<Non Profit Organizations/ English version>>>
★Tokuko’s Room★(YouTube: To learn NMT protocol. English and Japanese subtitles are added by me and the web auto-translation for other languages is available.)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJWRvoB0mCWMKMCer4QO8DQ?view_as=subscriber
★Tokuko’s Room To Feel Uplifted★ (This Blog. English Version: To learn NMT basic protocol.)
http://tokuko.chu.jp/tokukonoheya/menu%e3%80%90posts-in-english%e3%80%91/
(There are Spanish version, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Dutch, Serbian etc…for better understandings. Need bilingual volunteers for more translation!)
★Tokuko’s 365 Days of Pep Talk for NMT★ (The other blog. English only. Tokuko’s advice for sufferers to learn NMT.)
http://tokukospeptalk.blog.jp/
★NMT Education Group★ (Facebook official Group: This group is designed for self-studying of NMT instead of NMT books)
*Please answer 3 questions to join. To protect group members, we need your agreement.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NMTeducationGP
★The NMT Healed Club★ (Facebook official Group: This group is for encouragement and learning the process visually with before and after pictures.)
*Please answer 3 questions to join. We have to protect group members. Without your agreement, admins need to disapprove your request.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NMTHealedClub
★Tokuko’s Room To Feel Uplifted (Facebook)★ (Facebook ‘Read Only’ page with lecture meetings’ info)
https://www.facebook.com/TokukosRoom/?ref=page_internal
Your correct knowledge will be the biggest supporter of this current world situation.
Be a master of NMT. It will help you out of TSW.
Hang in there!
Healing happens to you and your kids too!
When TSW sufferers get better, the redness (erythema) disappears. However, the epidermis (surface skin) at the red phase must be removed. Before it comes off, it changes into crust (scab). It looks ugly. At this point, TSW sufferers and caregivers think the situation worse. No! The situation is at one step before healing. Just endure itch and wait a little longer.
Thank you very much for your comment about aggravation before healing.
When TSW sufferers get better, the redness (erythema) disappear. However, the epidermis (surface skin) at red phase must be removed. Before it comes off, it changes into crust (scab). It looks ugly. At this point TSW sufferers and caregivers think the situation worse. No! The situation is at one step before healing. Just endure itch and wait a little longer.
Dr. Sato,
Thanks for your additional explanation! It definitely will help TSW sufferers who are on NMT.
I have added it to the article to be read by everyone. On behalf of the entire NMT groups’ members and readers of this blog, I’d like to say thank you very much for your deep love for the sufferers in the world! I really appreciate it!