How Eczema affects my daily life

Eczema is a chronic skin disease that isn’t given enough attention even though almost everyone knows someone suffering with it. I have been dealing with the condition since I was around 8 years old and it is a part of my life.

Every time I explain how eczema factors into my decisions or how it affects my daily life, the people around me are shocked. They always say, “oh wow I didn’t think it would have this consequence.”

It realize that there needs to be more awareness about eczema, especially so that people can support their loved ones who have this condition. I’m writing this article to create that awareness.

I won’t lie, my daily life is ruled by eczema. Here’s how:

1. All my toiletries and skin care products have to be tested on my skin first before I can use them fully. Most people check for products with their skin types and use them. I have to always do a check to see if I have allergic reactions to products.
2. Even the products that I’ve used for years can trigger allergic reactions if my body is in a fighting mode. During my last flare-up, I developed an allergic reaction to an oil that I applied every night for over two years. I am now afraid to use that oil again. The same thing happened with a moisturizing lotion a few years back. I am always on the lookout for bad signs from my skin.
3. I need to bathe or shower with only warm water. It shouldn’t be hot, even during the winters. Hot water is one of the main triggers for eczema. It also increases itching if it exists.
4. I have to carefully pat dry with soft towels only. Rough towels create friction on my skin. Sometimes, I rub because I’m rushing and because it creates a sensation similar to itching, my brain persuades me to rub harder over my eczema spots and itch. In many instances, I have showered with hot water and rubbed dry which made me unable to resist itching and it led to my skin bleeding in those areas.
5. Moisturizing is a must. It is important for everyone but especially so to combat eczema. Moisturizing multiple times a day is even better. Not only does it help the skin, it cools it down and feels good too. During minor flare-ups, aggressive moisturizing (like every one or two hours) can heal eczema and make a significant difference.
6. Clothes of only certain materials can be worn. Eczema does NOT do well with wool, polyester, and nylon. Once in a while may be okay but not regularly. I try not to wear wool directly on my skin. One annoying problem with eczema during winters is that the active spots will be heated up (probably due to comparatively hot showers and being covered up) and actually need to be cooled down but the rest of your body needs to be warm. My biggest spot is on an elbow and I’ve almost cut out holes in my jackets on that spot because it is so hard to keep only that area cool. I used to roll up the sleeve only on that arm until the eczema area was cold enough then cover until it becomes worse again because the rest of my arm is cold, and repeat. Balancing warmth between active areas and the rest of the body is a hard task.
7. Sunscreen and harsh sun avoidance is important! Even though I wear sunscreen, if I spend a lot of time under the sun—especially in summer afternoons—my skin will become worse. Not only will the eczema areas flare up, it will spread to other areas of the skin and also cause allergic reactions like swelling and rashes. It is best to avoid harsh sunrays as much as possible. I have to plan my day around the weather with hard nos to some opportunities.
8. Sweat isn’t good either. Avoiding the harsh sun rays by keeping skin covered up doesn’t help much either because those covered areas are more likely to sweat. Sweat gathering in folds of skin like elbows is not good and can cause new eczema spots to form. People with eczema are actually less likely to exercise often because of how sweat affects the skin over time.
9. Dust is a hard no. Dusty places with a lot of sand and mud aren’t good for anybody but are terrible for people with eczema. I went to an outdoor event recently held on a mud ground and my friends came out of it unscathed but I came out with whole new bad eczema area within ONE day. I generally say no to events that take place in areas with mud and and don’t participate in sports events like cricket as well.
10. I try to carry anti-histamines all the time. People with eczema are prone to allergic reactions, even to seemingly regular things. When I have a reaction, especially on the skin, I often cannot wait until I get meds from the pharmacy. I make sure to carry Allegra with me when I know that I can’t reach pharmacies easily or when I’m going to unfamiliar places.
11. I keep my fingernails trimmed all the time and never get them done like most women. Growing finger nails is dangerous for people with eczema. When an itch occurs, it is hard to resist it and even one scratch can lead to full blown itching which worsens eczema. I cut my nails once in two weeks. Whenever my nails have grown, I end up itching. If not during the day, I itch while sleeping. I don’t paint my nails either because I will want to grow them and make it look pretty and it never turns out well.
12. Cutting nails hampers daily routine as well because it limits me from doing some things easily. For example, peeling the cover off a new cream or picking out something that’s stuck. Whatever people generally use nails for, I take longer to do because I make sure that my nails aren’t sharp at all.
13. My concentration is very bad during eczema flare-ups. Either I’m constantly reminding myself to not itch my skin or I’m trying to ignore the pain which feels like multiple needles poking my skin over and over. It takes a lot of mental effort to ignore my screaming skin and complete daily tasks.
14. I ask my friends to stop me from scratching my skin if I’m around them. My brain constantly sends signals to itch and sometimes, I am distracted enough to not resist. It helps to have people around who will point out when I’m itching.
15. Generally when people walk past a sharp edge and accidentally get scratched, they feel pain. When that happens to me, it feels good and I want it again. Even if the skin that got scratched is not an active eczema site, I want to scratch and itch further because it felt good and eventually the skin would become bad. This is something that is fundamentally different for me compared to people without eczema.
16. When I go to bed, I have to make sure that the fan is on high and my blankets aren’t too warm. Going to bed too warm is bad because it can lead to sweat and any warm conditions are bad for the skin. I make sure that the room is cool before I sleep and that it will stay cool.
17. If I’m having a flare-up and don’t trust myself to not itch, I cover my eczema spots before sleeping. Since my main problematic area is my elbow, I wear a thin full-sleeved shirt or I tie a cloth around that area tightly. For years, the cloth technique used to be my go-to because the rest of my body would be too warm to wear full-sleeves but I needed to protect my elbow from myself during sleep. If I do wear full-sleeves and full pants, I turn the fan on high to combat the sweat and warmth. During the winter, keeping a balance in temperature while also covering the eczema areas is a struggle.
18. Sometimes, I end up itching when I’m asleep and don’t have another layer covering the problematic skin. Those times, I wake in the middle of the night to bloodied skin. Since I would be asleep, I wouldn’t be able to actively resist itching so I itch until I bleed and only then do I wake up. If my nails have any sharpness, this happens. I don’t wake up due to pain because my brain doesn’t see it as “pain.” After waking, I have to do damage control by cleaning the area and my nails, cooling the active skin by washing it with cool water for a while, pat-drying carefully, and lathering it with lotion. Even then, the skin will have a burning sensation that doesn’t go away for hours. This leads to disturbed sleep and hence I won’t be energetic the following day.

Out of all the ways it affects my life, the worst is the way it affects my concentration and my sleep. I would be much more productive if I was able to focus without a part of my brain actively fighting against a reflex and if I got good sleep every night.

I didn’t even mention the times I have to rush to the doctor to get anti-allergen medicines and steroid creams for the active skin. I have to take days off work for it and my attention wouldn’t be a 100% on my tasks until my skin heals enough to not hurt or itch.

And that’s why eczema isn’t a small thing that can be dealt with. One can’t deal with it and there’s no cure for it (so far). We have to actively make sure that nothing triggers it and if we miss even one thing, a lot of our time is spent thinking about it. Often, we have to say no to things or take extra steps to make sure there are no adverse reactions.

The only way to live with eczema is to work with it.