Living with the chronic skin condition eczema can be a tough battle. But if you struggle with this, you should know that you are not alone. There are many other eczema warriors out there.
Eczema can flare up in any part of the body. It makes the skin dry, reddish, itchy, cracked, and scaly. When a person with this condition keeps on scratching the skin, an infection may occur.
If battling eczema, you must know by now that its effects go beyond the physical aspect. It can impact your appearance and feelings toward yourself, others, and the world. It may even go as far as affecting different parts of your life, including your family life, relationships, holiday, leisure, and other activities.
Those who battle this condition are not strangers to these challenges. However, if this is you, you are likely well-familiar with these difficulties as well.
Eczema vs. psoriasis: How are they different?
Eczema can get confused with another common skin condition, psoriasis. However, despite their similarities, these two skin conditions are entirely different. Let’s look into some of their fundamental differences.
Itchiness
Both conditions may involve itchiness, but the effects and feelings may differ. For eczema, the itch may lead to actual bleeding. On the other hand, the sensation may go beyond itchiness for psoriasis. A person with this condition may feel a burn or sting on the skin.
Appearance
Eczema leads to redness and inflammation of the skin. The skin may be crusty, scaly, or oozing. There could be leathery and rough patches that may be dark at times. Swelling can also occur.
On the other hand, red patches may still be present for psoriasis. These patches may be scaly and silvery. However, unlike eczema, the affected skin of a person with psoriasis is thicker and has more significant inflammation.
Other key differences
Eczema and psoriasis also differ in terms of these factors:
- Areas they show up on
- Triggers
- Onset
- Treatment
All of these show that these two are entirely different conditions. This article focuses on those who battle eczema, specifically. However, those with psoriasis may experience similar struggles as well.
There are millions of eczema warriors
If you battle eczema, know that your experience is not isolated. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) mentioned the following statistics:
- There are roughly 16.5 million adults in the U.S. who battle atopic dermatitis (AD)
- There are around 9.6 million children in the U.S. that deal with eczema.
That being said, eczema is quite a prominent condition. While these numbers show that many people are fighting the condition daily, it also indicates that your struggles are not an isolated case.
The National Eczema Society based in England also took the time to honor the stories of eczema warriors through their #MyEczemaStory campaign. Different people shared how the condition brought significant distress to their lives, affected their relationships, families, and school lives, and even how the situation affected their mental health.
The impacts of this chronic skin condition could be different for each person. The physical symptoms themselves are quite a handful to deal with. Eczema warriors must constantly face the torment of restless itchiness and cope with bleeding and scraped skin. Though this condition is physical, its effects go beyond one’s physiological state. It can affect a person’s social life, school, work, relationships, mental health, and overall wellbeing.
You are not alone in this battle. Many eczema warriors from all around the world can empathize with you in this fight.
