Living with eczema has been a gift and a curse. I have lived with eczema since I was a toddler. I would hear stories from my godmother and mom telling about that the first time I broke out. They thought I had an allergic reaction to something I ate. Little did they know it was the first sign of eczema.

When I entered childhood I was ashamed of my skin because people would look at me or stare and ask questions about why my skin looked like that. There was even a time my skin became so bad there were scars and my skin had open wounds. The neighbors called child protective services on my mom because they thought that my mom was abusing me. The neighbors didn’t realize it was eczema.

I was finally diagnosed with eczema when I was 9 years old. The doctor gave me a prescription for topical steroids. It cleared up for years. During my teenage years I had eczema flare ups on some spots on my body. I would put on the cream and then it was gone.

Fast forward to my 30s. My eczema came back with a vengeance. I never thought a skin condition could make you feel so low and depressed. People kept staring at me and asking me questions. I couldn’t stand it. There were times that I didn’t want to live anymore. Now that I have been introduced to a new medicine called Dupixent, hopefully, God willing, my skin will get better.

I have gotten to the point in my life that I have accepted my skin condition and am trying to live a stress-free and healthy lifestyle. It has made me realize what I can have control over and what I can’t. It gives me self-confidence, and I don’t care whether people stare or ask questions. Eczema has been one roller coaster ride that keeps on going!

This article was written by MyEczemaTeam member Nita as part of the Member Spotlight series. Nita works full time and likes to watch television and listen to inspirational videos and movies in her free time.

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