Hey there, my name is Vivien and I’m a university student who loves listening to music, learning new things, hanging out with family and friends, dancing, reading, shopping… the list goes on. In short, I believe in living life to the fullest.
And one more important fact- I have atopic eczema. It’s a skin condition of dry, sensitive skin that I’ve been dealing with for many years. It has affected my life greatly and at times stopped me from doing the things I wanted. But having this problem has taught me lessons in patience, faith and ‘social-savviness’ (fending well-meaning but unhelpful comments from others) as well.
I’ve set up this blog devoted to discussions about atopic eczema whose other names include infantile eczema, flexural eczema, atopic dermatitis. The target audience would be other people with the condition, their care-givers, and anyone else interested in knowing more about atopic eczema. According to some estimates, up to 17% of Canadians suffer from atopic eczema at some point in their lives, so it’s an issue worth addressing. [1]
Through this learning journey of 4 blogposts, I hope to get more educated about this skin disorder by seeing it through a scientific lens and develop information literacy skills in assessing ‘advice’ about eczema treatments out there.
No flu jab option is available to heal eczema instantaneously. This makes managing eczema frustrating as it improves only under consistent, religious skin care regimen. Other than physical discomfort, the patient and caregiver may encounter psychological stress.
My main message would be to develop strong mental health to accept the condition, manage it following sound scientifically-backed treatments and live life with a smile.
Helpful Links about Atopic Eczema
Canadian Dermatology Association http://www.eczemahelp.ca/index.html
The Eczema Society of Canada http://www.eczemahelp.ca/treatments.html
Mayo Clinic’s Eczema Page http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eczema/DS00986
Personal Stories on Eczema http://eczemahelp.ca/share.html
Moisturize daily,
Vivien
1 Eczema Prevalence in Canada. Ipsos-Insight Health, 2003
