1. CAN THIS HELP YOU?

Welcome, as it stands one in eight children have eczema at one time or another as do one in twelve adults. Some of the latter are adults whose eczema has lingered on, while others will have eczema for the first time as adults. One of the homilies that seems to have attached itself to eczema is “you will grow out of it”. This approach towards the condition leaves little surprise that adults with eczema often become quite desperate, believing that they will be stuck with it for life. This is not necessarily the case. Adult eczema often does recover quickly, with the right mindset and decisions throughout each day that accumulate towards the desired goal to be almost free of eczema, as there is no cure for it. The notion of being absent of eczema and not carrying the thought of how will this affect my skin can be very relieving. What I am aiming to outline today in this article are the impacts of eczema, both positive and negative (the positive ones could be surprising), providing potential long term and short-term solutions too.

2. MISCONCEPTIONS

Let’s start with some common misconceptions and break them down. The concept that eczema will get better on its own is a myth. Making the same conscious or non-conscious decisions each day play a vital part in how your skin can affect aspects of your life. Eating the same old shitty junk food to fill that instant-gratification hit comes with a side of flare ups. It’s not the dry, itchy and irritated skin that comes from eczema that is a serious health issue. The constant scratching you may feel compelled to do as a result of these poor food choices can cause long-term skin damage. As we touched on in the last article, the conscious decisions like substituting foods in the shopping trolley can have a profound effect on the acute symptoms. Another common misconception is that lifestyle changes won’t help eczema. From personal experience, this does not seem to be the case. As I took inventory on the daily decisions, I was making a few years ago, changes needed to be made. The daily sugary and carb-filled snacks topped off with ice cream for dessert at the end of the day were not doing any favours for me. Although a decent portion of the non-conscious decisions I had been making over the years helped me keep my eczema in check, managing stress, finances and getting back into the gym after the lock downs were all done, creating healthy relationships with my family and my friends, they certainly helped in mitigating the thoughts that could pass through my mind that I needed to submit to the instant desire of itching, for no real reason either.

3. PATHS TO A DIFFERENT MINDSET

Understanding that your condition is going to stay around regardless of how well you manage or mismanage your eczema, forming some positive ideals in your mind can unconsciously shape your physical and mental health. Foods that were on the unhealthy end of the scale would result in flare ups during the day and into the night. Even while you are sleeping, the uncontrollable urge to scratch no longer requires a conscious neural pathway as it would if you were awake. This can result in awaking in discomfort, to notice areas of ulcerated skin or open round sores, which stains bed sheets with blood. Ultimately acknowledging this imbalance in the skin comes from a poor choice of diet, making the switch to more whole foods such as your fruits and vegetables, more specifically in bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, fish, nuts and seeds. Following diets such as the Mediterranean diet or an anti-inflammatory diet will play a big role in reducing flare ups and inflammation in the body and reduce the urges to itch to almost never. It is also best to book an appointment with your local GP to assess your food allergies, some of the foods you enjoy may have to be let go. Eczema also has links to mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Mental health conditions may trigger an eczema outbreak, At the same time, an eczema flare up may cause a person to feel more stressed, anxious, or depressed. They have also experience fatigue and social withdrawal due to their physical and mental health symptoms. Learning to relax mentally and physically may help relieve stress, decrease inflammation, and alleviate symptoms of eczema and depression. Practices such as a regular sleep routine, meditation, exercising and having daily routine tasks can help to mitigate some stress and anxiety throughout your day. Spending time with loved ones and spending time in nature are options to help with a feeling of social isolation that comes with feeling shame or stigmatization. Trying a digital detox also may help in improving productivity and creativity, improving your quality of sleep and lead to better physical health and mental well-being.