3 Ways My Crohn's Medication Improved My Eczema

Although I lived with symptoms for much longer, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was around seventeen years old. I was diagnosed with eczema much younger. I don’t remember exactly when or how I was diagnosed, but I’m almost positive it happened when I was a baby.

My experience with eczema

My outlook on my eczema has never been too bad because I’ve always been occupied by my ulcerative colitis. Don’t get me wrong, it gets to me. There were times when I was so embarrassed, I would question "Why me? Why was I forced to live with not one, but two conditions that really impacted my mental health?" I had trouble with it and also tried vigorously to hide it. For years. I wore long sleeves so no one could see my arms and avoided things that would allow people to analyze my skin or body, like swimming. So yeah, it impacted me, but overall my outlook has always been better than my outlook on my ulcerative colitis.

A Crohn's disease diagnosis

Earlier this year I got some pretty sad news, my ulcerative colitis diagnosis was no more, I now have Crohn’s disease and with the diagnosis came a brand new drug. I’m still getting used to the medication. It’s been about 3 or 4 months now and everything seems to be going smoothly, but a major perk is it’s not just working internally, but externally too! That’s right, my eczema seems to be responding to treatment as well!

My Crohn's medication and eczema

Here are 3 Ways in which my eczema improved because of my Crohn’s drug:

• Red patches, who? That’s right, the redness in my skin has completely subsided… at least as it relates to eczema. I still have redness on my face, especially in the morning, but everywhere else, it’s nowhere to be found.
• Dark spots no more. The dark, dry patches on my arm are completely gone. I could not be more grateful for this. These dark, dry spots are so much more than just a “pigment thing.” They were what caused a lot of embarrassment in my childhood. For people who don’t know any better, it looks contagious and I’ve always hated that.
• The itch I can never seem to scratch. We all know what it’s like to live with eczema or atopic dermatitis, so I won’t explain. Since my first or second dose, I’ve noticed a huge difference. Usually, I have scrapes and scratches all down my arms, especially at night. I haven’t seen or felt any of that in months. I hope it continues.

Hoping for a new eczema medication

I hope someday the drug may get approved for eczema or AD. Because it’s not actually prescribed for that reason, I’m not sure it should be taken for such, which is why I haven’t shared the name. This article is purely to document my experience, but I will, however, speak with my doctor about the possibility of the drug being approved in other spaces for other conditions and get back to you guys.