When I was five months old I was diagnosed with eczema. My mom would tell me stories about me throwing tantrums and constantly crying because of the rashes on my skin. From the time I was a toddler I always felt like the odd one out because of my rashes.
In the eighth grade my eczema rapidly got worse, it was all over my arms and stomach. I would receive so many questions like what is wrong with my skin. Of course this made me feel insecure about my looks, and this had a direct complication on my psyche. I would try to deflect questions about my skin through jokes and wearing copious amounts of clothes. It was always a struggle having to adjust my life based on my condition. I could not wear certain perfumes, use certain detergents, or use certain lotions. Eventually, I went to a dermatologist to get an opinion about my skin and eventually through natural supplements and prescriptions. My mother would reassure me that eventually my eczema will go away once I reach my early twenties, like hers.
Plot twist, I am in my early twenties and a couple months ago my eczema came back with a vengeance, it has been the worse it has even been. This time not only spreading to my arms and stomach, but also my back and thighs. When this happened my old insecurities came back, I was afraid to where clothes that showed too much skin and wear as much long sleeves as possible. I took me a while but I finally realized that eczema is something that I will have to live with for probably most of my life. But, living with this condition taught me how to take better care of skin and to be cognoscente about the things that I put inside and on my body.