Whether you were unfortunate enough to be born with eczema or developed it later in life, the skin condition can be painful, embarrassing and debilitating.
Someone who knows that more than most is mum-of-two Lisa Johnson, who started suffering with the skin condition when she was 18.
Lisa, from Wilmslow, says her eczema peaked in her late 20s while she working in a stressful marketing job. Though she was prescribed steroid cream to help ease her symptoms, the treatment only provided temporary relief and made her condition worse.
Her inflamed skin became so painful she was often unable to use her hands, describing the itching sensation as something she could feel “right down to the bone”.
The condition eventually spread to her face, leaving her so self-conscious about her dry and flakey skin that she didn’t want to go outside.
Lisa, now 49, says she tried every remedy but nothing could stop her from scratching. It wasn’t until she tried acupuncture – a treatment derived from ancient Chinese medicine which sees the insertion of thin needles through certain parts of the body – that she says she saw a sudden change.
“Nothing from the doctors worked,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “We knew there had to be something to make me deal with it instead of putting creams on. I needed to figure out why it was coming in the first place.
“I couldn’t drive some days because I couldn’t even hold onto the steering wheel. I had to wear white cotton gloves to cover them because I was so prone to infections.
“I just felt horrendous about myself, especially on my face. I didn’t want to go out. I felt like my shoulders were always covered in flakes; it’s disgusting for a woman to feel like that. It was painful, especially on my hands and feet.
“Then I had acupuncture and it was incredible. The [practitioner] told me I need to look at my job, at my work and how I was eating and sleeping. I told her I was stressed.”
Following the treatment, Lisa was finally able to discover the main trigger for her eczema – stress. Finally knowing the root cause of her condition, the mum describes the realisation as a lightbulb moment.
“It was a revelation for me because I’ve never connected what was going on with my skin,” she said. “When I started having accupuncture, it slowly started to clear up.”
It’s believed around 1.3m people in the UK suffer from eczema. The condition causes the skin to become itchy, dry, cracked and sore.
Eczema is much more common in children, often developing before their first birthday. However, it may also develop for the first time in adults.
Although the condition is usually long term, it’s known to improve slightly or even clear up completely as sufferers grow older. And while the exact cause of eczema is not known, it’s clear the condition does not just come down to one cause.
Eczema often occurs in people who get allergies. It can also run in families and often develops alongside other conditions, such as asthma and hayfever.
People with eczema usually have periods when symptoms are less noticeable, as well as periods when symptoms become more severe, known as flare-ups.
The symptoms of eczema often have certain triggers such as soaps, detergents, stress and the weather. Sometimes food alergies can play a part, especially in young children with severe eczema.
As her condition improved, Lisa began experimenting with different types of organic oils to sooth her skin even further.
After testing out several aromatherapy oils, she decided to enroll in a blending aromatherapy course, gaining a diploma. Alongside her marketing job, Lisa began making skincare for herself.
But word on her oils soon spread, with friends asking if they could buy some of her creations. That’s when Lisa decided to quit her job and set up her own hand-made skincare line, LJ Natural, with the business since becoming a huge success.
“It’s been 13 years and I’ve never had to go back to my job,” Lisa added. “I did research into good natural incredients from avocado oil, evening primrose oil and shea butter and learned how to melt them together and make them into a product.”
Though Lisa still suffers with the eczema, the condition is nowhere near as bad as it used to be. “It pops up every now and then,” she said. “You can’t cure it but you can learn how to manage it and control flare-ups. You learn how to sort it out when it happens.”
What the NHS has to say
According to the NHS website, some people report their eczema symptoms get worse when they are feeling stressed. 'If you're diagnosed with atopic eczema, a GP will work with you to try to identify any triggers for your symptoms', the website says. Concerning the use of acupuncture, the NHS website states practitioners 'use acupuncture to treat a wide range of health conditions.' However, 'the use of acupuncture is not always based on rigorous scientific evidence', it adds. To find out more, click here.
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