Would You Ever Go to a Skin Clinic?

When it comes to severe eczema and topical steroid withdrawal, the desperation is real. It's painful, emotionally, when there seems to be nothing helping our skin.

But what if there is a place that truly understands our concerns, fears, and needs?

Cue, Louise

On a whim, knowing she could easily be overlooked, U.K. native, Louise King, sent in her intense TSW photo to a well-known pathologist on Instagram, Mrs. Angemi. Louise was new to the TSW community and had been dealing with her severe eczema for a very long time. Mrs. Angemi, once a week, posts a "mystery diagnosis," which she then explains later on in the week. Because of the severity and lack of knowledge surrounding TSW, Mrs. Angemi gave Louise the spotlight, highlighting her photo and what topical steroid withdrawal is all about.

An outpouring of support

It completely changed Louise's life.

"At the time," Louise stated, "Mrs. Angemi had over a million followers, and my phone blew up!! It was awesome recognition for TSW, and I'm still glad she gave me that opportunity as most of her followers are medical students."

Using her voice for others

Once you get into the thick of TSW, it is very hard to keep your voice hidden. Because of the uptick in Louise's followers, she became well known. She ended up meeting with four other sufferers and grew emboldened to use her voice for others.

"Their passion drove my passion to make changes to the way topical steroids are used and dispensed, as well as the advisories around side effects they contain," she explained.

A new treatment option

While becoming quite the poster child on Instagram for TSW, Louise saw and heard of many different treatments, potions, and lotions being peddled. One, however, piqued her interest.

A skin clinic in Singapore

A clinic in Singapore offers special treatments to those with severe atopic skin. A friend of Louise divulged how amazing and innovative the clinic is and how certain she felt it could help her gain some normalcy once more.

Louise knew she had to check it out.

A trip to see the clinic

She packed her bags and headed to Singapore for a few months. She was besotted with the clinic's immaculate care, as well as the beauty that Singapore shared.

"It was incredible," she described. "The treatment was amazing, and I made many friends over there. Jay, who treats many TSW people, is a true hero. I miss Singapore every day and would love to live there again one day!"

A new dream

A pang of guilt grew in her soul when she returned from her trip. Going to Singapore was a luxury, something others could never afford. The care was unparalleled, a game-changer in TSW treatment. So, she began researching how to open her own skin clinic.

She knew it was a mighty task, one that would take many long days and nights, along with sweat and tears. Louise also knew that she couldn't do it alone.

Teaming up

"I teamed up with Jing (another TSW sufferer) from Singapore who became my business partner, and we now run Skin Solace Aesthetic Clinic together in the U.K.,"  she expressed. "I think Jing's passion to move to the U.K. helped propel me – I couldn't have done it without her. Some dreams do come true…"

It took them many grueling months to finally open their clinic. But when it opened, it was quite an accomplishment.

"It has been the most difficult but rewarding part of my life," Louise declared. "There were times it kept me alive… I was so poorly through the process of setting up the clinic, and we had so much negativity, but we kept going. It was important then, but now being able to see people like me getting better makes it 100% worth it."

Skin Solace Aesthetic Clinic

So what exactly can you find at her clinic?

"We currently offer Ultra-Pulse CAP therapy for Skin Regeneration – this is especially effective for TSW skin. It is a special form of electromagnetic wave therapy that helps reverse the effects of prolonged topical steroid usage by increasing the skin's cell proliferation back to a normal healthy rate. It's super cool."

They also offer a skin serum, C.J. Rejuvenate, for skin repair.

It is all very exciting, knowing that this is available so much closer to home.

The future

"I hope to open another clinic within 5 years, where it is needed," Louise said with intrigue. "Watch this space!"

I can't wait!

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The Singapore clinic can be found on Instagram: @skinhealthcentre.sg
Louise's Instagram: @louigi.skin
Skin Solace Aesthetic Clinic Instagram: @skinsolaceclinic.uk