Back toUpdated on October 23, 2024
The toll of Atopic Dermatitis can affect each patient differently.
Transcript
Hi. I'm Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, and I'm here with a group of patients with atopic dermatitis, and we're talking eczema today, specifically,
how it affects each of us individually. [MUSIC PLAYING]
When did you find out that you had atopic dermatitis, and how did you find out? So I found out I had AD because my mom actually told me
I've had it since I was a baby. I was diagnosed with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis
when I was just a few months old. Just naturally was taken to doctors, and kind of put two and two together to figure out what this whole atopic dermatitis stuff was.
Was it worse for you as a baby, or has it-- you've had flares as an adult also? It was worse for me as a child, yes.
You know, my mom and my dad and everyone has helped me manage it up until the point where I could start making those decisions for myself.
It was more localized when I was younger. I kind of knew what to expect, and you know, some of it moving to different states
and different climates. So it has its moment where it's worse because it's in different places than it was when I was a child.
Right. I found out as a kid as well. I think I had it as a baby, my mom told me.
And I just remember being a child and knowing that I had these areas that kind of bothered me,
and there were certain things that I, you know, could and couldn't do. What sorts of symptoms did you experience because of atopic dermatitis?
It's the-- it's very hard as a child to be told not to scratch. My mom would literally put my dad's tube socks on my arms.
You're just so uncomfortable, and it makes it hard to do other things. Like, I get eczema really bad on my hands, and it gets puffy and red, which is weird.
Like, right on my knuckles. And I never know if it's, like, an allergy or an eczema flare-up. But you know, you keep scratching it, but your hands are puffy, so you can't really move.
Externally, my symptoms would show up as these red, itchy, blotchy patches all over my body.
Internally, the symptoms also were sadness and anger and frustration, often leading me
to, why am I going through this? I wish people knew how much it affects us mentally.
How has atopic dermatitis affected your confidence? People that know me, they say, oh, you know, you're a very confident person.
But it's a lot of the time, I can show it, but it's internal. As a little kid, I was one that
had the giant hyperpigmentation, so I would always get teased for that. I've come through to realize that my skin doesn't define me.
Growing up, atopic dermatitis affected how I saw myself. It was the dictator of what I can wear, who I can hang out
with, what I can do. Kind of what I started doing and actually being more vocal about it instead of hiding inside myself.
So I guess it maybe, in the odd way, kind of boosted my confidence. I'm just prepared all the time for the worst,
but I don't let it stop me anymore. I didn't realize the extent to how much it affected my life
until I started to really take control back and say, wow, like, I left myself out from really living life
to the fullest because of my skin. It's so important to eliminate the guilt. There's a lot of guilt associated
with atopic dermatitis, and we really have to make an effort to recognize that it's nobody's fault, and we're all trying our best.
