A young woman has shared how a debilitating skin condition rocked her self-confidence and saw her unable to go to the gym, work or university.
Leilah Johnson, 20, says her struggle with eczema, a type of dermatitis, has impacted her self-confidence and cost her thousands of dollars.
She has battled severe allergies and the painful skin condition, that causes severely dry and itchy patches of skin, since she was just three years old.
Ms Johnson said the skin condition, which targets her cheeks, lips, legs, chest and eyelids, came back ‘with a vengeance’ a few months before she turned 18.
Since then, the university student has opted to study online to better treat her frequent flare-ups at home using several expensive creams.
Her eczema forced her to quit her retail job, after a terrible flare-up left her eyes swollen closed and with painful welts from head to toe.
She prefers to wear sports bras as they rub her skin less, and she can’t wear fancy ‘office-suitable’ clothes because her eczema cream stains and sticks to the fabric.
‘People stare at me, and when they comment or suggest what I should do, I know they’re trying to help, but it’s frustrating and overwhelming as they don’t understand the amount of things I’ve tried. I’ve tried everything!’ she said.
Leilah Johnson, 20, says her struggle with eczema, a type of dermatitis, has impacted her self confidence as well as cost her thousands of dollars in expensive treatments
Ms Johnson has battled severe allergies and the painful skin condition, that causes severely dry and itchy patches of skin, since she was just three-years-old
Her skin, which is so thin and dry it feels like sandpaper, can also rip and tear when Ms Johnson undresses, adding to her discomfort.
‘Ninety per cent of the time, it’s horrendous and looks terrible,’ she said of her skin.
‘Last year, I had a really big circle of eczema on my upper thigh, and it got so infected my leg went purple, and I had to go back to hospital.’
The 20-year-old had to be hospitalised after her entire head swelled up and her lips and eyes became stuck together by several painful blisters.
‘I’ve been hospitalised several times and tried everything. I hate to think how much I’ve spent on creams and treatments over the years,’ she said.
‘I see a specialist every few months, but it’s disappointing as they just give me antihistamines and steroids, which ruins my skin.’
Ms Johnson said the skin condition, which targets her cheeks, lips, legs and chest and eyelids came back ‘with a vengeance’ a few months before she turned 18
The 20-year-old had to be hospitalised after her entire head swelled up and her lips and eyes became stuck together by several painful blisters
The uni student said she ‘doesn’t want to think’ about the amount she has spent on various creams and says she is allergic to most of them.
Ms Johnson said her ongoing battle with her skin had affected her weight and body image because sweat makes her dermatitis flare up.
It comes as a mother whose four-month-old baby had eczema so severe she would leave her pillow bloody was able to give her baby some relief with a ‘miracle’ cure.
Millie Zweifel’s mother Jen, 35, said her daughter had eczema on her face and scalp that ‘crusts and comes off in yellow chunks’.
‘Millie’s face gets so sore she can’t stop crying,’ Ms Zweifel said.
‘She claws at her face and scalp. Her pillow is sometimes covered in blood.’
Four-month-old Millie Zweifel (above) had severe eczema that targeted her face and scalp
Ms Zweifel has started using products from Australian natural skincare brand MooGoo, which offers products designed specifically for eczema and dermatitis.
‘As soon as I apply it to her face, it immediately calms it, and the redness disappears. It’s amazing and really comforts her,’ she said.
‘Because she’s got such thick hair, I massage it into her hair and scalp like conditioner and leave it for a few hours, and then comb it out. It comes out really easily, and then I wash her hair.’
Moogoo offers cleansers, creams, body wash and ointments specifically designed for skin conditions like psoriasis, keratosis pilaris and rosacea.
CEO Melody Livingstone says Moogoo has been inundated by orders from people suffering flare-ups due to the dry and cold winter air.
The skin on people’s faces and bodies can become dry after long hot showers and hours spent under an electric blanket or in front of a heater.
Ms Livingstone said Moogoo was selling an eczema cream every two minutes, with sales of face creams and moisturisers skyrocketing by 80 to 90 per cent.
Ms Zweifel said MooGoo’s Scalp Cream and an Eczema and Psoriasis Cream ‘immediately calms (Millie’s rashes) and the redness disappears’
Ms Livingstone said skincare company Moogoo was selling an eczema cream every two minutes, with sales of face creams and moisturisers skyrocketing by 80 to 90 per cent
Australia has one of the highest incidences of eczema in the world, and it is only getting worse – 50 years ago, only one in 10 Australian children suffered from it,’ says Ms Livingstone.
‘Despite eczema becoming more common, there’s still surprisingly little understanding around how to manage it.
‘As there is no proven cure for eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis, education and keeping the symptoms under control is critical.
‘The skin has a protective barrier, through winter it can get very dry and if it’s broken that means it’s susceptible to infection. So, it is important to start using a good quality moisturiser now to maintain skin barrier function.’
Australia has one of the biggest eczema problems in the world with about one third of the population diagnosed with the debilitating skin condition. People with eczema often suffer from chronic itchiness, rashes, weeping sores and rough skin.
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