Ecze-Me: My Extreme Journey through Eczema
Warning: Some images in this story may make the faint-of-heart queasy.
Growing up, I didn’t have many issues with eczema, I would get some patches here and there and would remedy it quickly by either changing a skincare product that I was using or just not itch it. Eczema is a medical condition in which patches of skin become rough and inflamed, with blisters that cause itching and bleeding. Eczema can either be hereditary or be an allergic reaction to several different factors like skincare ingredients or heat. Unfortunately for me, it’s both hereditary and affected by certain types of skincare, heat, and humidity. As of right now, eczema does not have a cure. There are several medicines that can help reduce flare-ups like antibiotics and steroid creams.
In 2018, I had my first extreme flare-up with eczema. I had been living in Florida for about a year, where the humidity is very wet, then moved back home to upstate New York, where the humidity is very dry. I had a severe eczema patch under my wrist that looked awful. It was red, flaky, had a terrible itch, and was quite unsightly. I was very self-conscious at work, it was noticeable even with long sleeves and I knew everyone was staring at it. It took a few months to clear up, but with the help of steroid cream and the will to not itch, it cleared up. But I had another flare-up in 2020 that was even more drastic, and I was worried my skin was going to be damaged forever.
My day started out like any other. I woke up, washed my face, and got myself ready for work. I began to notice I had a few itchy bumps under my nose. Thinking, “Oh, it’s probably just my eczema flaring up, I’ll just put some steroid cream on it and it will go away.” Well, I did this for about 4 months and it would go away for a bit, then come back. I did some research to try and figure out what was causing the patches underneath my nose to come back. Well, come to find out, you should never use a steroid cream on your face unless prescribed by a dermatologist. A big no-no.
Once I found this out, I cut cold-turkey. Two days later, after I thought I started to see an improvement, my face broke out horribly.
The skin around my mouth was red, itchy, irritated, and covered in blisters. Lucky for me, this was right as the lockdown happened and I was in quarantine. The positive of this was that I was not at work, which is a guest-facing job. I could not put on makeup to cover it up and I was extremely self-conscious. I didn’t want to take any photos of myself on social media; I didn’t even want to Snapchat my closest friends who I knew wouldn’t judge me for how I looked.
I felt very defeated. Like I said before, I thought I had ruined my skin forever. Looking up symptoms on Google certainly doesn’t help either. I could only wash my face with water because it was so sensitive. I would sit on the couch, not doing anything, and was in so much discomfort just sitting there. My face constantly itched, felt like it was on fire and of course, I couldn’t do anything to remedy that except to just sit there and deal with it. I was constantly saying to my boyfriend, “I just want my skin to go back to normal.” But, with the help of my dermatologist and prescribed medicine, my skin slowly started the heal and get back to normal. I also threw away any skincare I had before the reaction and replaced it all with products that were better for my skin.
Social Media shows the best and most exciting parts of our lives, but we tend to forget (like I did) that our lives are not indeed perfect. Scrolling through Instagram I was constantly seeing women who had perfect skin, and I was comparing myself to them. I had to remind myself that like me, everyone chooses the photos we show with the world. It does not show all sides of our lives; things are not as they seem outside the digital world. I decided to write about my journey with eczema in case someone who is dealing with a similar situation comes across this. Eczema should become normalized because it is not something that is contagious or hideous, it is something that can happen beyond our control. It may not seem like it now but it will get better and you will feel more confident than you were before, confident and with eczema. And my tip to you, don’t use a steroid cream on your face.
