Life with Eczema
I’ve had eczema since I was a baby and unlike most children that suffer from this, I was one of the unlucky ones that never grew out it. This has caused me to be insecure about many different aspects of my life from what I choose to wear, to what I use to wash my hair with.
During a “flare up” my skin can go from relatively blemish free, to an angry, red, painful, weeping, disgusting looking mess. It can happen as quickly as overnight and can last for months at a time (particularly in the colder weather). I have tried almost every emollient and steroid cream offered by shops and my doctor, at best they only keep the symptoms at bay and at worst they actually aggravate them. I have learned, through trial and error, what does and doesn’t work for my skin but this does continue to change as I try a new product or read about a new home remedy.
Living with eczema can be very disheartening, my first realisation that something was wrong with me happened in the school playground at 3 years old, when the other children didn’t want to play with me. They thought they could “catch” my eczema and avoided me at all costs. By some unknown miracle two little girls, who are still two of my closest friends, decided to ignore the other children and invite 3 year old Emma to play with them.
Over the last two decades I have had similar experiences and also found others like those two girls who overlooked what was happening with my skin and accepted it as part of the package.
Although I have grown accustomed to having this skin condition a flare up can be one of the loneliest times. Every movement can be extremely painful and you can’t sleep or you might wake up so many times throughout the night that you feel like a zombie when your alarm goes off. You’re convinced everyone is looking at your blotchy red face which you cannot cover with makeup and just water or even your own sweat feels like pouring acid on your skin. During these times, when making plans with friends would undoubtedly distract me from the misery I’m feeling, I tend to hole up in my room until the worst has passed.
At these times I go back to my doctor and resort to using the steroid creams I have been using for years (though I don’t believe they even have an affect on my skin anymore). I have found recently that during the good times and in conjunction with my regular moisturisers from my GP, using coconut oil daily and especially when I’ve just gotten out of the shower really eases my symptoms. The oil is cool and soothes the itching (it also helps that it smells much nicer than most eczema approved emollients in my opinion). I take fish oil supplements and antihistamines every day to help combat my naturally dry skin and any allergens that might cause a flare up. I use only natural or dermatologically approved cleansing products for my hair & body and they seem to work for me. I have noticed with eczema though, that a product I have been using for years can suddenly negatively affect my skin and I will be off in search for something new. It is essential for me that I regularly cut my nails, keeping them clean and short helps ensure that even if I do have a flare up, it doesn’t become infected. With my eczema being the worst on my hands I have to wear cotton gloves to avoid itching whilst asleep (one of my worst habits and an extremely difficult one to break).
I wanted to write about my experience so that if you know anyone who suffers from eczema, cut them a little slack during the bad times, chances are they’re feeling extremely insecure and are probably in a fair amount of pain. If they don’t want to make plans maybe suggest staying at home and watching films. If they snap at you don’t take it personally, they might not be sleeping very well. If they’re in the middle of a flare up and their face is red and blotchy try not to stare or bring attention to it, they’re probably already wishing they could cover it with something. Point it out if they’re itching but don’t make them feel bad about it, they’re likely trying their best avoid doing it. Finally, give them a hug, physical contact from another human being is known to release oxytocin, increase the feeling of calm and help reduce anxiety.
