Teen, 18, opens up about her struggle with eczema in S’pore, where stress, sweat & heat cause flare-ups

M (not her real name), 18, remembers waking up one day and realising that she had scratched herself to the point of bleeding in her sleep.

When she noticed the blood on her sheets and under her fingernails, that was when she realised that there was something wrong with her skin.

At first, M thought her itch and rash were normal, especially due to the heat and humidity in Singapore.

However, over time, her rash worsened as it spread from her legs to the other parts of her body.

Despite putting on lotion and trying her hardest not to scratch, her skin continued to deteriorate.

Even the simple act of washing her hands was painful, causing her hands to be red with inflammation.

It gradually got so bad that M had to seek help to treat it.

An active lifestyle that triggers flare-ups

M had always led an active lifestyle, from being part of her secondary school’s  National Police Cadet Corps to swimming with her family on weekdays and playing sports with her friends on the weekends.

However, such a lifestyle required her to take specific precautionary measures like bringing a tub of moisturising lotion everywhere to keep her skin from drying out and getting itchy.

It also meant that she had to be mindful of what she wore. For instance, long sleeved clothing would prevent her from scratching her skin, but at the same time it  could cause her to feel hot and itchy.

And like most eczema patients, heat, stress and dust are M’s major triggers.

During exam seasons or other stressful periods, her eczema inevitably flares up.  When it gets too hot and humid and she sweats, it also flares up.  “It’s so unfair,” she said.

“My skin is so sensitive. If it’s too cold, it’ll get dry and then if it’s too hot, I’ll be  sweaty. Both lead to [itchiness] and either way, it will affect my skin. So, I need to  find a balance.”

M's biggest frustration is that some part of her body is constantly itchy, and she cannot control it.

She said: “It’s uncontrollable. You get so caught up in the itch that you can’t focus.”

M shared that during flare-ups, she blames herself as she keeps scratching and inflicting more damage to her skin.

“I feel down whenever I look at my skin and realise how bad it is,” she added. Thankfully, her friends and family are very supportive.

Her family will frequently check in on her and remind her to put on her creams and not to scratch, while her friends will help hold her hands to prevent her from scratching.

Finding the right treatment

Finding a treatment that helped was challenging as M did not respond to some of the usual eczema treatments.

With the help of her doctor, Roland Chu, Consultant Dermatologist at Loke Skin  Clinic, M tried different creams, pills and jabs in order to optimize her treatment  regimen.

Chu shared that atopic eczema affects 11 per cent of adults and 20 per cent of children in Singapore.

Patients with moderate-to-severe atopic eczema have weaker skin barriers which make their skin more susceptible to environmental irritants.

While Chu acknowledged that the heat and humidity of our tropical climate are challenging for eczema patients, they should not feel hopeless about their skin condition but should seek specialist advice to personalize their eczema treatment.

“There is no need to struggle with severe eczema as there are now effective and safe treatment options available. Apart from topical creams, there are also systemic treatments available (tablets or injections),” Chu advised.

“Our aim is to get eczema patients well enough to do most, if not all, of the things they wish to do. This can include participating in outdoor sports, or just being able to  wear short-sleeved tops and shorts without being embarrassed about their eczema rash.”

Piece of advice

M advises young teenagers experiencing similar struggles with eczema to find people who will support them.

“Sometimes you might feel very lonely, especially when you’re at home and when you wake up with all these scratches. It’s really like a mind battle. It’s not just a physical thing,” she said.

“You need to find people to help you and support you and encourage you when you feel like it is your fault this is all happening.”

She also said: “The most important part is talking about it to someone because it can be quite tough mentally when you go through all these thoughts and feelings about your eczema. It also affects your self-esteem and how you view yourself.”

Looking at how her condition helped her grow as a person, M said it helped her feel grounded and not get too caught up in her feelings.

“It’s not my identity. I need to keep reminding myself [that] it’s not a part of me… It doesn’t make me who I am.”

Assess your skin condition using the Dermatology Life Quality Index Assessment Tool and learn more about living with eczema.

Top photo via Canva 

This article by Pfizer Singapore made the writer more aware of the struggles of eczema.