My Eczema Story

Since I was a baby, I have struggled with severe eczema. From about 5 years old until I was 30, I tried many corticosteroid creams/ointments and met with (what felt like) nearly every doctor around Brisbane. Nothing was working. A few years before I started studying Naturopathy I did immunotherapy. This worked initially however my eczema eventually came back. When I stared studying Naturopathy I decided to come off the corticosteroid creams/ointments and without realizing at the time, I had developed topical steroid withdrawal (TSW). This is when there is a severe reaction to coming off steroid creams. The year I had TSW was probably one of the hardest years of my life - and it didn’t help that I had no idea what was happening to my body. My side effects were; covered from head to toe in red inflamed eczema, SO much flakey skin, months of chronic insomnia, very low mood, lack of confidence and dreading every social event.

Here are some things that have helped my eczema. I had to slow down a lot and remove things from my life that weren’t serving me well. I did a lot of therapy to get to know myself and to identify and move stored trauma (I still do this!). I reduced toxins within the household (laundry detergents, perfumes, makeup, hair and body products and kitchen items). I did lots of work on my gut (so much comes from the gut!), and I TRIED to reduce stress as much as I could (during the most stressful time in my life - this one was hard!).

Because of my history with eczema, I have a passion for treating patients with complicated skin problems. I believe I can truly empathize with each and every one of you. Every person with eczema will have a different story and different triggers. I’d love to know what your eczema story is.

Written with love,

Jacinta