Joanne Takes Control of Her Scalp Eczema

The Editorial Team at AtopicDermatitis.net is highlighting people in the eczema community and their healing journeys in a series of Instagram Interviews. We talked to Joanne (@imthe.pr) about scalp eczema, diet, and natural healing for eczema.

Joanne's eczema story

I had eczema on and off growing up but it was never anything so bad that it affected my quality of life. I remember my eczema resurfacing when I had my first son, and during all my pregnancies following that. But for some reason after my last pregnancy, the little eczema I had began to spread uncontrollably all over my body.

I think there were three factors that contributed to this. The pregnancy was one. The fact that I was in constant contact with mold, was two. And three, because I started eating cleaner. The detox reaction was what I was seeing, but at the time I didn't realize and it knocked me for six!

Hair loss and scalp eczema

Editorial Team: What is some advice for dealing with scalp eczema? How did you cope with losing your hair?
Joanne:Scalp eczema is a really tough one because your skin has to heal so the hair can regrow. Losing my hair was really hard for me because I loved my hair and had already lost my hair some years earlier due to Hashimoto's disease. That said, I shaved my hair this time in order to feel like I was in control of it. I focused on using natural product to help restore the skin on my scalp first. And eventually it worked!

How dietary changes helped her skin

Editorial Team: You also manage a food Instagram account called @eatsforeczema. How has nutrition and diet helped in your experience? What are your favorite foods and why?
Joanne: Nutrition and diet has played the biggest role for me. Although it took a long time, I believe it was my diet that cleared up my skin. In the mainstream, eczema is considered to be just a stand alone condition but I truly believe it's just a symptom. If you can deal with underlying issues affected by diet, the skin can heal itself.

New favorite foods

There's so many foods I eat now that I never ate before! My favorite food by far is curries because of how easy they are to cook and how many veggies you can incorporate in just one sitting! I also NEVER ate bananas before, but now I eat them everyday!

Natural healing isn't easy

Editorial Team: Anything else you'd like to add?
Joanne: YES! That eczema warriors can also heal without steroids or intrusive treatment. Not to say its easier, because healing naturally is extremely difficult but the freedom you get afterwards is so liberating because now you’re in control of your own skin.

Follow Joanne’s healing journey on Instagram at @imthe.pr!

How do you manage your scalp eczema?