World Eczema Day is September 14th and raises awareness of the chronic skin condition that affects one in five children in the UK.
While for many children eczema is mild and easily controlled, for others it can be severe – causing hot, painful rashes and covering their entire body.
Scarlett was born with a rash on her skin and ever since has suffered with pain, itching and allergies.
Throughout her life she has tried dozens of treatments and medications – from steroids and immunosuppressant injections to light therapy – and her condition makes sleeping and concentrating difficult.
The 11-year-old, who lives near Inverness, has allergies to foods like eggs, nuts and shrimp and is even allergic to UV light.
Mum Sarah said eczema has played a huge part in their lives and has impacted Scarlett’s mental health as much as her own. She is backing the Scotland-based charity Eczema Outreach Support with their new campaign, which coincides with World Eczema Day. ‘Eczema – It Gets Under Your Skin’ aims to educate on the mental impact coping with eczema can have on children, young people, and adults that care for them.
She said: “Doctors say you can’t be born with eczema, but Scarlett was born with an angry looking rash and it only got worse until she was diagnosed with eczema when she was just weeks old.
“It’s been an endless battle with trying new treatments, attending appointments with doctors and dermatologists and testing for allergies and of course it plays a big part in your mental health. For me, it’s the feeling of being helpless to watch your child suffer and the frustration of nothing seeming to work long term.
“Having people tell you about this cream that cured their child’s skin makes me feel like people think I am not doing enough. Believe me, I wish more than anything there was a magic potion that would cure her eczema.
“And for Scarlett the impact is huge. Every day is applying creams and managing infections – as well as being conscious of her appearance. She is a brave girl and doesn’t moan but I know she can be self-conscious of her skin and wants to be covered up if she has a particularly bad skin day.”
During the pandemic, Scarlett was forced to isolate due to the medication she was taking which lowered her immune system. This meant the normally sociable girl was only able to see her immediate family.
“This really affected her, she was miserable being away from all her friends for months and months as the medication meant if she did catch Covid, it could have been serious for her. “She was begging to stop taking the medication so she could see people again and I felt awful. It’s that internal battle of ‘am I doing the right thing?’ The injections were helping her skin but causing her mental health to decline.”
Eczema Outreach Support has been a great source of information and assistance to the family since the family joined in 2014. Scarlett has come along to lots of events to meet other children with eczema, had a school workshop and benefitted from tailored support from the EOS family workers.
Sarah even joined the Board at EOS so she could give back to the charity that helped her little girl.
Sarah added: “Before EOS I was really, really struggling. I felt totally alone, like no one else understood or knew what we were going through as a family.
“Scarlett would be in serious pain, so inflamed she looked burnt and we were desperate for help. A nurse in the dermatology department told us about EOS and I joined straight away. Getting to speak to someone who understands what we were going through and getting that support was invaluable.
“The eczema affected Scarlett’s skin but it affected the whole family’s mental health. We were in such a bad place and joining EOS became a glimmer of light in a very dark tunnel.”
Today Scarlett’s skin is better. While she still suffers from flares, they are more under control.
CEO of Eczema Outreach Support, Suzi Holland, welcomes World Eczema Day and hopes it shines a light on the mental impact eczema can have.
“’Eczema – It Gets Under Your Skin’ is such an important campaign. Eczema can have a huge effect on both the person with the condition and their carers.
“For children and young people with eczema, it can affect confidence, anxiety and mood while carers often feel helpless, alone and overwhelmed. Our campaign for World Eczema Day hopes to shine a light on the impact eczema can have on mental health and make people feel less alone.”
EOS is hosting several events on eczema and mental health to mark World Eczema Day. It is free to join EOS if you are a parent or carer of a child with eczema aged 0-17 and the workshops and events are also free. You can join here.
