Naomi

Naomi was born with eczema and feels that her skin condition is something that has always been a part of who she is. She has struggled with it in the past, but as she has gotten older she has learned to control it better. She has a family history of eczema with her mum and some of her siblings also affected by it. As a child, she was once hospitalised for uncontrollable itching due to her eczema. Naomi usually gets eczema on her arms and she also has it come and go in patches on other parts of her body such as her hands, neck, chest and legs.

The area in which Naomi gets eczema changes depending on many factors. For example, she has learned that wearing certain clothing irritates her skin. She tries to stay away from wearing wool and prefers to wear cotton instead. Changes in weather conditions also affect Naomi’s eczema. In the summer months her eczema gets inflamed from sweating and in the winter her skin tends to dry out and sting. She has also found that both rainwater and seawater irritate her skin so she tries to stay covered up if she goes outside in the rain and tends not to go swimming in the sea. Naomi finds it difficult to wear certain types of jewellery and tends to avoid using shower gels, bath bombs and creams with fragrance as these also affect her eczema. 

Having eczema has interfered with Naomi’s social activities. She has missed out on seeing friends due to her eczema in the past, although she tries her best not to let eczema rule her life. She finds it difficult when her friends go swimming and she isn’t able to join them. Naomi has struggled with depression and anxiety in the past and feels that her eczema is a contributing factor. However, being able to meet friends has had a positive impact on Naomi and has helped through difficult times in her life. In particular, she found it helpful to speak to a friend with psoriasis who she realised she has a lot of things in common with and who she could relate to. 

Naomi often uses the internet as a point of reference for treatments options for eczema and has found that changes in lifestyle can make a difference. Her family and friends often come to her to advice on skincare and she recommends eating a healthier diet and staying hydrated by drinking more water. She wishes that there was an easy cure for eczema, however she understands that this is not the case so she advises others to treat their skin as well as possible with a healthy lifestyle.