Eczema Support Group
Eczema is a form of inflammation of the upper layers of the skin. The main symptoms are skin rashes characterized by redness, skin edema, itching and dryness, with possible crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing or bleeding. Eczema can be extremely physically and socially uncomfortable. If you're an eczema sufferer, join the group and get support.
Hi.
I have had eczema for more than 21 years (out of 22) now, and although doctors used to tell me that children often "grew out of it", my eczema has actually spread and gotten worse over the years.
Now it is all over my face (on really bad flare up days I can barely open my eyes from the thickness of the skin on my eyelids), neck, right arm and left elbow, and it's starting to creep down on my shoulders as well. My mother keeps telling me how I'm still beautiful and all, but my eczema is pretty much all I see whenever I catch sight of my reflection, and I can't stand it. The redness, roughness, the discoloration or dark spots, the scars and patches, it looks hideous to me. As a result I always feel extremely self-conscious of how I look, I have a hard time trying to feel feminine let alone beautiful, and I can't help being on the lookout for anyone staring at me whenever I step outside.
Does this sound vain? I know that a lot of people have it much worse than I do, and that looks are only superficial when it comes to getting to know a person, but I feel like no one will see farther than my patches. Heck, even I barely see more than my patches when I look at myself. I have come to hate my skin and I am at a complete loss as to what to do to fix the way I look at my body.
Once someone with scars from open heart operations told me that scars were like "tattoos with a better story", the proof that their bearer was tough and had survived a lot of stuff. While the way she felt proud of her scars was positive and inspiring, I can't relate to her feeling like a winner every time she sees her scars. Her scars saved her life, in a way, and they testify that she has overcome a lot of things in life. But mine don't. My scars and patches haven't saved my life, much the contrary, and every time I see them I can't help but feel like a loser, for I haven't won any battles yet. In fact, it looks like I'm slowly losing, since the eczema's spreading, and I feel very tired of constantly struggling against it to no avail...
I'm sorry for all the drama, and I promise that I'm not looking for attention or pity online. I just needed to get these feelings off my chest, since no one around me can relate to them, and to ask for your advice. How do you deal with the way your skin condition affects your appearance? How do you make it bearable?
Thank you very much for your attention (and reading this super long ramble)!
I have had eczema for more than 21 years (out of 22) now, and although doctors used to tell me that children often "grew out of it", my eczema has actually spread and gotten worse over the years.
Now it is all over my face (on really bad flare up days I can barely open my eyes from the thickness of the skin on my eyelids), neck, right arm and left elbow, and it's starting to creep down on my shoulders as well. My mother keeps telling me how I'm still beautiful and all, but my eczema is pretty much all I see whenever I catch sight of my reflection, and I can't stand it. The redness, roughness, the discoloration or dark spots, the scars and patches, it looks hideous to me. As a result I always feel extremely self-conscious of how I look, I have a hard time trying to feel feminine let alone beautiful, and I can't help being on the lookout for anyone staring at me whenever I step outside.
Does this sound vain? I know that a lot of people have it much worse than I do, and that looks are only superficial when it comes to getting to know a person, but I feel like no one will see farther than my patches. Heck, even I barely see more than my patches when I look at myself. I have come to hate my skin and I am at a complete loss as to what to do to fix the way I look at my body.
Once someone with scars from open heart operations told me that scars were like "tattoos with a better story", the proof that their bearer was tough and had survived a lot of stuff. While the way she felt proud of her scars was positive and inspiring, I can't relate to her feeling like a winner every time she sees her scars. Her scars saved her life, in a way, and they testify that she has overcome a lot of things in life. But mine don't. My scars and patches haven't saved my life, much the contrary, and every time I see them I can't help but feel like a loser, for I haven't won any battles yet. In fact, it looks like I'm slowly losing, since the eczema's spreading, and I feel very tired of constantly struggling against it to no avail...
I'm sorry for all the drama, and I promise that I'm not looking for attention or pity online. I just needed to get these feelings off my chest, since no one around me can relate to them, and to ask for your advice. How do you deal with the way your skin condition affects your appearance? How do you make it bearable?
Thank you very much for your attention (and reading this super long ramble)!
it is hard to see and hard not to be self conscious of it. but anyone looking at you that cannot see the beauty through it is a very shallow person
So as you can tell...we all have our eczema "horror stories"... You will live through this...and don't ever let anyone get away with calling you vain, because as I said earlier most of us make up our mind about people from the way the look...so you have every right in the world to wish that you didn't have these "battle scars".
Please let us know if anything helps