Top 3 Questions I've Been Asked About My Eczema

Over the years, I have been asked several questions about my skin. Some have been very rude and uncalled for. Some comments have probably been well-intended but came out completely rude.

People will always make comments

When it comes to suffering from a skin condition that can be a chronic and everyday struggle, the last thing you want is someone to comment something rude about your skin. Self-esteem and self-consciousness with skin conditions can have a huge impact on people.

I’ve had bad skin days when I've gone out in public and have been asked about my skin. I have also had days when I thought my skin looked good and was healing, yet people still have the audacity to say something mean. Even if you don’t comment on anything rude, just staring at my skin can make me feel uncomfortable.

Here are the top 3 sayings people have told me before:

Why haven't you tried this?

Often, we are asked if we have tried x,y,z products when we might have already. Not every skincare product is going to work perfectly for everyone. Everyone has different skin and allergies. If you have a skin condition, you are most likely open to trying new products. In my case, I have tried hundreds of products and spent thousands of dollars on my skin condition. Most of the time, the money has been wasted because either the product didn’t work or made my skin worse than it was already.

What's wrong with your skin?

I have had strangers come up to me and ask me if I am okay. When the person with a skin condition wants to talk about their skin condition, they will be open with you about it. If they feel comfortable enough with you, they will talk to you about it. The person does not need to address their personal life with a stranger or loved one if they don't want to.

Why doesn’t your skin get better?

In my past jobs, I would always get asked why my skin was not getting better. While working in the healthcare field, you would think people would be more compassionate, but they are not. I would always say plain and simple, "I don’t know." I would cut the conversation. It was not like I wanted to live with a skin condition. Also, I am trying my hardest to heal my own way, and sometimes there is a lot of trial and error. I am not just sitting around and hoping my skin condition will magically disappear. This would be awesome, but we all know that is not going to happen.

Eczema is tough

I have to be completely honest by saying that I know sometimes people don’t mean to be rude, yet, it comes off in a mean manner the way people word things. Before speaking, I believe we must think and analyze what we are going to say. I am saying that I know my skin condition is visible yet, there are thousands of other people who have health conditions that are not visible. Many people don’t understand that we all go through a lot, whether you live with a visible or invisible condition. We are taught to be tough and can overcome every obstacle thrown our way.

That is why I truly believe that we are eczema warriors.