Dear Moira

Can you give me some advice on how to deal with negative experiences with other people about my child’s eczema, such as staring and/or unhelpful questions?  

It can be hard for both children and their families when they are put in a position of having to explain to a stranger that their child has a medical condition. That the condition is not contagious, or to explain that they are getting treatment, but it is a chronic condition that won’t necessarily go away. 

At EOS we can often hear these issues on our calls with families. We know that this can be an additional challenge and impact the child and their family. Many children struggle if they think someone is staring at them, or is asking questions about their skin which they may find hard to answer. This can cause issues with self-esteem in young people and frustration for their families.  

If a young person or their parent is facing this challenge, then being prepared can help. Planning a response is a useful strategy to try. Think in advance and prepare a polite response for if someone is staring, or how to shut the conversation down politely if unhelpful questions are being asked. This may reduce the frustration when in that situation and help with the impact of this on both the young person and parent/carer.  

At EOS we have worked with a Health Psychologist – Dr Ella Guest – from the Centre for Appearance Research to produce some wellbeing resources. These are available on our website. There is a little animation on how to deal with negative experiences with other people and some resources that may help with this. These can be viewed here. 

We work hard to ensure children, young people and their families feel like they are not alone and that EOS are here to help them.