George
(Text only clips) George has had eczema since he was a child. He and his parents hoped it would clear up as he got older but this has not been the case. George’s eczema impacts on him physically, making his skin cracked and sore, and makes him feel very self-conscious.
George has had eczema since he was 3 years old. Eczema was quite a big part of his childhood as it was very painful and would often wake him up at night. His parents thought he would only have eczema as a child and that he would eventually grow out of it. However, when it became clear that this was not happening at age 12/13 and his eczema was affecting more parts of his body, he and his parents went to see a GP. George had not felt able to be more vocal before this point about how much eczema was affecting him. He says that having eczema can get you down over a long period of time. George was referred to a dermatologist but ended up waiting around 6 months for the appointment. He currently uses a shop-bought moisturiser, prescribed steroid cream and shower gel replacement called Oilatum. He likes the shower gel replacement because it helps his skin but doesn’t have the same downsides as the moisturiser which can feel very unhygienic on clothes and rubs off when he’s moving about. Stress, hot weather and wearing tight clothing/shoes for a long period of time can all make George’s eczema worse. He finds that anything which makes him sweat tends to dry out his skin and he currently takes tablets to treat hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) which helps with this.
George’s eczema causes him physically and emotionally difficult to live with. He remembers having severe eczema on his hands when he was 14, making it extremely painful to write at school. Sitting still for a long time, especially in a hot classroom, can make it particularly difficult to concentrate because his skin gets so itchy and sore. He then finds that trying to ignore his eczema can become a distraction. George hasn’t talked to his teachers about eczema and he wouldn’t take in his creams because he doesn’t want to draw attention to the fact he has a skin condition. He doesn’t like it when other people notice his eczema. He worries that other people may use information about faults to embarrass him. George finds that his male friends especially make a lot of jokes and he does not want this to happen about his eczema. Although George understands a bit more about eczema now that he’s older, he thinks that teenagers are often judgements and so he worries about what his peers might think. George plans to go to university next year and hopes that the other students there will be more mature and understanding. He would like to study medicine, partly because having a long term health condition like eczema has allowed him to meet a lot of doctors and learn about their jobs.
George encourages other young people to do their own research about eczema but also be wary that sources may contradict each other. He thinks it’s always a good idea to go and see a doctor; he adds that if you have had a bad experience with one doctor, you can ask to see another one. His advice to doctors is to take into account how long the person has had eczema and to talk about long-term treatment/management, including emotional support because his eczema has been more damaging emotionally than physically.