There Is Nothing Worse than Facial Eczema
Other than having an illness that threatens your life expectancy, or one that gives rise to excessive pain, I sincerely believe that there is nothing worse than having facial eczema. I have had eczema all my life, and it is not good to have it anywhere on your body. The discomfort and mental distress it can cause are well-known in the atopic dermatitis community. Having it on your face means that straight away, you are at a disadvantage.
How does facial eczema impact social situations?
Going for jobs, for instance, where there are several interview stages, can be extremely anxiety-inducing for sufferers because you want to feel good, and if you do not feel good, it is reflected in your behavior. Dating or having long-term relationships can be compromised. Personally, I do not even bother getting to know someone if I am experiencing an extreme flare. The best thing that can happen is that it will elicit sympathy from the other person (which, for me, is also the worst thing that can happen), or they do not care that you have eczema, which is highly unlikely. And the worst thing that can happen is that the person brings up the fact that you have this condition, and they would rather not see you. Again, highly unlikely.
However, what is not a highly unlikely scenario is that they may think that and not say it. Fair enough. I might be the same if I did not have this condition, so no judgment! But this is what I mean about this condition being a huge disadvantage. We haven't even got on to how the actual condition makes us physically feel yet!
How does it impact my perspective?
I understand the line of thinking about positive self-regard and learning to love oneself, which I envy in others. Perhaps envy is the wrong word. I just do not have the ability to feel that positive about myself. It does not mean that I always feel down about my appearance. I have a kind of numbness toward it. I have learned to accept it, and that in itself has given me strength and remember I have been fortunate enough to tackle all that life throws my way.
How does it affect my happiness?
Another way facial eczema is more of a disadvantage… I feel it strips away your happiness. It gets to the core of who you are, and it threatens your very being. When I see other sufferers full of positivity. While they allude to the struggles of the condition, the good part of me marvels at their mental strength and ability to deal with all that comes with it, and the bad part of me is suspicious. Do they really have it that bad? Or are they just lucky to be surrounded by extremely understanding family or partners? Either way, I think it would feel amazing to feel that positivity. I get glimpses of it every now and then. It is great when it occurs.
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