Australian man makes drastic move in attempt to clear his skin

While most Aussies might simply just switch up their beauty products to fix their skin, one man has resorted to desperate measures.

While most Aussies might simply just switch up their beauty products to fix their skin, one man has resorted to desperate measures.

While most Aussies might reach for a new cleanser or moisturiser in a bid to improve their skin, one unfortunate Queenslander has had to resort to a wild measure to fix his.

For more than three years, Jordan Hendey has been locked in a painful battle with his skin while trying to wean it off topical steroid treatment, which he relied on for several years.

Early last year he began documenting his experience on social media, revealing – in often confronting detail – just how challenging it was trying to force his skin to sustain itself.

His initial decision to stop using steroids was motivated by his body’s inability to produce its own cortisol, which made his skin hypersensitive to new environments and caused him to break out in painful rashes.

He began reducing his dosage in 2020 with the hope that his skin would ultimately readjust on its own, but by 2022, it was clear it would take an extra push.

Jordan Hendey suffered painful and uncomfortable flaking for years. Picture: Ctrl. Skin

He announced his latest move this week. Picture: Ctrl. Skin

Mr Hendey began “no moisture treatment” which included reducing his water intake and abstaining from using creams.

He experienced gradual but significant success and even more so during a trip to Thailand, where the humidity in the air saw his limbs and face clear up massively.

Recently in his hometown of Kingscliff however, cooler conditions brought on flaking so severe his skin went back to almost the same as it was at the beginning of his journey.

In a desperate bid to get on top of the issue for good, he and his partner Karys Stapley made the decision to uproot their lives and move to Bali, Indonesia.

@ctrl.skin I’ve moved to Bali! 🌴💙 Humidity has always been so good for my skin so keen to see how my healing progresses over here. #tsw#ctrlskin#topicalsteroidwithdrawal#healingprocess#topicalsteroidawareness♬ original sound - ctrl.skin

“Welcome to my new home, as you can tell it’s pretty tropical which means it’s humid, which means I’m much happier,” Mr Hendey announced in a video this week.

“We’ve moved to Bali and we’re hoping to stay for the next 12 months, maybe longer depending on how long it takes my skin to get better.”

He explained it had, for the last couple of weeks, been particularly difficult with the conditions being colder in Kingscliff.

“All of a sudden the humidity went and it got so bad, my skin was just flaking like it was back at the start,” he said.

“Just before we were leaving, I was on the ground in the fetal position and super uncomfortable. So I’m stoked to be here … I’m already starting to feel a lot better.”

Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome is a debilitating condition that can arise from the use of topical steroids to treat a skin problem, such as eczema or from topical steroid use in individuals with no prior skin condition.

Topical steroids are also called topical corticosteroids, glucocorticosteroids, and cortisone, and come in several forms including creams, ointments, oils, gels, and lotions.

TSW is a condition caused inadvertently by a medical treatment and not everyone who uses topical steroids will develop TSW.

It is unclear why some individuals experience TSW secondary to topical steroid therapy and others don’t.

Keep the conversation going, email [e-mail]