Eczema

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in posting! I have been very busy with the first quarter of junior year, but I am excited to get back to posting monthly.

Eczema, or Atopic Dermatitis, is defined as an itchy inflammation of the skin. Eczema is most likely caused by dryness of skin, which prevents that skin from protecting itself. 

You may be wondering why I am talking about skin on my asthma blog, but did you know that over half of patients with moderate to severe eczema also have or will develop asthma? I was very surprised to read this. I learned that this is called an atopic march because there is a relationship, but it is not well understood. I decided that since there is a good chance many of you have had eczema, I would share my experience with it! 

Several years ago, I had eczema on the back of my legs and my inner arms. Both of these spots were the locations that my skin touched when I bent my arms or legs, respectively. 

It was very itchy, patchy, and even burned when I sweated! Furthermore, I was very self-conscious of it, especially because it appeared right before the start of fifth grade. I did not want my new teachers and classmates to see it. In reality, it was not as noticeable as I thought! My mom has told me I also struggled with eczema a lot when I was a toddler, which I don’t recall, of course 😉 

Using gentle soaps, moisturizer, and applying a medicated cream that my allergist gave me allowed me to get my eczema under control! 

If you are suffering from eczema you are not alone, it affects roughly 1-3% of adults and 10-20% of children… including yours truly 🙂